Insist on documentation from your web folks
The reality of being a web developer is that we inherit projects that we weren’t part of the initial design process. Some projects are quick to jump in and help get things done (HOORAY!), while others are not (BOO!). The reason: DOCUMENTATION (or lack of it!)
“The purpose of documentation is to: Describe the use, operation, maintenance, or design of software or hardware through the use of manuals, listings, diagrams, and other hard- or soft-copy written and graphic materials.”
“Benefits Of Documentation. Accurate and up to date documentation makes your components, applications, web services, schemas and databases easier to use and maintain, reducing support requirements whilst improving quality and productivity.”
Designers/Developers: Please include a Design Style Guide and a How to Guide in your deliverables to your clients. Not only does this help you later (remember the rule to write it down so you don’t have to remember it later) but it helps your client continue to work on the site with or without you.
Include things like:
- Username and Passwords
- Domain name information
- Hosting information
- Email accounts
- Colors and fonts
- Artwork rules
- Icon rules
- How to edit content
- How to add an image
- How to embed a video
- Plugins, widgets etc
- Browsers you tested on for launch
- CMS version at launch
- Social media APIs
Documentation helps you organize and deliver your thoughts to stakeholders, which in turn helps them understand how your design decisions will satisfy the user needs and their own business objectives. Designers need to find a sweet spot between business goals and user needs.
Web Teams: Please keep the documentation you receive ready to share with the next bunch of folks working on your website. If there have been updates to processes, changes in functionality, changes in hardware or software or hosting. This saves everyone time. Keep those logins (secure) but accessible when needed. Some of this information is best kept in a group management tool like Basecamp, Microsoft 365 or Slack.
The web design documentation is crucial for setting up the website environment. It puts software development into context of business needs and specific requirements and provides the information mandatory for optimal maintenance and support of the software.
Marketing Managers: You may think you don’t need this information, but you do. Please be part of the conversation. Ask for copies of the documentation. Learn how to login and make a quick edit. Know where and what the invoices and automatic payments are for your site (like your hosting provider, DNS manager, SendGrid etc).
The guide offers us greater transparency over the look and feel of the website elements, so it is indispensable in potential collaborations. It is advisable or almost necessary in bigger companies, where we have several designers working together, since it helps us keep a more consistent website.
After the glow of the web launch, folks forget where, how and why things were set up the way they were when you were in pre-development mode. Save the headaches, write it down! And then share it with the team.
NOTE: the better the documentation, the faster a team like ours can jump in to help! This saves time and budgets 😉
We are your CMS admins.
We are your web design team.
We are Your Plan B.