Web development, the Bigfork FUSION way

We’ll install the CMS and our tools into a development environment as described above. From this point, everything depends on the project. 

But “it depends” isn't very helpful, so I’ve described a typical process.

Our developers write the code to make the block match the design. Once it’s built, it’s tested across different web browsers on computer and phones. We want to make sure it’s responsive, and that it works well at different sizes.

Blocks also have in-built logic to integrate with the CMS. For example, if you leave an optional field blank, we automatically hide it on the front-end. If the block has options such as aligning an image left or right, it will cater to both options.

We’ll also consider accessibility. Even if your website doesn’t need to meet an accessibility standard, we want to be sure there are no issues. For example, does text remains readable if elements overlap? And you can navigate a block using a keyboard?

And of course, blocks always need to be SEO friendly. They must support headings, alt text if there’s images, schema if it’s relevant, proper markup for anchor text, and so on.

It’s important to note the CMS is not a design tool. There are platforms that support this, such as Webflow, or Elementor for WordPress. On the surface, they look like a CMS – they let you edit your website content. The key difference is they ask you to make design decisions. And need skill and knowledge to make the most of them.

Whereas our goal is to let you focus on content. Then leave the CMS to keep your website on-brand and looking the part. No special expertise needed (of course we do provide training and support).

There are other considerations like data relationships. So, strap in for a technical section.

Data relations give us a huge amount of flexibility to create custom features. The best bit is you don’t need to understand how they work. That’s for us to worry about. You can focus on what content to add.

Sometimes integrations can be drop-in widgets. We take some supplied code and add it to the website. Simple.

Other times integrations can be more complicated. Many services offer an API, which stands for application programming interface. It’s a way of communicating with a third-party website, usually to send or receive data.

For example, we developed a custom product selector for a client. We wanted the final step to be a form that passed data to HubSpot. But a drop-in form couldn’t capture everything we wanted. So instead, we used the API to control the data we send.

API integrations can be very powerful tools, and we often add them for clients. In some cases, we create APIs so that other websites can speak to our clients’ websites.

This is an area where a bespoke website shines, as we have the freedom to create these kinds of things.

Designs are often viewed as a whole page at once. But when you browse a website, you see it one screen at a time. So, we need to check that pages flow and make sense.

At this stage we’ll also introduce any scrolling effects. Buttons that animate. Parallax scrolling using elements that stick or move at different speeds to give a feeling of depth. Or items that slide into place as they come into view.

And we create all the pages and add content. Unless you’re adding the content. Either way, it’s ready for the first stage of testing.

We’ve a checking process that has been developed over a long time. It’s a mix of automated and manual tests, designed to pick up all sorts of issues. From content and functionality through to ensuring it’s search-engine friendly. At the time of writing, we have 34 specific checks before deploying to staging. We carry out internal user testing too, to pick up anything that doesn’t sit right.

Once we’re happy with everything, we’ll send you a login to the staging site so you can review everything. We’ll also show you the CMS and how to use it, so that you can start adding content (unless we’re doing that for you).

We expect one or two rounds of amends and feedback to get the website finalised. And when it’s set for launch, it’s time for you to sign it off.

This is where the final phase of FUSION begins: deliver. Also known as going live. 

After more testing.

We expect the website to have changed since initial testing, so there’s a set of pre-launch checks. Including another round of internal user testing and finalising SEO migration.

If we’re hosting your website, we’ll also set this up now. This is the production environment, a fancy way of saying the live website.

We have a set of post-launch checks too. To make sure nothing has broken in the transition to production. And that monitoring is in place so we can keep an eye on everything.

If you’d like to know more about our FUSION process, or have any questions, feel free to get in touch.