Beginning Drupal 8

Chapter 17 ■ Putting It All Together
Table 17-1. A Methodology for Building Your Drupal Site
Phase Task Activity
I
A
B
C
D
Starting Your Project
The seven tasks in this phase are focused on helping you think about and define what
your site is going to be. Drupal is a lot like a stack of lumber: you could build virtually
any type and style of house with an appropriately sized stack of lumber. However, you
wouldn’t start picking up boards and nailing them together without first knowing the
details of the house that you are going to build. Think of this phase of the project as
defining the blueprint of your new site. In this phase, you’re documenting key aspects
of your site on paper, and not in Drupal. Once you have an understanding of what it is
you’re going to build, you can embark on the construction activities.
What is your new website all about?
Write down, in narrative form, what the purpose of your new site is and, in general,
describe the audience that you intend to target with your site. Think of this document
as your “elevator pitch,” meaning if you met someone in an elevator and they asked you
what your website was about, you could recite this document verbatim before the two of
you left the elevator. This activity forces you to define in concise terms what it is you are
building and who is going to view the site.
Identify who is going to visit and use your website
List the various types of visitors who you intend to target with your new website.
Examples of visitor types for a library site might be children, teens, young adults, adults,
jobseekers, and senior citizens. A favorite technique is to use a blank piece of paper and
on this paper draw a “box” representing a browser window with your website in that
browser window. Draw a number of stick figures around the box and label each one with
the type of visitor that “person” represents.
Identify the content that you are going to deliver to your visitors
A common mistake in the website construction process is the “field of dreams”
mentality: “if I build it they will come.” Well if “they” come to your site, what content are
you going to present to “them” so they stay on your site, look around, and bookmark
your site for future visits? You may wish to use a blank piece of paper for each visitor
type, drawing a stick figure on the left and listing the content that this person would be
interested in seeing on your site. There will likely be duplication between various visitor
types, and that is okay, but it is important to step into the “shoes” of each visitor type to
think about what content you are going to provide each visitor that will make them pay
attention and return to your site in the future. Examples of content types might be, for a
library website, book reviews, movie reviews, music reviews, recommended reading lists,
and a list of upcoming programs at the library.
Identify the functionality that you are going to deliver to your visitors
Content is typically only one aspect of what constitutes a website; there may be
interactive features that you want to deliver, such as blogs, surveys, videos, audio,
discussion forums, online forms, e-commerce, RSS feeds, or other interactive features.
In this task, list all of the interactive features that you wish to provide to your visitors.
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