Project Scope
We would be honored to design and develop a fully mobile-friendly, custom WordPress site for the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CAIIS). The clean, professional and easy-to-navigate site will take full advantage of WordPress’ abilities and meet best practices in accessibility, coding, and performance.
To increase usability, interactivity and overall “pizzazz,” we’ll use programming tools such as AJAX and jQuery where appropriate. Non-technical staff can easily update the site’s content.
In addition to smartphone and tablet, we will test in these desktop browser/OS combinations:
- Chrome 91 (Windows 10 & Mac OSX)
- Firefox 89 (Windows 10 & Mac OSX)
- Safari 14 (Mac OSX)
- Microsoft Edge (Windows 10)
About Jeff Brock Studio
With 24 years of experience in web design and development, Jeff Brock Studio LLC applies a wide range of technical and creative expertise to enhance our clients’ web presence. We empower our clients with tools and training, so they can manage their own content after we launch their sites.
The Studio’s background as WordPress experts will allow us to exceed the needs of CAIIS’ stakeholders. Owner Jeff Brock has been a featured speaker at WordCamp Seattle (the largest WordPress event in the Pacific Northwest) and at WordCamp Vancouver B.C. His first talk, “Client-Proofing Your WordPress Sites”, demonstrated the Studio’s commitment to making back-ends that are easy for clients to use. His second talk, “Bootstrap Your WordPress Workflow”, described his approach to streamlining WordPress development with Bootstrap, Git, and other tools.
We use our time efficiently and are enthusiastically meticulous! We write clean code that is fast loading; is compliant with current web standards/best practices; and is easy for search engines to index. We have a robust testing environment with multiple web browsers and operating systems, as well as version control so we can easily revert to earlier variations of code. We build infrastructure with an eye toward enabling future site expansion.
View our design and development case studies. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 206.698.4421 or [email protected].
Section A: Infrastructure
A1: Setup of new web hosting service
We will work with UW’s IT Department and with CAIIS to determine a web hosting solution that is secure, fast, and well supported.
Once the webserver is in place, we’ll install and configure a full suite of WordPress plugins, including:
- Yoast SEO: Customizes a wide range of search engine optimization needs such as titles and per-page META descriptions.
- Wordfence: Continuously prevents, patrols and protects site against today’s ultra-advanced cyber attacks, hacks and online security threats.
- W3 Total Cache: Greatly boosts the site’s speed by saving HTML versions of the site’s PHP pages on the server.
- Autoptimize: Speeds up the site by combining and shrinking JavaScript, CSS and HTML.
- Advanced Custom Fields PRO: Adds custom fields to the standard WordPress editor, making it easier & faster to manage your content.
- Google Analytics Integration for WordPress: Displays Google Analytics reports in your WordPress Dashboard, as well as in-depth reports providing performance details for each post or page.
- Advanced Editor Tools: Enables advanced features in WordPress’ rich-text editor.
- Admin Columns Pro: Allows administrators to organize, find and update WordPress content quickly.
- Simple Page Ordering: Change the page order with easy drag and drop.
CAIIS will be responsible for paying hosting fees separately.
A2: Switchover of staging site to production
Includes:
- Redirecting pages on old site to their counterparts on the new site.
- Working with UW IT to point URL to CAIIS’ server.
- Connecting Google Search Console to site.
- Other prep/cleanup.
A3: Page usage statistics
We’ll set up a free Google Analytics account allowing CAIIS direct access to a large amount of web traffic data and user-friendly analysis tools. CAIIS can receive regular PDF reports via email.
Total for Infrastructure
Section B: Design
B1: Custom WordPress theme design
The intuitive and accessible design will reflect our clean, polished style. Some sites that will serve as design inspiration:
- https://earthlab.uw.edu/
- http://goodladinstitute.org/
- https://futurerivers.uw.edu/
- https://www.amphilsoc.org/library/CNAIR
- https://www.burkemuseum.org/
- https://sageculture.com/
- https://www.barbican.org.uk/
- https://www.loungelizard.com/
Rather than creating a desktop design and then figuring out how it will appear in mobile, we’ll consider the full range of devices from the initial design stage.
Features include:
- Full screen-width photography curated from CAIIS’ photo library, from UW Marketing’s stock image library, and from tasteful stock photography websites.
- Easy-to-read, attractive typography.
- Intuitive navigation bars.
- Color palette that connects with the tribal communities but still works with UW’s purple and gold.
- Interim version of logo while design committee finalizes its decision.
- Responsive design for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and large desktops.
Includes 1 round of wireframe review and 2 rounds of comp review incorporating CAIIS’ feedback.
Total for Design
Section C: Development & Content
C1: Custom WordPress theme development
Following best practices, the rock-solid theme’s foundation will be based on a custom combination of:
- Bootstrap 4, the most popular HTML, CSS, and JavaScript framework for developing responsive web projects.
- Underscores, a starter HTML5 WordPress theme built by the company behind WordPress.com.
The fully mobile-friendly website will be based on our design comps. We’ll code the website so that CAIIS can easily change copy, images and navigation menu items, without knowing HTML or PHP.
Theme features will include:
- “Sticky” navigation menu with drop-downs
- Robust search tool with predictive live search. In addition to web pages, the tool searches the text of PDFs.
- News blog
- Simple social sharing tools for users
- Ability to choose a different featured image for each page
- Listserv signup form
Technical features will include:
- Properly indented and commented HTML5 and CSS3, built with SASS
- Optimized images
- Search engine optimization of code
- Latest version of WordPress
- Private GitHub repository
We’ll repeatedly run the site through Google PageSpeed Insights during development, to ensure it’s configured to run quickly. The site will use well-coded, best-of-breed plugins to ensure it’s as light a download as possible.
The site will not use the Divi editing tool.
Includes 2 rounds of edits, as well as Testing & QA.
C2: Import content into WordPress
We’ll create the directory & template structure in WordPress and will import content provided by CAIIS.
CAIIS will be able to add, edit and delete pages themselves through WordPress once the site is launched. We can provide formatting assistance, if needed, at a cost of $100/hour.
Total for Development & Content
Section D: Training
D1: Training on how to maintain site
Empowering clients to maintain their own sites is one of the Studio’s strengths. Our WordPress training for CAIIS will take place via phone and screen-sharing software, in a single 60-90 minute session, recorded for future reference.
Total for Training
Total for Overall Project
Design & development timeline
About this estimate
Project estimates are valid for 90 days from the date of this estimate. Jeff Brock Studio may re-estimate the project if, upon receipt of all project elements, we determine the scope of the project has been altered dramatically from the originally agreed upon concept.
Bug-free guarantee
We warrant that for 30 days following the launch of the website, the site will be free from programming errors. If any errors or other defects are discovered during the warranty period, we’ll promptly remedy them at our own expense.
Payment plan
Once we and CAIIS agree upon the elements in this Proposal, we’ll convert it into a Work Plan and will prepare a Web Design & Development Agreement. A deposit of $3,500 (50% of the estimated cost of the project) will be due when CAIIS electronically signs the Agreement via DocuSign.
We can begin work on the project once we receive the signed Agreement and the deposit.
Development will take place on a WP Engine staging webserver. A progress payment of $1,750 (25% of the estimated cost of the project) will be due when we submit the beta version of the developed site to CAIIS. After CAIIS has reviewed the beta version of the site and is ready to launch, we’ll send a Launch Invoice for the remaining amount due. Once CAIIS has paid the Launch Invoice, we will work with UW IT to make the site live within 1 business day.
Jeff Brock Studio LLC accepts payment via ACH / Paymode-X Account ID of JeffBrockStu.Receivables.
Ongoing maintenance
Upgrades
WordPress offers an easy upgrade system for its core and plugins; after the end of our initial contract, we’re available to install upgrades as they’re released, at $100/hour. This typically involves 30-60 minutes a month.
Technical support
CAIIS will have full access to upload and edit content on the site, but we’ll be available via phone or email for any questions that come up. As feedback comes in from users, we can work with CAIIS to add new features at $100/hour.