Web Development Methodology

We've worked hard to develop the processes we employ. Our experience has shown us that only by following a closely defined methodology can we provide our clients the highest quality of service.

This development methodology returns control of the development process to our clients - at all stages in the process, our clients remain informed.

Because we do not use contractors, all of our services remain in-house, we therefore can offer levels of contact and communication that escapes those organisations that may out-source vital aspects of your project.

The process is as follows :

Needs Analysis

We seek first to understand your requirements and then advise you on the best solution possible.

This is the most important phase of development process. Our team will liaise with your company to understand your organisation and to determine what you hope to achieve through your web presence.

On contacting Martec you can expect a detailed conversation with a knowledgeable professional about your specific needs. We will then propose a meeting where we will go through a detailed needs analysis document that will help to focus on specific goals and to ensure our understanding of your project requirements so that there is clear communication between us.

If meeting with us is inconvenient or cost-prohibitive then this is not a problem. We have worked with many clients who we have never met in person; the entire process was carried out either with phone, fax or email with no reduction in either quality or client satisfaction.

You understand your company - by helping us to understand it, we can discover exactly how to achieve your business objectives.

Review

Once we've completed the needs analysis period, we review what we've learned. Our team will get together and discuss the best routes to presenting your company online. We'll discuss your audience, different user types, your competitors and your business model - then we'll determine how all these factors affect the scope and deployment of your site.

If we're working on revisions and improvements to an existing site, we'll ensure that we've absorbed your brand so we can be confident that any work we provide sits comfortably with your existing web site.

If your organisation needs a bespoke software solution, our analysis period allows us to determine, what your software will need to accomplish to support your business objectives.

Propose

Based on the needs analysis and review, we develop a site map to storyboard how your site will look. We then identify the tasks and technologies required to develop the best solution to meet those needs within your budget. Each element is broken down in detail so that all costs are totally transparent.

Optional elements that would add value, but are not fundamental are also identified and costed to allow you to decide whether or not you wish develop those elements now or at a later time. We then explain this solution to you, justify it and discuss any alternatives - again ensuring that there is clear communication at all stages.

Get Agreement

Following the proposal phase, we finalise your requirements and agree on timelines and costs. All of this is documented and signed by both parties so that there are no misunderstandings as to what has been agreed. Payment terms will also be agreed at this stage. We offer a stage payment system and we also offer discounts for prepayments. This ensures that all clients can avail of our services whatever their budget.

On written agreement from the previous phase, we start to create the proposed solution. We build and test the prototype, we assist you with content creation, we carry out rigorous testing and on final signoff from the client we launch and market the site.

Prototype

The design process begins by evaluating the needs analysis and storyboards, which have been created and modified during earlier phases. We then gather together all your existing company's artwork, logos, materials and literature that best reflect your branding and message. If these do not exist, we can create an entire brand identity for you by developing logos, colour schemes, etc that clearly and creatively demonstrate who you are and what you do. We can even offer full design services for printed materials such as letterheads, business cards, advertisements, flyers, brochures, etc.

Once your branding is established, we then design a "site mock up" that will show you what your site will look like. We will then discuss the design with you and continue to make changes until you are totally satisfied. As soon as you are happy with the design, we sign-off on this phase and move on to site development.

Development

During this phase, we convert the design into a fully functional web site template. This template will form the basis for the entire site. The development phase includes a 30-point quality checklist to ensure that your site will operate at a high level in all situations. Items checked include: browser compatibility, screen sizes and colours and resolutions, search engine requirements, plug-in checks, optimised code, optimised images, speed, style sheets, etc. If technologies or customised programming such as integrated databases, e-commerce, etc are being developed these go through even more thorough checks to ensure that all elements are working under all possible conditions.

We will then discuss the development of the template with you and continue to make changes until you are totally satisfied. As soon as you are happy, we sign-off on this phase and move on to adding the content and images to your site.

Content

This stage involves finalising the information you wish to present on the site. This information may already exist, for example in a brochure or other sales literature, or it may have to be specially written for the web site. We then format this information into a type that will read well on the Internet. We also prepare your images either by scanning or by coordinating with your print designer for original images. We can also carry out custom photography shoots and create original artwork specifically for your site. These can then be used in other promotional materials.

We also have the option of a content management system that can be integrated with your web site to allow you to fully control your site content yourself. With this system you can edit any page on your web site. You can change the format of text and can add new images either by uploading from your computer or by selecting an image from an image library that we will prepare with suitable images for your site. You can even add new pages whenever you like and at no extra cost. This is a truly future proof web site system.

It's really simple to use, so that everyone in your company who has the correct username and password will be able to make whatever changes, additions, etc that you would like, whenever you like.

Testing

Remember that if your web site doesn't work properly then all the time and money that you have spent is going to be wasted. Therefore, we go to great lengths to properly test each and every part of your site to ensure that everything is working as planned. Because we have built quality checks into each and every phase of development, problems at this stage are usually small such as spelling, formatting, etc. However, we do everything we can to make sure your site is perfect before it goes live.

Infrastructure

In parallel with the work going on in the development phase we also need to look after other technical issues such as the domain name and the hosting of the site.

Your domain name is used to provide an address for your web site and your email. A domain name takes the format of something like "yourcompany.com". Where "yourcompany" is replaced with the name you choose and the .com (the extension) is chosen based on availability. We will help you to find the best domain name available. We determine a list of alternatives during the needs analysis phase and we research these to see what is available. We then present these to you to allow you to choose one. We then look after the entire registration process, preparing any paperwork where necessary. This usually takes around 48 hours to complete.

If you already have a domain name registered, we can then look after the transfer of this name so that it will point to your new web site and so that it can be used to send and receive email.

We will also set up your hosting service. This is where your web site will reside once it is completed. It needs to be placed on a computer (web server) that is connected to the Internet 24 hours a day 365 days of the year.

When choosing a host, it should be a web server that you can depend on. All computers go down from time to time, if your web site is hosted on a computer, which has gone down then your site, will not be available to your customers. The servers we use are very dependable with the minimum of downtime, they are also very fast and this ensures that your web page loads quickly.

We can also set up your email service. This means that even before your web site is completed you can start to send and receive email, which includes your domain name. You can have as many email addresses, as you need. So for, example, you can have john@yourname.ie and sales@yourname.ie. This looks more professional and is easier for your customers to remember.

Launch

At this stage, the site is fully built and is working really well. We now upload the entire site to your hosting service and activate your web site address. We also test the site again to double check to make sure everything is perfect. You now have a web site that you can be proud of. Now we need to tell everyone that it's there. That's where the next phase comes in.

Marketing

This is the real key to success. We are experts in marketing your web site with all the major search engines and take great care with meta-tags and submissions to ensure a greater chance of success. We know how to achieve high rankings and from experience we know what works and what doesn't. We also register your site with all the relevant industry directories that will help drive traffic to your site. In addition, we advise you about other Internet sites that charge a fee to list your site but would bring excellent results in the form of additional visitors and enquiries.

We also set up statistics which help you to track the number of visitors to your site, where they came from, what they looked at, how long they stayed on each page, etc. We can use this information to improve your site and thus get even better results.

When a site goes live, so begins a whole new phase, which is just as important as when the site goes live. The site needs to be maintained, improved, evaluated and be allowed to grow. We support our clients and take an active role in ensuring the success of their sites.

Training

Unlike a lot of other web design companies we don't keep the customer in the dark when it comes to understanding the technology. That just doesn't make good sense. Instead, we try to educate and train our clients in the best way to use tools to enhance and improve their success on the net.

We show them, how to use the Internet properly, how to maintain and improve the information on their site, how to prepare pictures and images, how to continue to market their site with tools such as email newsletter systems and how to read and understand their statistics to get a better interpretation of how their site is working. We also keep them aware of new technologies that could be used to increase their success even further.

Maintenance
If you want to keep visitors returning to your web site again and again it is critical to keep the look and content of your site fresh and dynamic. Repeat visitors means that you have something of interest to your target audience and this has the ability to offer your products or services in a new way, thus ensuring new and repeat sales.

In addition to our clients taking control of their sites using our Content Management System, some of our clients prefer to leave this work to us. After all we are experts and know how to keep your site looking it's best. We can do everything from create new images and animations such as advertising, to developing new content and news. We can continue to market your site long after it's initial launch date and thus keeping the high positioning and prominence you're used to. We can create new features such as quizzes, polls, games, chat rooms, newsgroups, etc. etc.

Support
When you need help when you've forgotten your password, or you need advice on your statistics, or something on you site has stopped working, or you need a new email address, etc. Then we will be here to carry out your request as quickly and as efficiently as possible. We don't charge anything extra for this as we feel that it should be part of providing a world-class service.

We've been doing this since 1996, almost as long as the Internet has become a commercial reality, and as the "word of mouth" and repeat business that we've come to know continues then we will continue to offer the same high levels of customer support and service.