Our process begins and ends with your input. We know that you have a vision of what your end product should be and so we have refined our process to ensure that your input is recognized and integrated at every step of the way.
Information Architecture: Media Hive’s veteran team of multimedia developers will review all of the available information about your project and produce for your review:
Sitemaps: flowcharts that show the relative location of every page or screen of your application and the connection of each screen to the next.
Wireframes: 1 wireframe for every node in each of the sitemaps above. Wireframes illustrate the user interface of the application by displaying each button or link of every major screen. Wireframes are an invaluable tool for communicating how an application will work to your team.
Review: Media Hive will formally present the sitemaps and wireframes we’ve produced. During this meeting Media Hive will collect your team’s reaction and produce a list of changes to be re-submitted. After all of the necessary changes have been made and the sitemaps and wireframes have been accepted we will be ready to begin the design phase.
Aesthetic Design: Media Hive will meet with members of your team to discuss the aesthetic approach to the project before beginning the design phase. This meeting will be used to gather branding materials, contacts of individuals who can supply files of previously created assets, general comments about colors and fonts to use and any other information that the client feels is necessary for us to begin the design phase. Media Hive will then produce a series of designs for all of the common template screens identified during the wireframe process. Template screens are those that have common features and only the content of the page changes, an example might be a biography page where the image of the subject, name and copy would be different, but style and surrounding navigation would be the same.
Review: Media-Hive will formally present it’s designs to the client for review. During this meeting we will discuss our design approach and invite comments from your team. Media Hive will use these comments to refine the designs which we will then re-submit for your approval. Once the final designs have been approved we will be ready to begin production and development.
Production: Media Hive will begin to produce all of the assets required for the finished product. These assets will include html code, images, scripting, databases etc. We will create a hosting environment for this phase that matches the final destination of the application and we will provide links logins and passwords to the client so that they can follow our progress.
Unit Testing: Media Hive tests each component as it is being built to ensure that there is never a surprise or crisis at any point during the production of your project.
Review: Media Hive will formally present our completed work at each important step during the development process. During these reviews your team will be invited to provide their input about our progress. Media Hive will then make the appropriate changes and corrections and re-submit the work for your acceptance.
Soft Launch: Media-Hive will launch the nearly completed work to a small audience of your choosing. The soft launch may be on our servers or yours. Typically the launch will be password protected for security.
Review: Media-Hive will formally present the nearly completed project to your team. We will carefully walk through every aspect of the application and gather your teams initial feedback. After the review we will provide a period of time for your team to put the project through it’s paces. This period can last from one to several weeks. We will provide a forum for your reviewers to post their comments, from this we will synthesize a list of final fixes, and changes for your acceptance.
Public Launch: Installation and public launch take place following your acceptance of changes and fixes to the soft launch. If we are installing the product into a different location than the soft launch application environment, we will start the installation with enough time to insure that the Public Launch is carried off without a hitch and on the required date.
Some tasks necessary for the completion of the project do not require as much client input as others. Because of this we may decide to begin these tasks near the beginning of Step 1 above. Some of these tasks will include things like creating a hosting environment for the project, defining the structure of the databases, and defining the back end logic for the application. These tasks are usually completed by the time we begin Step 3 and dovetail back into the project.
Media Hive employs a project worksite for the purpose of keeping you updated with every facet of your project’s progress. During the course of the engagement this worksite will be the reference point for all things related to your project. Here you will find: