Below are the phases and materials required when obtaining a website through CIRESIT. 

Phase 1: Planning and Research

Objective: Define the website's purpose, target audience, and goals. At this point, the stakeholders will work together with CIRES Communications to define their websites main goals, identify their content needs, and how to get their content across to their target audience.

1. Define Purpose and Goals
   • Identify the primary purpose of the website
   • Set specific, measurable goals (share research, etc)
2. Content Strategy
   • Create a content outline or sitemap.
     • Is there existing content?
     • Discuss new content
   • Plan the content types, taxonomies and other site structure
     • CIRES Web will be available for consultation on this section after content is defined.
3. Technical Requirements
   • Decide on the website's technical requirements (Research Group ( landing page on the CIRES website, Uber page (a stand alone feature rich landing page on the CIRES Website), A CIRES Group site or a Full custom Drupal website
   • Plan for any integrations with third-party services or tools.

Needs from the stakeholder:

1.  What type of CIRES web presence are you looking to have created? 
2. Name of the website
3. Do you require a custom domain name or a CU domain name?
   1. If a custom domain is purchased or used, CIRES IT requires access and administration
4. Purpose of the website?
5. Do you require a logo or other graphic assets?
   1. CIRES Communications will assist with graphics
6. Define your content needs ( content types and sitemap )
7. Desired launch date or window

Phase 2: Design

Objective: Create a visually appealing and user-friendly design.

All of our sites are responsive and we strive for the highest accessibility standards. 

1. Wireframes and Mockups
   • Create wireframes to outline the basic structure and layout of the website.
   • Develop mockups for visual representation, including color schemes, typography, and design elements.
2. User Experience (UX) Design
   • Focus on usability and user flow.
3. Design Approval
   • Review the design with stakeholders and get approval before moving to development ( from stakeholder and comms )

Phase 2a: content

• comms etc etc
  • I think content gathering and strategy should come before design. That way nothing is missed/added/overlooked
  • Is there existing content that needs reworked?

Needs from the stakeholder:

• Any design requirements ( colors, style, etc )
• Do you have any websites you like or would like to model yours after?

Phase 3: Development

Objective: Build the website based on the approved design.

1. Setup Development Environment
   • Set up the development environment (local server, version control, etc.).
2. Front-end Development
3. Back-end Development
4. Testing and Quality Assurance
   • Fix any bugs or issues identified during testing.

Needs from the stakeholder:

• Meet to review the near final website to get feedback and or get approved for launch

Phase 4: Launch and Maintenance

Objective: Deploy the website and ensure its ongoing performance and updates.

1. Pre-Launch Checklist
   • Finalize content and ensure all elements are in place.
   • Perform final testing and quality checks.
2. Deployment
   • Deploy the website to the live server.
3. Post-Launch Testing
   • Monitor the website for any issues post-launch
4. Maintenance and Updates
   • Monitor website performance and user feedback for continuous improvement.
5. Marketing and SEO
   • Implement SEO strategies to improve search engine ranking.

Types of websites we offer:

1. Research Group or stand-alone page on the new website
   1.  Research group ( https://cires.colorado.edu/research-groups/ben-livneh-water-and-climate-research-group )
      1. Features:
         Time: Very quick
         Searchable on the main CIRES website
         Connected to profile list and site content
         full suite of page layout tools
2. A ‘Featured Page’ on the CIRES website. This retains all features but makes your content more prominent with a logo and your own menu and bundle of pages. ( https://cires.colorado.edu/research/earth-science-and-observation-center )
   1. Features:
      Same as above
      Distinct Logo and menu
3. A CIRES ‘Group Site’ which comes with standard content types, layout and CIRES styles all ready to deploy and have content added quickly.
   1. Features:
      Custom design and site layout
      A separate and completely custom website ( wwa.colorado.edu, wearewater.colorado.edu, ceee.colorado.edu )
      Features:
      Completely custom design and features for your project