The initial stage is all about understanding how you can help your client In this initial stage, the designer needs to identify the end goal: Web Technologies Assignment, OC, Ireland

Goal Identification

The initial stage is all about understanding how you can help your client. In this initial stage, the designer needs to identify the end goal of the website design, usually in close collaboration with the client or other stakeholders. Questions to explore and answer in this stage of the design and website development process include:

• Who is the site for?
• What do they expect to find or do there?
• Is this website’s primary aim to inform, sell, or amuse?
• Does the website need to clearly convey a brand’s core message, or is it part of a wider branding strategy with its own unique focus?
• What competitor sites, if any, exist, and how should this site be inspired by/different than, those competitors?

This is the most important part of any web design development process. If these questions aren’t all clearly answered in the brief, the whole project can set off in the wrong direction.

It may be useful to write out one or more clearly identified goals, or a one-paragraph summary of the expected aims. This will help to put the design on the right path. Make sure you understand the website’s target audience and develop a working knowledge of the competition.