What Do Web Developers Do?
We’re web developers. Our job is to create exceptional online experiences and solve the problems which prevent your business from thriving online.
Nifty. How Do You Do That?
We want to build innovative, user-friendly websites that engage users and deliver tangible, profitable results for you, the client.
We embrace all technologies and study industry trends, ensuring that our work is both up-to-date and reliable.
How Do Little Fire Digital Work?
What, No Code?
Nope. Not yet. Any fool can clatter at a keyboard. Before we write a single line of code, a single tag, we need to work out:
- where you are now?
- where you need to get to?
- where you want to get to?
- and what is stopping you getting there?
It starts with understanding your needs and goals. We want a thorough discussion and to really listen to your ideas – thereby helping us to articulate your concerns and visualise your desired outcome.
We’re experienced: we have done this before. We have knowledge that you may not. We like to think that, at this stage, we can contribute ideas, present opportunities and counsel over potential problems.
At its best, this process can be genuinely exciting – coming up with an idea, a concept better than either client or developer could have come up with on their own.
What, Still No Code?! I thought you were web developers …
Nope … well, probably not. Armed with this understanding, we’ll produce a proposal. Something we’ll both own, it’ll be as detailed as time and budget allows but allow us enough freedom to choose the minutiae of execution.
This is not always a simple process, delivering what you need may take any combination of existing technologies, custom coding and clever integrations.
But at all times, we seek to:
- Deliver exactly what you need and want
- Use any technologies out there which can do some or all of this for you – there’s no point in building a second ark
- Deliver something which will last – the internet is changing constantly and ever faster. It is becoming ever more important that anything written implements the latest standards and is as interoperable as possible.
Once the proposal is complete and accurately describes something we’re confident we can deliver and a project that you’re confident you want, we can consider the proposal complete.
This will be our working document, our brief for the project’s duration.
Are We Writing Code Yet?
Probably not.
- A well-designed site really will look a lot better than something pushed into even a really great template. By combining a combination of wireframes, freelance design and well-coded templates, we seek to arrive at something that will really work for your clients.
- Where we need new interface or a new application, a round of prototyping with tools developed for the purpose can really improve your clients’ experience.
- Well-planned code will work better than code that even a really experienced developer could write off the cuff. Well-planned code gets written faster, is tidier and is more resilient to future changes.
Finally, when we’re happy with this and you’re happy with this – we have a solid foundation in place and we can dive into the intricate world of code.
… Yay! Real Web Development at Last
C#, LAMP, MacOs, Windows, Unix, Dart, Liquid, Angular, React … it’s not that important. While we are more proficient in some languages than others (and we’ll never start something we don’t know how to achieve) – it’s about getting you the results you need.
We write clean, efficient, well-documented and standards-compliant code, adhering to best practices that ensure the longevity and maintainability of our creations.
At all times, we prioritise the experience for the end users – both your team or your customers. We conduct rigorous tests across different devices and browsers (we have software which will let us test on a dizzying array of devices and operating systems), ironing out any bugs or glitches that may hinder your customer’s experience.
All our projects must adapt flawlessly to various screen sizes and resolutions, guaranteeing a consistent experience across platforms. Mobile applications use a smaller range of screen sizes. The range of screen sizes through which a website can be viewed is simply vast.
We work our way through your brief and, if it’s a long project, we’ll contact you weekly to let you know how the project is going and what we need from you.
… and When the Code is Finished?
When we think we’ve done all the coding, we compare the work we’ve done with the brief we devised together – just to make sure.
We get team members who had nothing to do with the project to test the work We’ll take that feedback and refine the work and, once we’re happy, we’ll share it with you.
After that, a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) period follows where you evaluate what we’ve done. If we’ve fallen short, we’ll correct things. We’ll give the project its final spit and polish.
Finally your project will be ready to launch. But not before a final round of testing – our test check list is over 75 items long.
Launching a project varies greatly. In most cases, it is vital that service is uninterrupted and that no data is lost. Unless it’s a brand-new development, each launch scenario is unique. We’ve done dozens.
What Do Web Developers Do Then?
We’re proud of our work; we want it to be well-seen and well-used. So at all stages during creation, we embrace search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques, implementing strategies to enhance visibility and organic reach.
Ideally, the optimisation process does not end there. The internet is evolving daily. So, continued SEO keeps your project in the spotlight.
To keep you in control, we use content management systems (CMS) so you can maintain and update your website. We favour user-friendly CMS platforms, equipping you with the tools and knowledge to manage your online presence independently.
Are All Web Developments Like This?
In all honesty, no. Some clients are in a hurry and, sometimes, there just isn’t the budget. But, by and large, the process will always look something like the above.
… and when it works …