What does the term ‘development phase’ mean?
In web design, the term ‘development phase’ refers to the stage of a website project wherein the website is coded and all its other technical components are set up.
If you wish to gain a more in-depth understanding of this concept, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What happens during this phase of a website project?
As we have seen in the previous section, during the development phase of a website project, the actual coding of the website begins. It is also the stage where the development team sets up all the other technical components of the website, including:
- Its content management system
- Its special features
- Its design theme
Let us take a closer look at each one:
First, your website’s content management system is a graphical user interface that is specifically designed to help you easily make changes to your finished website without writing or revising a single line of code. With it, you will be able to do things such as:
- Add, remove, or edit pages
- Post, remove, or revise articles
- Add, remove, or change photos and other media files
- Add, remove, or revise the content of any web page
Second, special features consist of any website component that is meant to accomplish a goal other than just display content, such as:
- A flight booking system like (Travelocity, Expedia)
- Membership pages
- Account management tools
- Online shopping tools
Finally, your website’s design theme just takes your website’s design and layout and renders it in code form.
Question #2: What is the difference between the design phase and development phase of a website project?
The main difference between the design phase and development phase of a website project is their purpose. In the former, the goal is to build out the design or front end of your website. In the latter, the goal is to code its back end based on the approved designs.
In essence, the development phase is what transforms the design-only version of your website into an actual fully functional website.
Question #3: Do it involve testing and quality assurance?
Yes, the development phase of a website project involves testing and quality assurance. The development team needs to make sure that everything works as intended before anything is turned over to the client for review.
Any issues found during this stage need to be ironed out first before the project can proceed to the deployment phase—which we will talk about in more detail in the next section.
Question #5: What is the difference between the development phase and deployment phase of a website project?
The main difference between the development phase and deployment phase of a website project is their primary purpose. The former is concerned with transforming the design-only version of the client’s website into a fully functioning website. The latter, on the other hand, is concerned with ensuring everything is in order before the website goes live.
However, both phases involve a quality assurance stage that can be broken down into three basic components:
- Requirement testing
- Design testing
- Functionality testing
Let us take a look at each one in more detail:
First, the requirement testing component ensures that the website successfully meets all client requirements and expectations.
Second, the design testing component ensures that the website looks and feels the way it is supposed to across all devices.
Finally, the functionality testing component ensures the website works exactly as intended with zero issues across all devices.
The only difference between the quality assurance stage in the development phase and that in the deployment phase is the people performing the tests.
In the development phase, it is the design and development team making sure everything is in order before anything is turned over to the client. In the deployment phase, on the other hand, it is everyone—including the client—making sure everything works as intended before the site goes live.