Start off with a free consultation

Unsure of how to get started? Come in for a free consultation! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Besides meeting the team in person and seeing real life examples of how we made sense out of mayhem, we can start to piece together a road map of the best way to tackle your new site.

Through the analysis of competitor sites, we can gain a better understanding of your organization's position in the marketplace. A list of key markers for your new site can be compiled and tabulated. It's our job to project your marketing initiatives into a bigger picture online. We strategically use these as a whole to reach your target audience and deliver results that you can actually see, touch and measure.

You might have heard of SEO (search engine optimization), the ability for your site to be easily found on a search engine. Through an entire host of free online SEO tools, such as Google Insights, we can develop a keyword phrase list and the start of a campaign.

If you already have a good understanding of your needs, we can provide pricing right then and there.

You're busy, and we're here to help. Your role in the project is just as important as ours. We'll talk to you frequently throughout the project, giving you updates, asking for feedback and informing you of dates for work completed. We have a very hands-on approach within our client relationships. If you have a question about something, we want you to immediately call or email us. We figure a 15-minute conversation to get things right is better than a final product you're not happy with. With one phone call, you can connect with all the resources you need at the same place while talking to a real person!

PHASE 1

Needs Assessment

Clear communication and the identification of project goals are among the most important first steps in our process. By asking a series of in-depth questions, we will gain an understanding of your needs. What makes your company unique from the competition? What are the three major obstacles to selling your product or service? Lform also analyzes the successes and failures of your competition. We study your competitors' interactions with their audience, their use of technology and their position in the marketplace. We also try to understand your potential clients. Who are they? What are they looking for? How can we add value to their online experience?

We will analyze your marketing materials and discuss required approaches for your target audience. Lform will closely review sites that currently take the right approach to service all your goals and needs. We will be sure to note pros and cons of each implementation. Furthermore, aesthetics (layouts, graphics) of existing sites will be shown and discussed to gain a better understanding of your visual style. Then we will outline the new structure of the website, by defining features and the site map. The resulting documentation will clearly outline the goals and requirements.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

In our experience, we've learned that a project's success and timely completion rely on how well Lform and the client follow the process. Throughout the years, we have fine-tuned and redefined every milestone involved in each project from inception to completion. Now we have a process that has proven time and time again to work. This includes everything from proposals, kick-off meetings, revisions, sign-offs and site launches.

We extensively use Basecamp for project management allowing our clients to easily communicate, review to-do lists, see dates of receivables and upload files for incorporation. Futhermore, Basecamp is well known for its intuitive user interface, but we always supply a manual upon the start of any new project.

PHASE 2

DESIGN

Next we will hit our canvases running...

WIREFRAMES

Wireframes are basic visual diagrams illustrating the placement of items (e.g. slideshow, introductory text) on a web page which help maintain design consistency throughout the site. This is a crucial step due to the fact that it helps develop public and private user expectations and familiarity with the site.

HOMEPAGE DESIGNS

The first impression of a user is always the most important. The homepage is an integral part of any website. The user must be able to easily navigate the site with key topics visible. Photos must grab the attention of the user and relate to the topic at hand. Graphics must be enticing but not frivolous. Frontpage designs will be presented via screen sharing or an in-person meeting to discuss Lform's intentions and gather your feedback.

HOMEPAGE ANIMATION

By adding an animated visual component to the homepage, we can entice a new user. An individual will be tempted to further explore what you offer. Keywords, phrases and images may be incorporated to create visual abundance, informing an individual while providing stimulating, dynamic entertainment.

SECONDARY PAGE DESIGNS

Secondary page designs will coincide with the frontpage. This will include the design of template pages (e.g., FAQs section, Testimonials page) and website features (e.g., Twitter feed integration, RSS Feed button). Secondary page designs will be presented and discussed via screen sharing or an in-person meeting.

PHASE 3

Coding & Development

Web software development is fluid. Each project has unique requirements that often change after the onset. Collaboration between developers and clients is crucial. Lform's developers take the extra time to ask questions and provide explanations in ways that are easy to understand. We invite stakeholders to view our development as it takes place in order to receive continuous feedback.

Before advanced functions are designed, use cases are created. A use case is a description of steps or actions that may occur between a public user and online software, often leading to primary user goals (i.e., uploading an image to a public profile). Use cases help our team of developers determine the features to implement and how to easily resolve errors upon testing. Detailed requirements may be drawn using diagrams to finalize all key goals.

CSS & HTML CODING

All of our websites are written in CSS (cascading style sheets) and HTML 4 Transitional or HTML 5, allowing search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) to easily spider (cache) the website. Imagery will be compressed to allow all public users to easily download the website. The site will be tested on Windows (Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 5, Chrome) and Macintosh OS X (Safari 5.0, Firefox 5, Chrome).

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

After several years of using "off-the-shelf" content management systems (Joomla, Drupal, WordPress), Lform designed and built a system from the ground up by applying open-source development tools and libraries (jquery, javascript, php). It is not a proprietary system, but we do not distribute it freely. Through the integration of our online content management system (CMS), you will be able to easily log in and make changes on a whim.

PHASE 4

Testing & Refinement

Quality assurance is paramount. Our team is involved from the beginning of the project to ensure that we have a deep understanding of how everything should work and be delivered.

Existing, new content (text and images) will be introduced to your new site. Content may be provided in various formats through BaseCamp, our online project management tool.

Lform Design will review and test your new site. HTML and CSS coding will be validated. Broken links will be fixed. Site functions defined in the technical specifications sheet will be reviewed and thoroughly tested on multiple defined browsers.

For a period of one (1) year following the public site launch, Lform will correct any errors, bugs, or other service issues at no additional charge.

Site Launch

Clients may get hands-on training to ensure comfort with using the content management system, that includes instructions for adding and deleting text and images, and help with easy transitioning from beta to live site. We will provide a well-organized manual on how to use the CMS.

Once the interactive campaign is launched, it's all about the results. Lform provides access to in-depth statistics (Google Analytics, StatCounter) and recommendations to attain future goals. We are there to support our clients with any necessary tweaks or alterations as needed, and we will continue to evaluate the success of the initiative throughout its lifespan.