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 Waterman
Design Associates
As a major, multi-disciplinary civil/design firm based in Westborough,
Massachusetts, Waterman Design Associates (WDA) contacted
Kaufman Web Design in hopes of revitalizing their existing web presence.
Their requirements were that the web site contain detailed information
on their services and past projects as well as visually convey the
professional image they maintained in their existing printed marketing
materials. Following is an explanation of how their site was developed. |
| Stage I: Site Architecture
After initial conversations, a site map was developed and approved
by WDA. Outlining the flow of pages and information, the site map
also clarified the main goals of the project, one of which was giving
potential clients key information on the company and letting them
explore (through pictures and text) the past successes of WDA. With
a thumbs-up on the overall site architecture, focus progressed to
prototype design.
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Stage II: Prototype Design
Using initial color and design preferences from WDA, Kaufman Web
Design began creating various mockups for the look and feel of the
site. After some tweaking, a final design was agreed upon and work
began on creating the actual web site. Also at this stage, Waterman
personnel began gathering content needed to populate the new pages.
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Stage III: Development & Production
Using HTML authoring software, Flash and graphic design tools, the
site was created to the clients' specifications. As adjustments
arose and changes requested, they were incorporated into the design.
Issues such as cross-browser compatibility and web-safe colors were
taken into consideration as was the need for quick download times
(for those users on dial-up connections). All these efforts resulted
in the site matching the clients desires exactly.
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Stage IV: Promotion & Marketing
Creating a web site is only half the battle. WDA understood that
getting the new site to rank high in the search engines was critical
to the overall success of the endeavor. A set of key phrases were
drawn up that the company wanted to rank high in. The first step
was to add meta tags in the HTML code. Then register the site with
Yahoo and other major search engines. After a few months of reviewing
the ranking results, the site was resubmitted to enhance rankings
even more.
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| Stage V: Ongoing Maintenance
A web site is an ongoing endeavor. The key is timely content updates
and WDA was well aware of this. As new projects and clients came
about, Waterman Design Associates worked with Kaufman Web Design
to update the site. A web presence evolves with a company. It must
not be static. It is a medium of information and must adapt to reach
its target audience. WDA was a prime example of this approach.
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Visit the site at: www.WatermanDesign.com.
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