When you're finally done with development and the launch date is just around the corner, it's always a good idea to do a final review before going live.
Invest some time in the review but don't overthink it - a few hours should be sufficient.
The obvious review process will split responsibilities between the frontend and the backend and depending on the scope of the project, it might be a good idea to expand on these categories to ensure a thorough review.
If possible, let designers/project managers review the frontend and let developers review the backend.
If the frontend review starts before the backend review, the frontend reviewers may notice some issues that need to be addressed in the backend, potentially cutting down backend review time.
What's step one?
Make a list.
Create a simple checklist and use it during every go-live process and expand that checklist as necessary.
Your checklist can be as long or short as you want to make it but it should include a few necessary review items:
- Responsiveness: does the site respond to various screen widths? Use a site like responsinator.com to see how the site looks on different devices.
- Navigation: do all the navigation items link to the correct pages?
- Buttons/Links: do all of the buttons and links work as expected?
- Mobile menu: does it work as expected?
- Forms: check functionality and form-submission details
- System Pages: Easy to overlook. Make sure the 404 page, 500 page, etc have been updated accordingly.
This list is by no means exhaustive but can serve as a starting point for your own review process.
The better you get at this process the better the post-launch experience will be for everyone involved. Smaller websites aren't that difficult to review but as the projects get bigger, so does the review process.
If this seems daunting, you're not alone.
That's why a good review process is absolutely necessary and why we've put so much time in crafting an expert review process for our clients.
If you'd like help with your review before you 'go live', CONTACT US for help.
