Organic Website Development
Monday, December 10th, 2007Whether by accident or design, several of our clients have taken the approach of a gradual development of their website. One client in particular, Avatar Languages, followed a path of website design that may be enlightening to those thinking of creating a website.
Background
Avatar Languages was a new business start up that was aiming to offer English language teaching using new internet-based media, specifically Second Life and Skype. Students would be offered virtual lessons by teachers based in locations around the world. Originally, Avatar Languages envisioned a website that would be based on a large database of students and teachers, combined with a sophisticated online payment and reservation system, that would keep track of teachers’ availability and the number and type of lessons that students had taken. Additionally, an online log in system would allow students to participate in passworded courses offered using Moodle based on the students’ current payment status. These highly customized and complicated requirements would have required a large investment by Avatar Languages, at a period when cash flow was at its most critical.
Avatar Languages’ Solution
After considering their options, Avatar Languages opted to purchase a much simpler website that would demonstrate their organization, method, rates and 2 online forms for students to complete. Instead of having the forms connect to a database, they were directed to the Avatar Languages inbox and processed manually. At an early stage in their business, there is no need for automation of this process, as volumes are still relatively low.
By choosing a simple website, Avatar Languages was able to reduce initial spending, and to ensure their online presence sooner. After the initial website had been developed and uploaded, they were then able to see which areas were working and where they needed additional functionality or focus. And so began an iterative process of development, with each website development phase building on previous work, adding to and in some cases tuning the website to meet the overall goal. At this point, the Avatar Languages website has undergone 6 separate phases, been translated into 11 other languages and expanded into 2 sub-domains.
Conclusions
By delaying an extensive and expensive website, Avatar Languages was able to afford a professional website that catered perfectly to their existing needs, while allowing them room for future growth. The organic growth approach allowed them to test business ideas without the large financial risk incurred by a large and complicated back-end system.
Avatar Language’s approach of gradual consolidation of a website is a useful case study for other start-ups to take note of. Instead of blowing your initial budget on an overblown website that may not be optimally tailored to your market, start small and build in manageable phases: grow organically.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
[…] This process is complex, with mutual feedback, and is exemplified by what we have termed organic website development, where a website evolves gradually over time. During this evolution business realities, such as […]
June 10th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
[…] gradual approach to web design is the ideal way to go when you are not 100% sure of what your end product should be. […]