Overview

define

The initial phase is an important fact-finding, dialogue-based process during which E-dreamz will confirm project goals, technical requirements and the key business drivers supporting the project. It is only after fully understanding all these pieces that E-dreamz can solidify the final project scope, timeline and budget.

Activities during this phase traditionally include discussions on objectives, creative, content/content management requirements, existing applications and/or databases, and third-party services. The end result is a detailed strategic plan that assures the project will meet the desired goals.

architect

During the Architect phase, E-dreamz becomes immersed in the consumer experience, both online and off, and crafts a site architecture that is ultimately user-centric and intuitive, delivering on customer needs and providing an enriching experience.

The deliverables of this phase are sitemap and wireframe diagrams. A sitemap is an outline of a site’s hierarchical structure detailing what pages/functions should be grouped together and includes definition on the specific names of sections and pages. Wireframe diagrams are a basic visual guide used to suggest the layout and placement of fundamental design elements including copy and user options within the interface design. For example, they help define the positioning of global and secondary levels of navigation in a prominent and intuitive position, as well a provide areas for utilities such as searching.

design

The Design phase represents the conceptualization or creative portion of the project. The goal of this phase is for E-dreamz and the client to settle on a general creative direction that drives both the message and the visual personality of the business.

The visual design of the website is the synthesis of the research and planning that has taken place in the Define and Architect phases. Edreamz’ design team will take the inspiration provided from various creative exercises to create mock-up or the “look & feel” design compositions that include colors, navigation placement, user options and content areas so that the presented designs attempt to portray the look and feel of the finished website.

It is important for the designs to reflect the client brand (i.e. logo, color palette, font. etc.), work for the type of functionality and content that will be present on the site and also be useful for the audience. Clients frequently gravitate towards one design combining elements from the other to produce a final design. Once the overall “look & feel” has been approved, the design can be applied throughout the site or application with the ability to customize sections as the need occurs.

build

Upon completion of the first three phases, E-dreamz and the client will have produced the final functional requirements, content strategy and creative direction that will be adhered to throughout the project. With all of the approvals in place, E-dreamz production artists and engineers are now in a position to create databases, develop code and construct all pages. It is also during this phase when the content management system will be developed (if the project requires) to maintain dynamic areas of the site.

The end result of this phase is a website that is technically flawless and reliable while the technology itself remains invisible. The user, after all, cares about the user experience – not the tools used to create it.

deliver

When the build has been completed and the project has passed internal quality assurance testing, it is then made available to the client for acceptance testing. E-dreamz provides a staging environment for all projects to facilitate testing at any location. The staging environment will mirror the live production environment that was agreed upon to maximize testing effectiveness. Upon final client approval, the site is deployed and made available to consumers.

Part of the delivery includes drafting a measurement strategy that enables E-dreamz to evaluate how well we executed against the strategy, quantify the actual return-on-investment, and modify and improve the site to deliver success in even greater measure.