Definition
The multidisciplinary disciplines and tangible artifacts involved in creating a website, spanning content strategy, visual and interaction design, frontend/backend development, and project coordination.
Why It Matters
Building a website without clear roles and deliverables is like trying to build a skyscraper without a blueprint. It leads to “feature creep” and wasted effort. Understanding these artifacts ensures that every member of a team is pulling in the same direction, turning a chaotic project into a precision communication tool.
Core Concepts
- Information Architecture (IA): Organizes content for findability via site diagrams, search, and data models.
- Content Strategy: Ensures text and media support brand identity and marketing goals.
- UX / IxD / UI Design: UX focuses on overall experience; Interaction Design (IxD) on how users act on the site; UI on layout and controls.
- Visual Design: Logos, typography, color, and mood via style tiles.
- Frontend Development: HTML (structure), CSS (presentation), JavaScript (behavior) executed in the browser.
<!-- Basic Frontend Structure -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<body>
<header><h1>Site Title</h1></header>
<main>
<article>Page Content</article>
</main>
</body>
</html>- Backend Development: Server software (Apache, IIS), application languages (PHP, Python, Ruby), and databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL).
- Key Deliverables: Wireframe diagrams (page structure), site diagrams (whole-site hierarchy), storyboards/user flows, and style tiles (branding samples).