Web Design

Identifying the key requirements

When investigating a new web project, it is common to envisage a huge range of potential features and assets for the web site. Often, the creative side of a web project can lose sight of the business reasons for having a website in the first place - a result of the enormous choice of potential features. It is for this reason that the first stage of any business relationship between Indiciumweb and your business will involve us trying to understand your business objectives. This helps us to advise you on which of the many bells and whistles are requirements in order to meet your business goals, and which ones are mere distractions.

Turning requirements into action

Once we have identified what the key requirements are for a project, the next stage is for us to turn this information into a viable action plan that fits your budget. Some sets of requirements might only demand a simple 3 or 4 page website, while others are only possible with fully manageable thousand-page multi-functional web sites. It's horses for courses, you might say.

The most important part of achieving success in the "Grand National" of online business, is to make sure you are on the right kind of horse for what you need to achieve.

Examples of web functionality

Below is a list of example functionality that might be appropriate for your online business:

• A shopping cart, so that customers can buy directly
• A newsletter sign-up, so you can keep your customers in touch
• Enquiry forms, so your customers can ask you questions
• A log-in area, so paying customers have access to private information
• A stock management system, so you can keep just enough stock in hand
• A customer management database, so you can improve customer service
• A supplier ordering interface, so you can manage your supplies from the same interface as your sales
• A quotation system, so you can provide quotations for high-value orders
• A product matching service, so you can offer customers the kinds of products they are most interested in
• A push-content system, so you can alter the content of your site depending on who is reading

There are many other things you can do with a website - your imagination is your only limitation.