How We Work

Explore our development process. Press the play button to start...

Stage 1 | Planning

Stage One in any web/interactive project involves an intense period of creative brainstorming, client meetings and working in our notebooks as we quickly outline and explore creative concepts relating to the project at hand.

However, before we allow our creative streaks to really run wild, we sit down with the client and make sure we all have a really solid idea of the audience the client wants to reach (the WHO). We also establish the desired goal of the site (the WHY)...

Identifying the Audience

The first thing we do in an interactive/web project is identify the audience, this lets us get a picture of the users.

From here on in, the user is at the centre of our design process. We always keep this picture of the audience in our heads...
Establishing Desired Purpose

This stage involves us identifying the desired end result of the project.

Through talking to the client and examining the brief in detail, a rich description of the desired, finished result is created.

This allows us to work towards a well-defined goal, and allows us to begin planning our workflow and exploring creative concepts.
Initial Creative Concepts

This preliminary stage involves us brainstorming and generating creative concepts about how we can achieve the desired results.

Interaction ideas, preliminary ideas about "look and feel", functionality and site structure are all explored in this early stage.
Creating a Site Structure

Creating a site structure allows us to have an overview of the site and consider navigation and interaction issues, and enables us to see the "big picture".

We also create a project timeline which allows us to set milestones towards the completion of the project.
Initial Technical Considerations

This stage follows on from the creative concepts and involves deciding what technologies are best to implement to execute the creative concepts.

At this point we also look at our ideas for navigation and interaction, and we consider how we can bring these ideas to life from a technical standpoint.
Roll over the red squares to explore each stage in full.

Stage 2 | Creative Development

At Stage Two in a web/interactive project, we refine and finalize the overall shape and structure of the site, and we develop a visual and conceptual language which we will use throughout the site.

As always, the client has the opportunity to feed back to us at each stage. Together, we develop a look and feel, tone of voice and overall mood for the site. This is the stage in which our ideas begin to come to life.

Finalizing Site Structure

It is essential to finalize the site structure before we begin building the site and its components. We work alongside the client to make sure we have a solid plan for the site structure that everyone agrees will allow the site to fulfill it's purpose.

We also "wireframe" all the pages, so we know exactly what each will consist of.
Creating Colour Palettes

At this stage, we consider the all-important aspect of colour.

Colour has a huge impact on look and feel, so we take care to come up with a palette that not only works in harmony with the site's purpose, but that reflects the client's branding.
Page Designs

Having already created page wireframes and an over-arching site structure plan, we then begin to visually design each page.

Through this process, we arrive at a distinct aesthetic style, and we develop various visual elements that form consistent themes throughout the site.
Creating a Site Structure

Creating a site structure allows us to have an overview of the site and consider navigation and interaction issues, and enables us to see the "big picture".

We also create a project timeline which allows us to set milestones towards the completion of the project.
Initial Technical Considerations

This stage follows on from the creative concepts and involves deciding what technologies are best to implement to execute the creative concepts.

At this point we also look at our ideas for navigation and interaction, and we consider how we can bring these ideas to life from a technical standpoint.
Roll over the red squares to explore each stage in full.

Stage 3 | Production

Stage Three sees all of our ideas come together to form a coherent, consistent whole. At this point we have polished and solidified all of our concepts into a very detailed, well specified plan of action.

With creative flair and no small amount of hard work, the site is created.

Asset Creation - Illustration

A heavily interactive and content-rich site can contain a large amount of elements that need to be designed and created.

Illustration can form a large part of this. Elements to be later incorporated into the site, it's interfaces (eg. games) and animations are carefully created at this point.
Asset Creation - Interaction

Highly immersive interactive elements can form very signifigant portions of some sites.

Following on from our initial prototypes, we build and populate fully functioning interfaces to be later dropped into the site structure.
Site Build

In this stage we bring together all the assets we have created, and build the site pages up according to the site structure we developed.

Throughout this stage, we make sure we keep accessibility a priority. We also build up the site according to the latest web standards and compliances.
Testing

This vitally important stage allows us to make sure the site will be as accessible to as many people as possible, across all platforms and in all browsers.
Roll over the red squares to explore each stage in full.

Stage 4 | Delivery

With the site fully built and tested, and with all our concepts skillfully implemented, we can launch the site on time and on-spec!

You can visit the final product of this particular development process at npower Orb World.