Essential Insights for Effective Web Development

Websites are the new frontier for global marketing and business transactions. The advent of the web made the appearance of new forms of ideas and content possible in digital environments. The web design and development process uses different techniques to structure information through appropriate resources, allowing the user to reach his goal directly.

Developing high-quality websites is always challenging for web developers because few choices are available within a limited time range. Web development requires careful planning, foresight, and a systematic design methodology. In this blog, we will discuss some key aspects of website development services along with general methods based on a combination of the available literature.

The People Behind Every Web:

There is an assumption that the web is developed by large teams of people, each with a different role in the development process. But that’s not true; research indicates that a variety of people are developing websites, many of whom are from outside the traditional software development agency. Indeed, many web developers are inventing methods ‘on the fly’ in the hope that the emerging product will meet the client’s demands.

Why is flexibility essential for website development?

There are many articles proposing a methodology for Website development. Undoubtedly, they provide helpful tips, but each methodology has certain limitations, and some problems are unique to the development of websites. For this reason, any methodology produced must be generic and flexible enough to account for the individuality and uniqueness specific to a website yet brief and sufficient to achieve the desired development.

Standards for Website Development:

1. The design should include website hierarchy charts, flow charts, storyboards, and individual web page designs.
2. Images should be kept as small as possible and convey the same function or purpose as they appear.
3. The banners and menus should have formal website layout standards.
4. Specific colour combinations, such as red and green, should be avoided, as they can cause problems for the colour-blind.
5. Content should be authentic and based on high-ranking and relevant keywords.
6. Tools should be of high quality and used in combinations.
7. The use and placement of return buttons should be proper for better navigation.

General Phases of Web Development:

The following section presents an outline of the web design and development phases.

Analysis Phase:

Research has shown that the two main reasons for software failures are lack of management or commitment to a project and misunderstanding the requirements. The analysis phase in website development aims to reduce these risks by setting goals and objectives in place and then designing a system to achieve them. It involves the following steps:

• Development of a Web Strategy
• Defining Objectives
• Objective Analysis

Design Phase:

Once the analysis phase has been completed, the development process can move on to the design phase, which is done through documentation. The design should be developed, considering it will likely have sections added during its lifetime with emerging technologies. Otherwise, it will become unmanageable in the future and ultimately fail. It further includes the design, development, and testing phases.

Generation Phase:

For the generation of the website, the resources for the development, such as hardware, software, links, and personnel, are selected. To ensure technical specifications, several different applications and servers are integrated. It involves the following steps:

• Resource Selection.
• Design Review.
• Code Generation & Installation.

Testing Phase:

Testing is one of the most complex and challenging phases of web development. Web applications are developed for a broad group of users in different technological environments. The website must be tested against as many of these environments as possible in order to maximize the potential audience.

Implementation Phase:

The Implementation phase is an ongoing process that runs throughout the lifecycle of the website. This is the simplest yet most important phase of web development. It involves the regular monitoring of the website and the provision of updated information and authentic content.

Evaluation Phase:

Once the methodology has been developed, it is presented to two experienced developers for evaluation. This provided additional validation regarding the usefulness of the method on a more practical level.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, web development is a complex process that requires technical expertise and continuous learning. Some amount of method tailoring is always necessary to make use of any methodology, and several methodologies may need to be combined. The above process will probably have limitations; if not now, then certainly in the future. As long as the development practitioner can identify these limitations, other methods can replace them. Just as the nature of the Web is changing over time, any methodology for development must also evolve with it.