Welcome to Design Services and congratulations on officially getting your project started! We are ecstatic you have chosen us for your design project and are committed to working with you to ensure you get the finished product you had in mind.
As work on your website gets underway, we want to make sure that you are familiar and comfortable with the revisions stage of your project, and understand what will be needed from you during this phase of the design process.
The revisions process is critical to the successful completion of your website. Revisions allow you to review, comment, and offer feedback to your web designer on the work they’ve completed. It also allows for a pulse check, giving you the ability to tell the web designer if they are right on track or a bit off the mark.
In this article we will cover:
- Understanding The Revisions Process
- Design Revisions
- Coding Revisions
Understanding your role in the revisions process will help you reach your website goals. Below we outline questions and tips you should consider while you’re moving through the revisions process.
Understanding The Revisions Process
Before you can start the revisions process it’s essential that you know what the process is about and what is expected of you. During this process, the web designers will share their progress with you and you will have a chance to review it, comment on it, and request changes as needed.
With that in mind, are you clear on their revisions process and what is expected of you?
If not, talk to your web designers and tell them you will need guidance on the feedback they expect once the initial iteration is ready for review.
Having an understanding of the process will help you better articulate your needs to the web designer, especially if realignment is needed.
In addition to understanding the process, other questions to consider before it’s time for revisions include:
- How much time do you have to review and get back to them?
- When will they need feedback from you?
- If you miss the deadline, how will it affect the overall completion of the project?
Remember, your design team is working on a schedule too and if a deadline is missed, they may not be able to immediately jump back into your project.
Be sure you understand the entire revisions process and what will be required of you, as well as what dates those requirements will need to be met by during this stage of the project.
Revisions are broken down into two categories: design revisions and coding revisions. We will cover both below.
Design Revisions
Depending on the process of the web designer, they may create a mock of your website in Photoshop (or a similar program) and send you the images to review.
When reviewing the mock, the web designer mainly wants you to comment on the structure of the page(s).
You will want to ask yourself:
- Do you like the flow of the elements from top to bottom?
- Would you rather certain elements be rearranged a certain way?
Reorganizing the structure of your web page(s) is easier and faster to complete in Photoshop than with code.
Your web designer may also want you to comment on the fonts and colors used as well. Though fonts and colors can be changed once the site is coded, coding revisions should be used to finalize functionality and button up the website in preparation for launch.
In addition, images and text can easily be changed throughout the process and even after launch, so they may not need that information finalized during the design revisions at all.
Coding Revisions
Once your site is coded and ready for your review, it’s your responsibility to make sure it is aligning with your goals. Though you’ve communicated your goals with your web designer, because it’s your vision, you will need to review your site and ensure they’ve interpreted your needs correctly.
Of note, review and realignment (if needed) is totally normal and is a natural part of the revision process. Creating a website is a collaborative process that needs constant input from the client for the success of the project.
After your designer shares the link to your website, make sure you click through everything and on everything.
Good things to check include:
- Are there any broken links?
- Are elements linking to the wrong pages?
- Is the progression through the website as you envisioned?
- If not, will you need to add or delete pages?
Depending on where you are in your coding revisions, you’ll also need to test your contact form, any special functionality that has been added, and your payment gateway if you’re selling products.
Testing everything before launch will allow you to identify and request solutions from your web designer before the website is launched and your revisions are over.
Revisions are an essential part of ensuring your website meets the goals you set for it, as well as looks and feels how you imagined it.
By making sure you understand the revisions process and what is needed from you during each stage of it, you will be setting your project up for success from the beginning.
Now that you have an understanding of the revisions process, you will want to check out these other helpful resources in preparation for your project:
- How to Use Basecamp During Your Project
- Using Google Docs for Project Revisions