Designing Medium to Large Scale sites

What do most people use to design conceptual layouts for medium to large scale sites. right now im using pen and paper and drawing flow chart type out for the site.

I do it in my head, then when I got an idea I take photoshop and draw some schematic pictures then take some visual editor and try to make a rough sketch. If I like it - I start working in that direction, if not - I start over again.
That is of course if client does not have any ideas...

This depends heavily on the designer. People use different methods. Like Al, I do most of it in my head. I try to create an image of the site. I think of the aspects that will affect the layout. In time a theme will form and then I go try develop it to a rough site with HTML. Then if I like what I see, I use that.

In the office, it's different. We have few people specially designing things and doing graphics. So I don't get do that much of it except at home.

The most important thing to remember is the client. What he wants to see and achieve. If he/she tells us to do the frontpage again then we do it, no matter how cruel such a thing can be...

Hi

Designing a site, is not just what is seen, but what is going on in the background........


Making something look pretty will not make it user friendly! Any time you design a production site you must look at everything...


Browser Support

window sizing

proper use of javascript

services that can holdup under load...

error meesages that tell the user, what really went wrong, instead of some lame (db error)

most webmasters have not learnt that sites must be designed for people that do not know coding like, C, C++, delphi, Cscript, ASP, PHP, Perl, Jsp, VB, because this is almost always the case.....


When I lead a team in designing a site/service that has over 3 million users ++ a day using the service, my major goal is to design a service that is fast powerful and safe on the inside, but fun easy to use on the outside.....

There are so many things that must be maintained, like scripts, do you think a real production service will use just one scripting language, I do not think so, the last service we redid used, ASP, PHP, Perl, MSsql, Mysql, Cscript, RCscripting, VB, C++, Java, Javascript...

Making it all come together can make your hair turn gray!!!!


So in closing like "AlCapone" said thinking and planing is the most important part of bring a service to life!!!!!



Just my thoughts!


F!

>>When I lead a team in designing a site/service that has over 3 million users ++ a day...
could we have a libirty of knowing what service is that?

i get an idea of the site in my head then I take Dreamweaver do a basic layout then bit more detailed , add some graphics....