Welcome to the Real World

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Although the site development process appears to be a very straightforward cycle, it doesn't always go so smoothly. There are just too many variables to account for in the real world. For example, consider the effects of building a site for another person such as a boss or client. If someone else is paying for a site to be built, you might still need to indulge their desires regardless of whether the requests conform to what the user wants. Make sure you attempt to persuade others that decisions should always be made with the user in mind. Try to show the benefits of design theories rather than preaching rules. Be prepared to show examples of your ideas that are fully fleshed out. However, accept that they often might be shot down.

Note  

Experienced designers often will create a variety of site comps to guide discussion, similar to a book of haircuts for customers who can't verbalize what they want.

Most Web projects have political problems. Don't expect everyone to agree. Departments in a company will wrestle for control, often with battle lines being drawn between the marketing department and the technology groups. To stir up even more trouble, there might be numerous self-proclaimed Web experts nearby who are ready to give advice. Don't be surprised when someone's brother's friend turns out to be a Web "expert" who claims you can build the whole site with Microsoft FrontPage wizards in one hour . The only way to combat political problems is to be patient and attempt to educate. Not everyone will understand the purpose of the site; without a clear specification in place, developers might find themselves in a precarious position open to attack from all sides.

Always remember that the purpose of following a process model such as the one discussed in this chapter is to minimize the problems that occur during a Web project. However, a process model won't account for every real-world problem, particularly people issues. Experience is the only teacher for dealing with many problems. Developers lacking experience in Web projects are always encouraged to roll with the punches and consider all obstacles as learning experiences.

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