A problem that i’ve regularly come across as a web developer & designer is the assumption that content isn’t required until the end of the project. Both sides of the client/business relationship have been guilty of starting the project at the wrong point, which ultimately creates delays and frustration throughout the duration of the project.
Too often I see websites being designed & developed before a single piece of content has been written, which results in either pigeon-holing the content into the spaces designed using dummy text, or full scale structural changes which can add several hours onto the project. If you think of a website in terms of a house, the content is the foundations, the development is the walls, heating, electricity etc. and the design is the paint, furniture & carpets. You couldn’t paint your house before putting the walls up and you can’t put the walls up before you have the foundations in place.
Having a more rigid plan in place for your website will undoubtedly produce better results, it will take less time to develop, cost you less money and maintain good client relationships. The key phrase to remember is, “design around the content, don’t fit the content around the design“
