Māori Media Network

Size: 12 pages

My professional status: independent web designer/developer

Website client: Māori Media Network

Dates: April - August 2007

Brief: to design and build a new website for Māori Media Network which would promote their skills and services online, including linking to over 20 Māori radio stations nationwide via an interactive online map. The website included the Expression Engine Content Management System (CMS), JavaScript page transitions and page loading, and audio sound effects.

My responsibilities included:

Development of the information architecture and site schematics
Project management and ongoing liaison with the client in order to achieve all their aims for the site, and to work through a range of technical and implementation issues with them
Design of the site - including look & feel, graphics, and navigation
Development of the site in pure CSS and HTML 4.01 Transitional, which would then be integrated with the Expression Engine CMS built by my programming partner Tom St George
Hand-coding in HTML 4.01 Transitional to a reasonable level of accessibility, and following NZ e-government Guidelines
Extensive testing of the site at all stages of the development process, ensuring complete consistency across the following browsers and platforms:
- PC: Internet Explorer 5.01, IE5.5, IE6; Firefox, Netscape, Opera
- Mac: Firefox, Netscape, Opera, Safari
Editing and proof-reading content
Ensuring that every page and stylesheet had been validated using the W3C Markup Validation Service and that it conformed to HTML 4.01 Transitional requirements
Ongoing liaison with my programmer Tom, to ensure that the pages of the static site could easily be integrated with the CMS
Training of Māori Media Network staff in order that they could use Expression Engine to its fullest potential.

This was a two-person job - I did the design, the HTML and CSS, my awesome programmer Tom St George did the JavaScript, the programming of the Expression Engine CMS, and the addition of sound to the page transitions. Together we worked through the information architecture and site schematics, and the ongoing project management and client liaison and training.

This is a website unlike anything Tom or I have ever built before. Our client loved the movement and page transitions of Flash sites, but preferred to invest their budget in the CMS, rather than in Flash. We therefore decided to see whether we could use JavaScript to mimic Flash without the Flash. After considerable trial and error, we arrived at a place we're really quite happy with. Tom added the CMS in the backend that does everything including fixing your macrons for you, and I think it's quite beautiful - the design is based on the gorgeous Māori Media Network logo.