The WebDev Buzz

Planning is important in every endeavor of a person’s life. Planning increases the chances of success of an activity, especially if the activity involves the input of people and the use of technology, such as the development of a website. This means that during the early stages of web development, the creators of the web must conduct intensive and precise planning.

The aspects of web development which must be given thorough planning are the target market or audience of the website, the overall purpose for creating the website, the specific objectives that will determine the content of the web pages, and the predetermined policies for the creation and use of the information found at the website.

The first two aspects, audience and purpose, constitute the earliest stage of Web development planning. This early-stage planning also requires an accompanying analysis.

Planning for the Web’s Target Audience

In the planning and analysis of the target audience of the website, the creators must initially determine the group of Web users who will most likely use the contents of the website. The developers of the website must not be complacent and state that “all users of the Web” will be the target audience. Such is unlikely.

If the website is all about supplementary educational materials, the most likely group of people who will benefit from the website’s contents is the group of teachers. Of course, the target audience may be more than one. That is, aside from teachers, the website may also cater to the school heads and principals, to the parents, and even to the students. One excellent technique to have an overall grasp of the target audience is to create a diagram.

Once the target audience has been identified, a list of information about them must be created. Such list will include the social background, the academic background, the characteristics, and the priorities of the target audience. This list need not be complete before the designing of the web begins. In fact, this list may continue to grow even after the website has been launched.

Another list that must accompany the list of information is the list of benefits that the target audience will obtain from the website. Like the earlier list, this second list of projected benefits will keep on growing as the website expands.

Planning for the Web’s Overall Purpose

After determining the target audience, the next crucial planning and analyzing step is the overall purpose of the website. Such purpose must be clearly stated or written down. The purpose may be as general as “to make the existence of the company known in cyberspace”. But it is often better to have a more specific purpose, such as “to advertise the supplementary materials published by the company”.

Once the target audience and overall purpose are clear in the minds of the Web developers, the remaining steps in Web development become easier and have a clear direction.