Ideas & Opportunities

 

In case you haven't heard, everyone's online! And chances are, your target market is online, too. More than just updating their Facebook accounts and checking e-mail, a growing number of consumers all over the world depend on information they get from different websites and letting their fingers do the walking.

Now is a good  time for you to get a swanky, new website to attract customers, if you still don't have one. But if you can't tell a byte from a bite, you can employ the services of a web designer.  According to Mike Maglipon of Magcon Graphics, a web design company, there are two aspects to creating a website: creatives, or design and layout; and production, or programming. Magcon, which Maglipon co-manages with wife Cathy, opened in 1999, with friends and family as initial clients. From there, the network grew. They have since designed websites for Fairways and Bluewater, Hanford, and PhilUSA.

 

TO-DO'S
Maglipon says that when they start work, they ask for the following from their prospective client:

1. Client Brief. This is the first step in the process. Among the questions you should answer are: What type of website do you want to have? What are the do's and don'ts for your website (with respect to colors, images to be used, copy to be applied)?
2. How many pages do you want to have? (This has a bearing on how much you can expect to spend. We'll discuss that in more detail later.)
3. How extensive will the interaction be with the user? Will there be more flash animation or more static (non-moving) pages? ?As functionality is a priority in making a website, a site that is fancy in so many ways could be a deterrent in making the visitor stick to the website. More clutter usually results to less viewership, unless the site is geared towards a younger market, as this demographic has more patience in waiting for heavy site to load.?
4. Is the domain name (www.mydomain.com) already purchased/ owned?
5. Where will you host your site?

 

Jan Michael Javier, a multimedia artist for Tao Corporation, adds the importance of knowing the target market for a website. "Knowing the target market of the website gives me an idea of how its 'feel' should be. Then, I [can start working on] the main style and design concept for the website."

THINGS TO CONSIDER
After you've decided on the details, you can expect a timetable like the following.

• Week #1: Client Briefing

• Week #2: Development of JPEG stills. These are home page and inside static page designs the client may choose from. A web design company usually sends three or more designs for review

• Week #3: Submission of images and text to be used. Start of programming.

• Week #4: Viewing of temporary website for client review.

• Week #5: Debugging and finalization of website.

• Week #6: Uploading to live site.

As for technical requirements, Maglipon stresses the importance of purchasing a domain name and web hosting services beforehand. "Also, if the designer will be the one to upload the website to the live site, file transfer protocols (ftp) are required (user name and passwords)."

GETTING TO IT
Maglipon and Javier agree that an extensive client brief is of primary importance. Maglipon says, "Once design is approved, it is up to the programmer to slice the site in the best way possible to minimize loading time. Even if there are prevalent broadband internet speeds available, customers still want fast loading sites so they could surf or browse more websites."

In addition, Javier says, "A website is a great tool to get the attention of customers or business partners. I usually try to design websites that would grab their attention and intrigue them enough so they'd want to call the company for further inquiries or actually visit the main office. Sometimes, giving away too much information through the company website may not encourage customers to act. So I believe the information in the website should be just enough to give knowledge about the company, but not too much that they won't ask any further questions."

IN-HOUSE OR OUTSOURCE?
Whether it's more cost effective to give the task of designing your website to someone in your employ or to get the services of a website design company, Javier thinks that "the company will get faster results from an in-house staff. However, that doesn't mean that they are guaranteed a great website." Maglipon, on the other hand, makes the case that "having it done by professionals would exhaust design possibilities and explore additional functional and aesthetic features that in-house staff or template website may not provide." It's all a case of priorities and, again, budget.
 
If your company can't afford to hire a web designer, don't despair. Maglipon says, "Mac computers offer software for fun and easy-to-do websites. There are also available templates in Microsoft products that publish website with easy-to-understand steps." If you so decide to make your creativity soar through your company website, Javier advises: "Know your limitations, so that you can work around them and explore!"

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