The SirenSong blog explores trends in online marketing and social media for the rare disorder community.

Project Process

When Siren takes on a project, our team uses several steps to create the finished product. Each step has specific requirements that must be met before moving on to the next step. Siren Interactive Corporation has adapted the Adobe/Macromedia Website Development Methodology, and we use its seven phases for every project we create. They are as follows:

Discover
Define
Structure
Design
Build and Test
Launch
Evaluate and Maintain

PHASE 1: DISCOVER

During the discovery process, Siren will research and analyze the online marketplace and target audiences. This information-gathering and research is the foundation for creating the project marketing strategy and identifying the appropriate methods and tactics to position the products and services ahead of the competition. The resulting analysis will also identify issues regarding project structure and design, overall usability, and opportunities to increase the profitability and effectiveness of any project.

PHASE 2: DEFINE

To ensure that the project benefits your business and its users, Siren will gather, prioritize, and document your overall objectives. This phase sets the groundwork for the project by clearly defining it from a conceptual (goals and strategy), creative (vision and perception), technical (restrictions and requirements), and audience (who are they, what do they want) viewpoint.

PHASE 3: STRUCTURE

Good architecture not only helps users find information, but also facilitates content updates by providing clear rules for adding new information. Also referred to as information architecture, structuring is about connecting the user to the content and organizing information in an intuitive manner. It is also about blueprinting the project from a functional and organizational perspective to facilitate communication. Understanding what the user is looking for and allowing easy access to content and information is our goal. It is all about ensuring that users can get what they came for.

PHASE 4: DESIGN

Design is a key element in user behavior. If the user is turned off by the visual design, the effectiveness of the project is lost. Siren’s award-winning design team approaches the project’s interaction design, information architecture, navigation design, and visual interface design challenges with an iterative process of design, prototyping, evaluation, and refinement.

PHASE 5: BUILD AND TEST

We use the specifications and requirements found in the define phase to create the templates and graphic files for the design phase. We combine the rest of the content (databases, copy, images, PDFs, Flash) and program any forms or backend databases as needed. In short, we put the whole thing together into its final, deliverable form. We then test the entire project across several platforms and computers to ensure complete compatibility.

PHASE 6: LAUNCH

This phase is about publishing the project. We deliver the final project to the client and prepare for monitoring and maintenance, if needed.

PHASE 7: EVALUATE AND MAINTAIN

Siren can be retained to handle part or all of your project maintenance duties. This can include content updates; web marketing, planning, and execution; evaluation of measurable goals; analysis of website visitor statistics; ongoing enhancements; search engine optimization strategies; and more.

One thing is sure: Siren Interactive will use the most up-to-date tools, ideas, and trends to create superior eMarketing solutions for our clients.