TOPIC 1: Planning is most important

“You can’t build a building without doing a blueprint, otherwise the result will be ineffective and fall down!” It is super important to plan the outline of your site in order for everything to go smoothly. It is much easier to code and/or learn the coding you need when you know what you’re looking for. The more complex your plan gets, the better the rate of success will be if you had a plan from the start.

TOPIC 2: Wireframes & site maps

When working with clients, wireframes and site maps are used for planning and testing site architecture before anything is even coded. It makes it much easier to iron out details and features that are necessary for the site. In the end, it saves time because coding is done in the final stages of the sites creation.

TOPIC 3: Top 5 planning checklist

According to the book, the planning checklist consists of 5 simples steps:
1) The client: know that it is vital to plan alongside the client to fully understand their aims and help the client understand what is possible.
2) The users: Defining your target market needs to be decided with the client from the start in order to properly aim the project in the right direction
3) The budget: ALWAYS QUOTE THE CLIENT! Your clients budget will let you know what is possible to create and how to maximize your time.
4) The technology: Be sure to consider numerous technology possibilities: hosting, flash, HTML, platforms, devices, etc. If the client needs a website that they can update frequently, it may make more sense to use a different platform to ensure their ease of use, etc.
5) The future: Planning with the future in mind includes the scope for evolution, growth and new technology.