How to avoid mistakes in the preparation of technical specifications

How to find a sample site

Before filling out the technical assignment for the development of a site, the customer is recommended to analyze the sites of competitors in order to get a more accurate and broad understanding of the tasks to be solved. You can also familiarize yourself with ready-made website templates for the desired topic. They can be taken as a basis for developing algorithms for your own site.

In addition to online stores, there are other types of sites: business cards, blogs, portals, etc. It is on the basis of the type that the design should be chosen.

If you need a business card site, pay attention to the sites of private specialists in different areas. For example, to this website of an accounting services company: sow meaning

Sample Accounting Company Website

The site is made in a minimalistic design. Light colors and shades are used, key elements are blue. All together looks harmonious and does not interfere with acquaintance with information. The page contains important menu items: "Services", "Cases", "About us". You can also find answers to frequently asked questions and get advice by ordering a call or by calling yourself.

In addition to competitors' sites, look for interesting examples of layout and design on thematic resources.

So, the TemplateMonster website contains a large number of templates. Among them, you can find a suitable one and indicate it in the TK as an example:

Website templates at TemplateMonster

The Timeweb site also contains many examples of blogs, business cards, online stores, and other types of sites. To get acquainted with the demo version, just click on the corresponding icons from the list:

Templates catalog on Timeweb

How to describe site design

First of all, the customer needs to decide what type of site is needed. The scope of the designer's work and the style of the site depend on this. For example, if you are planning to create a corporate website, then the design will be simple, in the corporate style of your company. For blogs and business cards, it is important to attract the attention of the audience, therefore, the design of these sites has a place for interesting animation and interactive elements.

It is important to convey to the designer your vision of the future site and all its elements as accurately as possible. To do this, you need to describe in the TK your preferences regarding the appearance of the site, namely the following information:

main palette (light or dark),

background color (or example image),

the need to follow the corporate identity of the company,

fonts.

The designer will do his job much faster and more accurately if the appearance of each element of the site is disassembled in the TK:

navigation tools,

hats,

menu,

text blocks, etc.

So, for example, you can specify the preferred shape, color and how to expand the navigation bar

Navigation elements are usually located in the header of the page. It is here that the individuality of the site is formed in the eyes of the user. According to the design canons, the header should occupy a space in the range from 200 to 300 pixels.

In the corresponding column of the technical assignment, you also need to place samples of the company logo and indicate corporate fonts.

Light colors are often chosen for the background of the site. The reason for this decision, as a rule, is that it is more convenient for the user to read text, view images and study other content on a light background.

Text blocks should be designed in accordance with the overall design of the site. At the same time, it is important that the visitor does not have any difficulties in reading the text. In terms of fonts, if the customer doesn't have specific preferences or corporate fonts, Tahoma, Verdana and Arial are the most commonly used ones. The optimal size is from 12 to 16 px. In the TK, you can also indicate how the customer sees the headings. They should be in harmony with the main text, attract the user's attention, but at the same time not interfere with reading.

If the site contains large articles, we recommend that you consider the design of the content block. It is needed for more convenient familiarization with the information and easy transition to certain blocks of the article. To do this, the content points must be made anchors to certain subheadings of the text. Their design may differ from the rest of the links in the text or on the page as a whole.

At the last stage of approval, the developer usually offers the client samples of website designs of the same or related topics, as well as sketches of page elements. The customer can make his own adjustments. After agreeing on all the nuances, stages of work, the method of payment and the timing of the project, the customer approves the TOR, and the developer accepts the order.

How to avoid mistakes in the preparation of technical specifications

When compiling and checking the terms of reference for the development of a site, it is important to take into account even the smallest nuances. Otherwise, you can make such mistakes:

contradictions in requirements,

unclear wording,

principle "2 in 1",

lack of a clear deadline,

responsible persons are not indicated,

too high level of detail,

too many terms

lack of information.

The terms of reference should not contain contradictory statements. For example, if it is assumed that the site will be modernized or modified, then it is not worth prescribing in the technical specification the preparation of those elements that cannot be changed. Make sure that the specified items are not mutually exclusive.

Requirements for the site being developed and the process of its creation should be described in detail, but concisely. Remove vague and incorrect wording from the text.

It is important to prescribe not only the main deadline, but also the deadline for each stage. This will make it easier for both parties to regulate processes.

Indicate in the TOR the employees responsible for each stage of development. For example, the programmer Ivan Petrov is responsible for the technical implementation, and the designer Elena Kuznetsova is responsible for the appearance. Each specialist, according to the document, is responsible for the quality performance of his work on time.

An overly detailed description can be confusing for both the developer and the customer. There is a possibility that the extra information will raise a number of additional questions from the contractor. As a result, everyone runs the risk of wasting time and effort figuring out unnecessary details.

The TK should be clear to both the customer and the contractor. Therefore, the document should be drawn up in a language understandable to both parties. We recommend avoiding professional terms or using them only when absolutely necessary.

Although some columns in the TK are optional, we advise customers, if possible, to fill in everything and indicate comprehensive information for each requested item. This approach helps both parties: the customer - to more clearly imagine the desired result, the performer - to perform his work as efficiently as possible.