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In-house Web Designers vs Outsourcing

posted by: Mark  /  01 July 2009

One of the dilemmas faced by companies that are in the process of launching their website or web application for their business is whether to hire a team of in-house web designers and web developers or to outsource the entire project to a third party. If you too are in such a dilemma, here are some factors that you need to take into consideration to make your decision.

Firstly, you should consider the nature and the size of your web design or web development project. If you are going to develop a website just to showcase your products and services, then you will only need a small content managed website, which ranges from 5 to 25 pages depending on the nature of your products and services. Here it may not be worth taking the trouble to recruit in-house web designers and website developers. Here the best option is to outsource the project to a third party web design company.

On the other hand, you may want to launch a huge website with thousands of pages with elaborate programming modules to run the entire operation online. Here the duration of the project may run anywhere between 6 months to 1 year.

In such a scenario, you may consider hiring a temporary team to develop your website. But, it may work out to be much easier to get the project done by a third party company with the required expertise. Finding the right team of web designers and web developers for your in-house team will be both time consuming and an expensive affair.

You need to find experts that can review the skill sets of the web designers and web developers.

Moreover, when you have an in-house team in place to develop your website, you will end up managing the entire project. This will distract you from concentrating on the core function of your business. Therefore, you should also take into consideration factors such as the overall time, cost and effort before deciding to have an in-house team. You must take into consideration the amount of time that you are willing to spend on the project as well.

One of the reasons why some companies may like to hire an in-house team for their web development project is related to confidentiality issues. If you are worried about confidentiality issues and about the safety of data, you can split the project in to multiple parts and have the aspects of project which you think will raise confidentiality issues developed in-house and outsource the rest to a third party web design and web development company.

By doing this, you can guard your corporate data as well as reduce the over all cost of the project because the third party company that you hire can do major part of the web development at a cheaper rate.

Overall, by hiring a third party company to deal with your website development needs will work out to be the cheapest and easiest option. This will also allow you to concentrate on your core business which only you can handle.

Flame Tests for Finding the Best Web Design Company

posted by: Mark  /  26 June 2009

Finding the best web design company has always been one of the most challenging tasks for entrepreneurs who want to take their business online. Today we can find thousands of web design companies on the web, each of them claiming to be the best. Not all entrepreneurs are Internet savvy enough to pick and choose the best web design and web development company. If you too are stuck in this confusion, here are few factors that you should keep in mind before you select your web design company. These are flame tests that will help you find the best web design company to suit your needs.

Always remember not to rush through the selection process of your web design company because you will be entrusting them with the crucial responsibility of creating your business's online face. You certainly don't want your website to be the experiment of an amateur web design company.

Flame test one /

Firstly check the experience level of all the web design and web development companies you are considering.

It is not enough to be in this field for a decade or more, they should have designed a large number of websites and dealt with various industries. A web design company can be in business for a number years but they may have designed only a few websites because of poor business. You don't want to end up with such a company. You should appoint a company whose portfolio is filled with past work.

Flame test two /

The second factor that you should consider is how professional they are in their service renderings. It is very difficult with a company that does not have any professional standards. Lots of entrepreneurs have burnt their fingers by using such companies usually based on price. Before signing up with a web design company, make it a point to get a feel for their web development procedures. Testimonials from past clients are also a very useful reference point at this stage.

Flame test three /

Thirdly, they should be a highly responsive company. You should be able to correspond with them easily over the telephone and by email as this will be an essential part of the web design process. Your input to the web design team is crucial for developing a website that meets your specific requirements. It is critical you do not have problems in corresponding with your web design company. If you sense any issues in this area, it is best to avoid such companies because you are more likely to end up being frustrated.

Flame test four /

The next important factor is meeting deadlines. One of the common problems in the web design and web development industry is timely completion of the work. This is not to say that all web design companies have problems in this area. There are many web design and web development companies that promptly meet their deadlines. It is your responsibility to check the reputation of the web design company in this area before you appoint them.

By carefully reviewing web design companies on the above parameters, you will be able to find a reliable web design company that you can work with successfully going forward.

Web Designers - The Importance of User Testing

posted by: Heather  /  01 May 2009

More than ever, it is essential every penny spent by your business is spent well. Many companies will design and develop web systems based on their own preferences as opposed to the factual preferences of their intended target audience. This is a big mistake.

When these companies realise their developments are not delivering the expected results, they often throw more money at it, repeating the same mistakes! Let’s be clear; there is only one way to ensure your website development is effective and efficient ensuring satisfied users and that’s to carry out regular user testing programs.

As a general definition:

Usability is the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use

ISO 9241-11: Guidance on Usability (1998)

An effective website...

• Allows customers (users) to achieve their goals
• Has a high conversion rate
• Meets business objectives
• Delivers a positive brand image

An efficient website...

• Provides answers quickly
• Follows a logical sequence
• Doesn't waste resources
• Requires less content management time

A satisfied user...

• Achieves their goal
• Enjoys their experience
• Tells others
• Comes back again

When designing a website all of these points are crucial considerations. A great deal of time is spent testing various technical aspects of your site before it is available to the public. You will ensure that the navigation functions smoothly, forms can be submitted correctly, and the site behaves well on all browsers and so on.

While this is an excellent and obvious start, this approach can neglect a critical variable: your users.

Not only does user testing help identify potential problems with your site it also ensures that your site is compatible with the behavioral characteristics of your target market. And don’t forget… users that abandon your site due to poor usability are unlikely to return.

Here at Fivesite we can provide third party User Testing programs that always return valuable information and suggestions for improvement.

We create a profile of your average consumer, including valuable demographic information about the sex, average age, and earning potential of your users. The site is then looked at by a third party who has never had contact with your site before. The test is filmed and recorded and then we are able to see where there was confusion or complications in the site.

The user tests always throw up extremely interesting results. Generally the feedback has been very positive (which is just as important to hear) but where there are issues, we have been able to rectify them very promptly and to great success.

Doing a test such as this, combined with a thorough SEO program is the only way to successfully improve and monitor your websites success. For any questions or advice about user testing or improving your website please call us on 01234-292-200

* And don’t spend another penny on your development until you have the factual usage information to hand!