Q's for a web developer

shantor

If I was designing a website, limited functionality for an SME how would I go about that?

Informational website, nice look & feel, no eComm functionality, maybe an information form, no flash, maybe a search function...

What software packages do you guys use to produce wireframes?

Agile, waterfall etc are these real methods for producing websites or just text book stuff?

For evaluating web traffic is Google Analytics the best tool?

Typically how long do you get to respond to tenders for a web build?

What tools are out there for allowing a site manager to update content, Terminal 4 do enterprise stuff I think and someone mentioned Wordpress, would that work for a non technical site content manager?

Many thanks :P

Solarpitch

Hey,

I am not too sure of your background with web technology but you'd want to have a fair idea of HTML at least if your looking at developing a brochure website. Then if you needed to add dynamic content and functionality like searching you'd have to look at language like php, asp and database scripting such as MySQL.

Personally, I use Macromedia Dreamweaver to structure and build my HTML and PHP code. I use Macromedia Fireworks to layout an initial design and slice it up into HMTL. Fireworks works great with Dreamweaver but you could use a design package like Photoshop or Illustrator.

Google Analytics -> best tool in my opinion

shantor

oh cheers for that Solar

I should clarify I wouldnt be building it, just project managing for clients :P

DonkeyStyle \o/

Moved to web dev.

chat2joe

I'm an amateur but if you're interested I also use Dreamweaver and Fireworks. And for stats on the traffic I use www.statcounter.com - made by an Irish guy(s) who's on boards I believe...! Very useful.

Eoin

Agile and Waterfall are development life cycle methodologies, rather than techniques for developing a website. Both are widely used, they are not just theories.

If this is being built by a 3rd party company rather than internally, then however they manage the project will be their call, not yours - unless it's something like a contractor working on site for you. It's up to you to define requirements, sign off on the UAT etc of course.

shantor

cheers guys

I will be managing 3rd party contractors.. I just need to know what they are doing, in order to manage it properly

from looking into this.. it appears wireframes are text only site layouts or are flow diagrams using Visio, powerpoint etc

then the content & graphics are added in a safe environment before final sign off & live

still abit confuzled about wordpress.. dunno if this is a good tool or not, recently updated my on website of the h-sphere UI and didnt seem too complicated

must check statcounter.. cheers for that tip

Eoin.. can you eloberate on 'development lifestyle methodologies'... do you mean its a process for managing the future development, direction & UE of a website, maybe for larger ones?

Eoin

shantor wrote: »

Eoin.. can you eloberate on 'development lifestyle methodologies'... do you mean its a process for managing the future development, direction & UE of a website, maybe for larger ones?

They are ways to manage the life cycle of a project. One key difference is that Agile allows for requirements to be added late into the life cycle, where waterfall doesn't after the analysis (I think) phase.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development - lots of info here, and some differences between Waterfall and Agile.

shantor wrote: »

still abit confuzled about wordpress.. dunno if this is a good tool or not, recently updated my on website of the h-sphere UI and didnt seem too complicated

Have you done your requirements gathering etc at this stage? It sounds quite vague so far, in which case it's way too early to pick a certain platform or tool-set.