# Our design and development process, stage by stage > Our design and development process moves through discovery, design, build or automation, and launch. See what each stage settles and what we need from you. Source: https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/about/how-we-work/ Our design and development process moves through discovery, design, build or automation, and launch. Here is what each stage settles, what follows launch, and what we need from you. [Talk to a Specialist](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/talk-to-a-specialist/) [All About pages](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/about/) A website project is a series of decisions, not just a collection of deliverables. Before we choose a visual direction or a tool, we need to understand the business problem, the people using the site, and what the finished work should help them do. We connect those decisions across design, development, content, launch, and ongoing care. The exact scope changes with the project. The sequence below shows the questions we work through and where your input matters. ## Discovery: define the real job. We begin with the current situation. What is working? Where does the visitor journey break? What must remain? Who owns the content and systems that the project will touch? A redesign may reveal that the main problem is a confusing offer. A new website may need a clearer content model before visual design begins. Most of our early questions are about your business, not about design. What do you offer? Who is your ideal customer? What should the site help people do? Two short questionnaires help. One looks at the customers you most want to reach. The other covers your style, your brand, the websites you admire, and any special requests. Clear answers here speed up every later decision. Discovery should produce a shared problem statement, priority audiences, constraints, and a practical definition of success. It should also identify what is not yet known. That makes the next decision less dependent on guesswork and helps set a scope the team can actually use. Once the goals are clear, planning defines the scope: the pages and features the site needs and how they relate to each other in a sitemap. That plan becomes the reference point for design. ## Design: make the path understandable. Design gives the information and interactions a shape people can follow. We consider page hierarchy, navigation, content order, responsive behavior, accessibility, and the action each page should support. A polished screen matters, but so does what happens when text runs long, a form has an error, or a visitor is using a phone. We use real or representative content to test the design. Your review should focus on whether the direction helps the intended person understand and act, not only on whether a color or image feels attractive. Decisions about voice, proof, and calls to action belong in the design conversation because they affect the layout and the trust a page earns. We usually settle the structure in wireframes before visual design begins. An inspiration board helps us see the look and feel you have in mind. It can include other websites, but also photos, patterns, logos, and anything else that captures the style you want. The homepage often comes first because it sets the visual style for the rest of the site. Design reviews happen before development starts, because changes are faster to make in a design than in a finished build. This is the stage to raise every concern. Your proposal sets the number of revision rounds. ## Development: build the approved experience. Development turns the agreed direction into a working system. The work may include page templates, content fields, forms, integrations, performance, and the controls your team needs to maintain the site. The platform and technical approach depend on the existing environment and the agreed requirements. As features are ready, we share them on a test version of the site so you can try them and send feedback. While we work in that version, please hold your own edits until we ask for review. Some stages look unfinished before they come together. Content comes together during this stage. Each page should stay focused on one topic, which helps readers and keeps its search purpose clear. Real content matters here, because placeholder text cannot show whether a page works. We test the paths people will use. Can a visitor find the right service, submit a request, and understand what happened? Can the team update the content it owns? What happens if an integration fails or information is missing? Testing includes the practical exceptions, not only a successful demonstration. It combines hands-on checks in several browsers and on phones and tablets with automated scans that catch problems such as broken links. ## Launch: move from a working build to a public site. A working build is not automatically ready to launch. Content, links, media rights, access, forms, mobile behavior, redirects, and search settings need to match the release scope. The business should know who approves the public version and who can act if a critical issue appears afterward. We distinguish an internal review from a launch decision. Once the release is approved and the site is live, the important visitor actions should be checked again in the public environment. Search visibility and business results then need observation over time. Neither is guaranteed by publishing alone. A launch plan covers timing and communication, not only the technical release. Decide how you will announce the new site, such as an email to your list, social media posts, or a blog post, so the launch reaches the people who need to see it. Before handoff, training shows your team how to update the content it owns. Depending on the package, that can mean recorded video lessons or a live session. Your proposal names the format. ## Website care: keep responsibilities clear. After launch, a site still has content, software, accounts, and customer paths to maintain. The handoff should identify who owns hosting, domain settings, access, updates, backups, support requests, and future changes. A [website care plan](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/maintenance/website-care-plans/) can define recurring work. A new feature or redesign may need separate scope. There is no useful “set and forget” promise for a business website. The right care arrangement depends on the system and the business’s capacity to operate it. Clear responsibilities make future improvements easier and problems faster to understand. Depending on the plan, care can include software updates, backups, uptime monitoring, security checks, and support requests. The plan you choose defines what is included and how requests are handled. ## How to prepare for your project Content is the most common reason a website project slows down. The more of it that is ready before the start date, the more of the schedule goes to design and building instead of waiting. Use this list to get ready. - Gather your content early. Collect the text, images, and details each page needs before the project begins. - Complete the questionnaires about your ideal customer and your style. - Plan your homepage. Write the headlines you want, the key facts visitors should learn, a short introduction to you or your business, and the sections the page needs. - Keep your writing short. Most visitors skim, so short paragraphs, clear headings, and lists work better than long blocks of text. - Send your best images. Provide photos at full resolution as JPEG or PNG files. Use only images you took, licensed, or are free to use. - Collect inspiration. Save images, websites, colors, and patterns that capture the style you want. - Label your files. Clear names and a folder of favorites tell us your preferences without guesswork. - Arrange access. We will need access to the accounts the project depends on, such as your hosting, domain, email service, and any older blog you want to move. - Name your decision-makers. Keep the group that approves the work small so feedback can be settled quickly. - Plan your availability. Set aside time to review and answer feedback requests, and tell us early about any days you will be unavailable. ## How we work together Project files, feedback, approvals, tasks, and dates live in one shared project workspace. Keeping conversations there, instead of in scattered emails, means everyone can find the latest decision. Please send files through the workspace, not by email, where attachments are easy to lose. Your input matters at every stage. We ask a lot of questions at the start, and your feedback shapes the direction, the design, and the finished site. ## Your role in the process You bring the business context, decisions, approvals, and access that only your team can provide. We bring the design, development, and content work within the agreed scope. When a decision changes, we make its effect on effort and sequence visible before treating it as part of the project. At each stage, ask: What was decided? What evidence supports it? What still needs an owner? Those questions keep the project moving without pretending every answer was known at the beginning. ## Your project starts at discovery. Tell us what the site needs to help people do and where the current experience falls short. We can help identify the first useful decision before defining the work. [Talk to a Specialist](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/talk-to-a-specialist/) The details ## What this looks like in practice. ### Principles - Context before components Understand the business and customer path before choosing the page, campaign, platform, or automation. - Sequence before scale Build the smallest high-leverage move first, then expand from a stronger foundation. - Evidence before claims Use verified proof and measured signals instead of invented outcomes. ![Sunlit white stucco corner with a crisp shadow and palm fronds](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sg-about-seam.webp) ### How it runs 1. Discovery Frame the problem, audience, outcome, constraints, and current system. 2. System map Connect content, experience, technology, data, and operational ownership. 3. Focused build Implement the priority layer with reusable components and structured content. 4. Validation Test the real render, responsive behavior, accessibility, and data flow. 5. Ongoing improvement Use support and measurement to guide the next layer. ![Bright architecture studio with plans and a drafting compass](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sg-about-studio-night.webp) ### At a glance - 01 Map - 02 Build - 03 Improve ![Architectural drawings and material samples on a light table](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sg-about-pieces.webp) ### Facts - Delivery model One accountable team Related ## Related services, work and resources. The services, projects and resources this page connects to. ### Services - [Strategy and Planning marketing](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/marketing/strategy-and-planning/) - [Information Architecture design](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/design/information-architecture/) - [UI/UX Design design](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/design/ui-ux-design/) - [Web Development development](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/development/web-development/) - [Analytics Reporting maintenance](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/maintenance/analytics-reporting/) ### Work -![Open laptop on wooden desk with green plant, notebook, and chair in the background.](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/sg-portfolio-138019-hero-1024x755.webp) [East Coast Air Solutions](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/portfolio/east-coast-air-solutions/) -![A long table with open notebooks, closed laptops, and chairs in a classroom setting.](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/sg-portfolio-138008-hero-1024x755.webp) [Worldwide Workforce Connection](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/portfolio/worldwide-workforce-connection/) -![A desk with two computer monitors and a lamp in a modern office environment.](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/sg-portfolio-138014-hero-1024x755.webp) [Guardian Hawk Security](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/portfolio/guardian-hawk-security/) ### Resources - [The One Page Creative Brief Template](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/the-one-page-creative-brief-template/) - [Website Pre Handoff QA Checklist](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-pre-handoff-qa-checklist/) - [The Client Onboarding Playbook](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/the-client-onboarding-playbook/) FAQ ## Questions about How We Work The things people ask on the first call. If yours is not here, ask us directly. [Ask us directly](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/talk-to-a-specialist/?form=book) **Do all projects follow every stage?** The questions remain relevant, but the work can be smaller or larger. A focused copy update may not need a full rebuild. A complex website may require deeper discovery, integration planning, and testing. **When do I review the work?** Review points should be named in the agreed scope. They may include the problem statement, design direction, working build, and release candidate. **Is website care automatically included?** Do not assume it is. Ongoing responsibilities and included work should be written into the project or a separate care agreement. **Who writes the content for the site?** Usually you do, because you know the business best. If you want help, [copywriting](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/copywriting/) can be added to your scope to refine your drafts or write new content. **What should I have ready before we start?** Your content, access to the accounts the project depends on, and a small group who can approve the work. The preparation list above covers the details. **Will my website work on phones?** Yes. Responsive layouts are part of the design, and testing covers phones and tablets as well as desktop screens.