1. Information Gathering theory
EIT, Author Gay Robertson, 2018

2. Information gathering
There are many factors that you need to be aware of before you even begin the design of a website for a client
Some of these are:
Where do you start?
What are the deadlines?
What does the site need to include?
How many pages will be in the website?
What text and graphics will be included?
How much will it cost to create?

3. Creating a brief
A brief is a document showing the understanding between the client and the Web Designer of what the website needs to include:
Background/objectives of the business, what are the goals of the business, how will the website help achieve these goals
Purpose/Scope of the website – will you provide information, promote a service, sell a product?
Who is the Targeted Audience (The people the site is aimed at eg consider age, sex, interests)
Website content and appearance – copyright issues, site map
Potential competitors on the web – what can you learn from their websites, what do you like/dislike
How to determine the success of the site/project

4. Gaining knowledge
To begin the first step is to meet with the client to discover the information you need
You might need to even guide the client on technical aspects, as they may not have the knowledge regarding website or technology that you have
Sometimes preparing a list of questions to ask before meeting the client can help ensure you gain the information you need

5. Content before design
Content is the most important aspect of a website, there is not much use in planning layouts or colours before you know just how much information and how many pages you need to include into the site
Discuss with the client what features and content are required – checking for confidentiality issues and privacy issues
Identify who is responsible for keeping the site up to date once completed
Clients responsibility?
Or as the designer will you agree to offer support and updates?
It is also important to identify how often the site will be updated; Yearly, monthly or weekly?

6. Copyright
Any material included in a website must not breach copyright:
Written material, images, sound/music, pictures etc
The Copyright Act 1994 protects the property rights of the owners of such work
As you are responsible for the creation of the website, it is important that you know exactly where the content that has been supplied for the website has come from and ensure that all material is referenced
It is a good idea to ask your client to sign a statement saying they own the rights to use the material provided by them for their website
Copyrighted material can lead to legal ramifications if used without permission. This will effect both the designer (YOU) and client

7. Content provided
Edit supplied text to ensure that paragraphs are short (three to five lines long), so they are easier to read and get the point across
Create a large break between paragraphs so readers have a visual break to rest their eyes as they read (use of white space)
This is what you want the reader to think!
Use headings and sub headings to break the text into sections
This also helps those who “skim read” your site, if they scan your headings and see something that interests them, they will read further so make sure your headings relate to the content
Make headings and sub headings stand out by using heading styles or making them two pt sizes larger than the body text and make them 'bold'

8. Stakeholder Approval
Once your brief is completed using the information you have gained, it is important to meet with the client and ensure that they agree with the brief and sign it
Why?
It is your evidence that the site you will then create will match what the client requested, and it protects you from potential problems or disagreements that may occur and from any privacy or confidentiality issues, or copyright issues
It ensures that the work that you produced meets the clients requirements, else you may have to go back and repeat work - this can cost time and money

9. End of presentation Press Esc