These are some of the main principles that we apply to our projects:
Before we start a project we will always sit down with the client and discuss what they want and what they are looking to get out of the website. We prefer to hold this initial meeting face-to-face as we feel this is the best way to get a true understanding of the client and their needs. Were a face-to-face meeting is not possible we will hold these meetings over the phone or on Skype.
Once we have a good idea of what it is that a client is looking for we get to work on producing a range of quick prototypes. This may be in the form of mock designs or a proof-of-concept micro site.
We are not a fan of the overly detailed specifications usually associated with IT projects. In fact we think that the time spent writing these documents is wasted and should be spent on producing and improving the product. Therefore the only piece of paperwork that we will usually produce for a project is a project proposal that outlines the main requirements of the project as well as the plan, costs and time scales. There are occasions when more detailed paperwork is needed and then we will produce it however generally we think that the time is better spent actually ‘getting things done’.
We understand that as a project develops things will change and requirements may drift slightly. This is only natural and we deal with this by taking an agile approach to all of our projects. We will first build a site that meets the clients essential requirements and then iterate over this initial site adding in new features and making changes to meet the clients evolving requirements. We have found this to be an effective way of dealing with changes to project requirements.
We use a mix of automated unit and functional tests in order to make sure that the product is bug-free come launch day. Our testing procedures also involve manual testing across all the major browsers and on various platforms.