While every project is unique, our agency follows a pretty traditional three-step process:
- Strategy
- UI/UX Design
- Web Development
Let’s quickly break each of those down…
Strategy:
This phase is all about preparation and positioning. First, we will send our new client a Kickoff Questionnaire containing a series of high-level strategy questions to help align both teams on key business objectives and project priorities. Next, a formal kickoff meeting will be scheduled with key stakeholders to delve deeper into the Kickoff Questionnaire responses, align on project process and timeline, and discuss relevant strategic topics such as the competitive landscape, value propositions, marketing initiatives, etc.
UI/UX Design:
Before we begin pushing pixels in Figma, it’s important that our agency and the client align on the most critical information to convey on each page of their website. Doing so will ensure that key messaging and value propositions are properly prioritized and a cohesive narrative is created across the site, as well as on each page. We call this first step “content mapping.”
Once the content map has been approved, we begin working on navigation concepts and homepage UX wireframes. After a few rounds of exploring different sitemaps and layouts, including mobile-responsive designs, we transition from the UX of the homepage to UI concepts. These UI designs will vary in style, colors, iconography, photography, and proposed animations/interaction design. The goal of the initial UI concepts is to determine the overall aesthetic that will drive the look and feel for the entire website.
Once the UI design for the homepage is approved, we then flesh out the UX/UI design for all remaining interior pages, and finalize all content (i.e. copy, photography, animations, 3D graphics, etc.) prior to starting development.
Web Development:
Development starts with a hand-off from the design team to the engineers in order to review the UI/UX designs in full and understand all the intended interactions. An inventory of any technical requirements or integrations will also be taken (i.e. email marketing, analytics, event tracking, CRM, video player, Zapier, etc.).
After planning is complete, development will begin on a protected staging site and a weekly stand-up will be scheduled once Boundary’s engineers begin working. During both the UX/UI design and development phases, we will employ best practices for WCAG and ADA compliance. A thorough audit will be carried out once the staging site is developed, and a report will be delivered to the client for review.
When development is complete, we will perform internal Quality Assurance (QA) testing and then share a beta link with the client to review for functionality and bugs so that all stakeholders have the ability to test outcomes and provide notes. Bug reporting will take place in a shared Google Sheet, which Boundary will create and manage so that we maintain a single source of truth for all feedback.
Finally, after the site has been thoroughly tested and receives client approval, Boundary will coordinate to find a low-risk time with the least amount of potential website traffic to push the website live.