The Process and Value of Design
A friend recently asked me why website design costs so much. I remember thinking to myself, what a difficult question to answer. There is no specific standard cost model for website design and development, and truthfully, costs can be extremely low to exorbitantly high. Before I tried to answer the question, several thoughts went through my mind.
I thought about the various processes followed by designers, which can differ greatly in terms of the steps taken and the time required to complete projects. I’ve experienced processes that are extremely simple, where design begins immediately and things just get figured out along the way. I’ve also been involved with detailed, complex processes that have a multitude of phases where every minute detail is accounted for. Obviously the more complicated the process, the more time it takes, and the more it costs.
The other thought that went through my mind was the size of the design team. Website design can be performed by one single person working from home or by a whole team of experts. Obviously the more people that are involved, the more hours will be spent in which the related cost will elevate.
I also thought about purpose. The purpose of a website can vary in degree, and depending on the importance of that purpose, a site will also vary in complexity. After a moment to reflect on the cost question and my ensuing thoughts, I realized there was not a good answer in terms of a direct explanation, as costs truly range from hundreds of dollars, to thousands, or even millions.
I felt the best way to answer the question was to explain the process that Rhythm Interactive goes through to design a site. I started off with a disclaimer that costs can vary depending on the intended purpose and the complexity of a website. However, for any website to be truly effective in achieving its purpose, a detailed process is required.
At Rhythm Interactive we apply what we call the RI-5 process to all project design work. Whether it be a website, an email, a direct mail piece, banner ads or rich media, the process is followed. It begins with Planning and Discovery.
In this first important step we develop the project plan and perform all the necessary discovery to truly understand the project from a business goal perspective. We also work to uncover and empathize with user needs. This phase provides the crucial information and fact-based data that is leveraged in the next step. During the Strategy phase, we develop the strategic design plan. This important piece of the process defines the site’s purpose, and explains how user goals will be satisfied. It is literally the road map that will be followed to complete the project.
The next step is Architecture and Design. When developing the architecture, the team defines the content, structure and behavior of the solution through a series of wireframe diagrams, sort of like blueprints. Working in this low-fidelity format allows the team to quickly iterate through ideas until it meets the approval of all stakeholders. Once the architecture is complete, the design team develops the mood, persona and style of the solution through a series of static page mock ups. The wireframes and the page mock ups together function as the complete specification that engineers will need to build and test the working version of the solution.
Once Architecture and Design is complete, we move into the Build and Deploy phase, which is exactly what it sounds like. Our engineers follow the design spec to build a working prototype of the solution. The prototype typically goes through a series of iterations until it passes our performance and user tests.
As you can see, each step in the RI-5 process leads into the next one and each step must be followed in order to arrive at a final solution, which is specifically developed to achieve its intended purpose.
The last and final step in the process is Measure. In this step, through various quantitative and qualitative methods, we monitor the solution to understand how well the goals and objectives were realized and make recommendations for improvement over time because, after all, one of the beauties of interactive media is that it is ever evolving.
After explaining this to my friend, she had a much better understanding of the importance of a goal-based or “strategy first” design process. She also had a feel for the amount of time such a process would take and the ensuing costs. She also asked a couple of good questions about the design process.
First she asked, “Can all of that be done by one person?” I chuckled and answered with an authoritative “No.” It involves a team of experts that excel at different parts of the process. Furthermore, I explained, each of the team members must be highly skilled, and in fact experts at their specific craft. She looked enlightened and asked the second question.
“Do most people or clients understand the importance of the process?” Again, I chuckled, and answered with a resounding “No.” I explained that most people don’t and that’s why they need to be educated. I told her that once they do grasp the process and realize how well the outcome can be, they become supportive of it and actually look forward to it.
She looked at me for a second longer and then exclaimed, “I think I understand now. A purpose driven website takes time, planning and the right team of experts to get it done, and done right. So basically you pay for what you get.”
“Exactly,” I said.
