Content-Driven Website Development Process
In a content-driven process, content creation is emphasized as an extension of the planning phase:
- Plan and develop goals for the website (audience, message, design considerations, structure, etc.)
- Create and add content to a content-based prototype.
- Reorganize content to optimize flow and navigation.
- Create the design to suit the content.
- Implement the design in web software.
- Launch the website.
- Market the website.
- Track, evaluate and maintain the website.
A content-based prototype is a basic online representation of the website. It allows the content to be organized for maximum flow—chronologically, by product line or service, by company function, or any other way—in a dynamic process that’s simply not practical using paper or whiteboards.
Using a content-based prototype, it’s possible to plan navigation according to usability principles, intuitively guiding visitors through the site or the application.
In this way it’s easy to perform a reality check: Does the content match the plan? What are the weak areas that need work? Which areas should be trimmed? Has a certain aspect of the site emerged that should be emphasized?
Further, starting the longest part of the process—content creation—early shortens the total time required, as the design phase can parallel the content creation.
Once the content-based prototype is complete, it’s turned over to the designers who craft the site to accommodate the intricacies and nuances of the content, much as a tailor fabricates a custom suit for a specific individual.