Planning and Designing
Your Site
So, you have your first project in mind or maybe
even a client or two lined up and you're ready to break out your
new copy of Macromedia Studio and start building
websites
, right?
But where do you start? Should you start creating tables, drawing
images, or creating keyframes? If you want to set yourself up for
success and avoid frustration and
wasted
time, the best place to
start isn't
necessarily
with Studio, but with a good old-fashioned
pencil and notepad.
When it comes to creating a website, a little
preplanning can go a long way in determining the elements you need,
the tools you'll require to create them, and the process involved
to bring the project to completion. Rather than just
tossing
design
ideas into the workspace, try answering a few questions that can
guide you in the process, such as
-
What kind of site am I looking to build?
-
Who is my target audience? Is this for the Web
or an intranet?
-
What features and functionality will serve the
audience?
-
What type of content will be added to the pages?
Static or dynamic?
-
If dynamic, what database management system will
be needed and what platform will be used?
-
How many pages will the site require? What types
of pages are they?
-
Does a template for look and feel already
exist?
-
Is artwork already available for use? If not, do
I know what layout would work best?
-
Where will this site be hosted?
-
Does the host offer the server functionality
(such as databases, specific platforms, and so on) that I need?
Caution
This is in no way an exhaustive list of
questions that you should be discussing with your client, but a
simple list of generic questions that can serve as a starting point
for a conversation.
Tip
Maintain a running list of questions and answers
for each of your projects or
clients
. In addition, with each
project that you complete, review the questions and answers and add
any appropriate questions to a master question list that you use
with each new client.
These questions, among many others, can be a
starting point for
putting
together a project plan. This plan lays
out the process of building the site and gets you started in
thinking about the potential issues that might arise.
For instance, suppose that for the exercises in
this book, you have been approached by a local motorcycle
dealership
who would like you to build a site that advertises their
services, allows people to contact them, and also displays the
various motorcycles that they have in stock. They have a logo that
they use on their letterhead, but would like for you to create a
new logo for use on the Web. After a little time talking with the
client and planning, you have the following answers to your
questions:
|
Q:
|
What kind of site am
I looking to build?
|
|
A:
|
A small, 1015 page site that is attractive, easy
to navigate, and
presents
all the information the client has asked
for.
|
|
Q:
|
Who is my target
audience? Is this for the Web or an intranet?
|
|
A:
|
This is a website and the audience is potential
customers in the client's local area who are
researching
motorcycles for purchase.
|
|
Q:
|
What features and
functionality will serve the audience?
|
|
A:
|
The site should have a basic set of pages,
including a home page, contact page, "about us" page with an
employee slideshow, a page about services
offered
, and a list of
motorcycles (and their details) for sale. Eventually, they would
also like to add functionality for selling merchandise via
eCommerce.
|
|
Q:
|
What type of content
will be added to the pages? Static or dynamic?
|
|
A:
|
Because the client is asking for future capacity
for eCommerce, it would be best to use pages that draw their
content from a database. If the site is designed this way from the
start, adding the appropriate tables and pages to accommodate
eCommerce should be easier down the road. In addition, the
information about the motorcycles in inventory can be stored in the
database as well.
|
|
Q:
|
If dynamic, what
database management system (DBMS) will be needed and what platform
will be used?
|
|
A:
|
Because this will not begin as a high-traffic
site and cost is an issue, Microsoft Access is suitable for the
DBMS. If the site generates traffic beyond what Access is capable
of handling, the site can then be upgraded to SQL Server.
|
|
Q:
|
How many pages will
the site require? What types of pages are they?
|
|
A:
|
The site will require approximately 10 pages
based on the ColdFusion platform.
|
|
Q:
|
Does a template for
look and feel already exist?
|
|
A:
|
No. The client would like for you to provide the
layout.
|
|
Q:
|
Is artwork already
available for use? If not, what layout would work best?
|
|
A:
|
Artwork is not available, so the client would
like you to create it for the site.
|
|
Q:
|
Where will this site
be hosted?
|
|
A:
|
The client is a member of a local Chamber of
Commerce and has arranged to have the site hosted there for a
monthly fee.
|
|
Q:
|
Does the host offer
the server functionality (for example, databases, specific
platforms, and so on) that I need?
|
|
A:
|
Yes. After a discussion with the Chamber of
Commerce, it was determined that the server is running ColdFusion
Server on a Windows 2000 Server platform, so creating connections
to an Access database poses no problems.
|
Armed with the answers to these questions, you
are now ready to think about what tools you have at your disposal
and what, if any, tools you need to acquire for the project.
|
