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how I build websites
Primarily I am a web designer by profession.
I am constantly learning new technologies such as Digital Video and Photography, but primarily I will always be a web designer.
I am always experimenting with new scripts and new technologies, but get the most experience when the need arises.
There are a number of methods that I use to start building a website.
I first meet with the client and discuss the business requirements and website goals.
- I then come up with a design concept, sketching out ideas with pencil and paper; weighing the usability pros and cons of each design.
Sometimes I will take photographs of the subject, either for direct use in the site, or to get textures and design elements for inspiration.
Once a few designs are decided upon, I start a graphical prototype in Photoshop.
Everything must look just right, and I am usually tweaking the graphics until everything meshes together.
- Then I slice the images into frames or tables and hard-code the framework with ASP and HTML.
I then add to this base layout by adding scripts and DHTML elements for areas that require tactile response, such as link rollovers and menus.
Then I usually start taking things apart by modularizing the code into headers, footers, and reusable scripts.
Along the way I usually flesh out the design by applying style sheets (CSS).
This helps establish color schemes for tables, text, scrollbars, links, and other web objects.
- Back-office code is usually next, writing the pages that process forms, or transform and process data.
Previously this was done using a COM object or ASP, but now I am starting to handle this with .NET's framework.
- Testing is the next phase. I open the site in IE, Firefox, and Netscape Navigator and fix any rendering issues that present themselves.
Sometimes I will tweak script code so it is compatible across all platforms.
To the left you can see my portfolio of online works, categorized into sections.
Some sites originally designed as an internal application may not have full functionality, but I am slowly tweaking them to work in this web environment.
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