Process · Jan 2007
The five-step design process
Consultation, proposal, development, testing, launch. The studio published its process so clients knew what they were agreeing to, and it is close to how careful studios still work.
The original Process pageJan 2007
Our Design Process
Initial Consultation
The first thing that we like to do is make sure that our services fit your needs. We talk over your project, ideas, concepts, etc. and make sure that we are right for the job. During this stage, we work out exactly what you need and what you don't. This is the "Let's get to know each other stage".
Proposal
Next, we will present you with a proposal that will outline your project from start to finish. This proposal will include our plan for the project, a price quote, and a time frame. If you agree to the proposal, we move on. If you do not agree, we either work out the details to your liking or we do our best to recommend you to someone that can handle your needs better than we are able to.
Development
This is by far the most important stage of the project process. During development, your project is placed into our project management software. This is our way of being able to communicate quickly about your project. It is also your way of keeping up with exactly where your project is and what is going on with it. We provide you with the rough sketches, comps, etc. of our layout ideas. We work out color schemes, typography, graphics, etc. until we come up something that you like and something that we feel will be a sound solution to your problem.
Once the details are worked out, we design it, code it, and build it. While we are building the site, you are creating and providing the content for the site. Once the build is complete, we assess the project and make any changes that need to be made. We then agree upon a final version of the completed site.
Testing
Once the site is finalized, we then take the site through a testing phase. We make sure that your site is compatible across multiple browsers and operating systems. This is also the time that we make sure the code is valid, the site passes all accessibility requirements, and the site just plain works and it works well.
Launch
Once testing is finished and the site has been tweaked as needed, it is finalized one last time and then it is launched!
So there ya go, the DigitalRealm 5-step design process. See that's not so bad is it? We promise to make it fun, hassle free, and enjoyable!
What still holds in 2026
All five steps survive. The consultation still decides whether the job should happen at all, and the proposal still needs a plan, a price and a date. The line that matters most is easy to skip: while the studio builds, the client writes the content. Projects still stall on that step more than any other.
Testing has grown. “Multiple browsers and operating systems” now means a range of phone sizes first and desktops second, and the accessibility check has a published standard, WCAG, to test against. Valid code is still worth having, though browsers forgive far more than they did.