Design Timeline
1) Planning Phase
In this no-obligation phase, Atawe Design will work with you either through email, face-to-face discussion, over the phone, or by letter to assess your web development needs. It would be important for the potential client to answer the following questions:
- What kind of website do you want?
- Is this a new website or a redesign of an existing website?
- Do you already own a domain name? Do you want Atawe Design to register one in your name?
- Who is your intended audience? What are their internet access capabilities?
- What is your web design budget?
- Who will take the necessary photographs to use on the website? Will you own rights to these photographs?
- Who is responsible for writing the content of your website?
- Is there a local staff that will be solely responsible for working with Atawe Design on the project?
- Are there similar websites that you would like yours to mirror as much as possible?
- What date do you want to launch the website?
At any time during this no-obligation consultation, the client may decide that Atawe Design is not the right fit for the needs. You are never obligated to move to the next phase.
2) Contract
Once the client and Atawe Design have agreed on the answers to the above questions, then a written contact will be drafted by Atawe Design and sent via email or snail mail to the client for discussion. The contract is ultimately the legal documents specifying the terms of the project. While contracts vary from client to client, the main information contained in the contract includes:
- Client Information
- Statement of Respect
- Authorization
- Project Summary
- Completion Date
- Payment of Fees
- Assignment of Project
- Copyrights & Trademarks
- Electronic commerce laws
- Web design copyright disclosure
- Sole agreement
- Refund Policy
3) Deposit Payment
Once a final version has been accepted, then the client will sign the original and send back to Atawe Design along with the first payment (50%) of the total fees by one the following methods:
- Paypal
- Direct deposit into Bank of Guam account & fax receipt of deposit
- U.S. Money Order: made payable to Vidalino Raatior, 2713 Subec Lane, Soquel, CA 95073
- Other electronic wire transfer means are available upon request
4) Web Development
Once the contract has been signed by both the client and Atawe Design, then web development begins. Depending on the contract, Atawe Design will devise at least 3 templates from which the client can choose. If the client is responsible for content collection, then that process will begin while Atawe Design begins on any of the following services:
- create custom logos, banners and graphics for use on websites
- develop static or animated graphics
- domain research and registration
- web hosting account set up
- Setting up unlimited email accounts
- digital photography optimization
- table-based or CSS-based layouts
- static and dynamic menu navigation
- Javascript coding
- photo galleries
- search engine optimization
- banner design
- W3C compliant code validation
- blog incorporation
- on-going testing
- security development
5) Launch & Marketing
At this point the website has been launched for public viewing and the final payment is submitted. Once the final payment is received, then Atawe Design will begin researching the optimal “keywords” for submission to key search engines including Google. This process enables potential visitors, donors, customers to search for and find your website through keywords-specific search enginges.
6) Sustainable Web Maintenance
Atawe Design is very familiar with the challenges faced by many organizations and companies in Micronesia; lack of tech support, slow internet access, frequent power outages, and in my cases lack of trained local staff dedicated to technological needs. We value the training of the local personnel to maintain a website. Therefore, we provide ongoing staff development opportunities for our clients to help with their ongoing content management and updating needs. At the very least, Atawe Design can provide up to 5 hours per month in new content addition and site updates to keep your site looking good and up to date.
