Our Methodology
Services - Network Integration - Security Services
Design—be it for the web, print or multimedia—is by its very nature a collaborative process. Over the years HLNCC has developed a proven methodology for quickly & efficiently bringing projects to fruition. To learn more about some of the terminology used in web & graphic design, please view our glossary.
Discovery & Planning
When we sit down with you to begin your project, our goals are to
- Gain a broad understanding of your business
- Understand the both the current and future requirements and objectives of the project
- Realize any necessary project maintenance plans, taking into consideration onsite resources you may already have
- Get a sense of your taste and preference in existing designs or attributes
- Gather and organize your content and other assets
- For medium-large web sites, prepare and validate a site map to optimize your site's architecture
- For web sites, develop a wireframe layout indicating key content areas
Design
Based on what we learn from you, we will strive to unite your objectives and identity into a cohesive whole by
- Creating an attractive, consistent design with a look & feel that will both accurately convey your organization's image and speak clearly to your target audience
- Emphasizing key content through the use of color, typography & graphics
- For the web, also developing a usable, intuitive navigation system and overall responsive design that will scale well from the desktop to the mobile web
Coding (web only)
This is the stage where the important underpinnings of your site are constructed, with attention focused on
- Standards-compliant code, to the greatest degree possible
- Optimization of graphics to ensure quick loading pages
- Cross-browser compatibility1
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)2
- Accessibility of information3
Delivery
Once your web site is completed, HLNCC will provide you with a backup copy of your site and any necessary documentation so that you'll always have the important information about your site on hand.
1. Cross-browser compatibility – As of 5/15 sites created by HLNCC are coded to be compatible with the following modern, non-proprietary web browsers:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer v9 and up
- Apple Safari (Mac) v6 and up
- Firefox / Mozilla v28 and up
- Chrome v33 and up
- Opera v19 and up
While all pages will function properly and look consistent across the browsers listed above, due of the lack of standards implementation by browser manufacturers and the myriad possible combinations of operating systems, browser versions and individual user settings, it is impossible to guarantee that pages will display exactly the same in every browser on every system.
Please note that unless you have contracted for web site maintenance services, no compatibility guarantees can or will be provided for versions of the browsers listed above that are released after your web site has been completed as there is no way to anticipate future browser bugs.
Legacy Browsers – If your organization requires a web site that is compatible with older browsers, please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss solutions that will meet those needs.
2. SEO (search engine optimization) – HLNCC provides basic search engine optimization; i.e. well-formed, semantic code, spider-friendly URLs, meta tag keywords & descriptions, and sitemaps, as well as general advice on how search engines work. SEO & SEM (Search Engine Marketing) are sciences unto themselves—full-time specialties that require extensive knowledge of ever-changing search engine algorithms, SEO-targeted copywriting, and the available resources to track & analyze ranking results as well as work on getting backlinks, etc.—so if you require more extensive search engine optimization and/or search engine marketing help, HLNCC will gladly assist you in locating a professional that specializes in those areas.
3. Accessibility – Where web sites are concerned, accessibility refers to the degree of ease with which people with disabilities can access the functionality of your site in order to gain benefit from it.
HLNCC makes every effort to create web sites that meet at least the Priority 1 level accessibility guidelines. If your organization is required by law (or simply by conscience) to meet a higher priority level, please contact us to discuss the specifics. For more information on web accessibility, visit the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
web site.