Every designer has her own process. A key element of success is understanding who’s responsible for what — and when it has to be delivered. My own process goes like this:

I outline the site contents, pages, and features, and provide a final estimate so we’re clear on the full scope of work. Once we agree on content and price, I provide a contract for both parties to execute, incorporating all terms including deposit and payment schedule.

Next, I provide the client with a customized Client Website Workbook, which includes a guide for what goes on each page — headers, footers, and blanks for the client to complete. The client completes their sections of the workbook. (This can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the client.)

After reviewing the completed workbook and confirming I have all the content needed, I begin building. Clients can view progress on a development site throughout the process and ask questions; we can tweak design, colors, fonts, menus, and navigation as we go, minimizing backtracking.

Finally, the client conducts a final review on the staging site and authorizes launch. We publish the site, I monitor it for the first 30 days, and make updates as necessary to meet the warranty terms.