When you begin your web development project with Xclaim Agency, it will be helpful for you to review the typical development cycle below to better understand the entire process as a whole and easily identify where you are in the development cycle as the project moves forward.

While we make every attempt to keep the development process as simple and ‘painless’ as possible, we will need your help along the way.  It will be your vision, ideas and concepts that we interpret to create a site that is a unique representation of your business that provides the content and functionality you have contracted us to put in place using the most advanced design and development tools available.

Design, Navigation, Content & Functionality need to work seamlessly and efficiently with one another to ensure your site visitors are able to view the maximum amount of content, with the least number of 'clicks' possible during the duration of their site visit.

There are four primary development phases for your web project...

I.    Creative Design Phase

II.   Content Development Phase

III.  Programming Development Phase

IV.  Final QC (Quality Control)

Following is a brief overview of each development phase…

Creative Design Phase

Within 3 to 5 business days of receiving your signed contract - you will be presented with a Home Page Design Concept custom created just for you. You will be asked to review the proposed design concept and provide input as necessary until you are pleased with the design - a process that can take from 1 to 7 days on average, but may take longer depending on the timeliness of your feedback.

Once you approve the new design concept - you will be asked to sign a Preview Acceptance Agreement which authorizes us to create the internal web pages for your website based on your approved design concept which usually takes 3 to 5 days.  Note – while the home page design concept will be the design ‘template’ for your internal pages - each internal page will feature a unique, custom designed header image and a page content title that conveys immediately the nature of the content for that specific page.  These visual ‘cues’ help the visitor to instantly determine they have landed on the page containing the content they have chosen to review and help to personalize the design of each visited page - giving each internal page, and the website as a whole, a unique ‘look and feel’.

Content Development Phase

After all your internal web pages are created - we next move to the Content Development Phase which normally takes 5 to 10 days – but may take less or more time to complete depending on the timeliness and quantity of your content feedback (additions, deletions, changes).  If you already have an existing website – it’s generally more efficient for us to transfer the content from the old website to the new design allowing you to provide feedback on any needed changes to content within the context of its new ‘look and feel’.

Programming Development Phase

After your website completes the design and content development phases - we next add programming functionality to your website by developing and installing whatever programming modules you have purchased i.e.; Database Driven Feedback Forms, Online Store, Website Content Search Engine, Customer Login, Content Management functionality, etc., and/or any custom programming services for which you have contracted us to develop .

Up until this point you will be able to 'see' the development progress on your website at a special online preview URL during the Creative Design and Content Development phases as you work with your design services staff.  Most programming functionality, however, is added 'behind the scenes' so you will not be able to 'see' much of this work until it is nearly complete which can take 1 to 4 weeks depending on the number and complexity of the modules being installed at which point all the programming modules will be brought 'online' for testing and Final QC.

FINAL QC

Once the programming modules are completed, installed, setup and tested – a FINAL QC is performed on your entire website to correct any layout, typo, spelling, copy formatting issues etc. In addition, we ensure compatibility with various browsers, including mobile devices. It's more efficient to make these corrections all at once, than to try to keep up with required changes during the development cycle.  The Final QC process can take from 3 to 5 days to complete.

Once the website has passed its Final QC – we will ask you to review the site to insure that we've incorporated all the features you have requested and contracted for and of course we will make whatever changes are required within the scope of the development contract.  Once you approve the site - we can go live anytime you choose within 24 hours.

TYPICAL  PROJECT TIMELINES

Typical Custom Logo Design - 1 to 3 Days

Typical 4-6 Page Web Development
Design Phase – 3  days
Content Development Phase –  2 days
Programming Development Phase - 1 day
Final QC – 1 day
LIVE – 5 to 7 days

Typical 12+ Page Complex Web Development
Design Phase – 3 to 10 days
Content Development Phase –  2 to 10 days
Programming Development Phase - 5 to 10 days
Final QC – 3 to 5 days
LIVE – 2 to 4 weeks

(Please note that all estimated completion times can be longer or shorter  depending on
the size and scope of your project and the timeliness of your required input and feedback)