The final process of any website should be taking that second measurement or what we refer to as QA & Testing. This process is where we make sure every nail is hammered in and the bolts are all tightened. Most clients appreciate the necessity of QA & Testing, but don’t necessarily understand the depth and detailed testing that Ardent completes on every new website. This isn’t to say we are perfect, but we strive to be a close as possible.

Every website project is a little different, but here is an example of a typical QA & Testing checklist:

Finishing Touches

• Custom 404 pages
• Favicon
• Social media icons

Design Review

• Check all page titles for consistent typography
• Check all headers for correct typography
• Check all body text for correct typography
• Check all navigation elements (buttons, drop downs, etc)

Spellcheck

• Spellcheck page titles
• Spellcheck headers
• Spellcheck navigation elements

Consistency

• Check headers for consistent capitlization
• Check for consistent phrases (read more, click here)
• Ensure all Lorem/Test content is removed from the site

Functional Testing

• Test web forms and return pagesBe sure to put correct client email address into form
• Test components
• Degradation (turn off Javascript, Flash, plug-ins) etc

Usability Testing

• Check links
• Check internal links
• Check links to files
• Check external links
• IE 7,8 & 9 on Windows XP & 7
• Firefox 4+ on Windows XP & 7, Mac OSX
• Chrome (latest versions) on Windows XP, 7 & MacOSX
• Safari on Mac OSX
• Mobile – iPhone
• Mobile – Android
• Tablet – iPad
• Tablet – Android (Honeycomb)

Standards & Validation

• HTML Validation
• Javascript Validation
• CSS Validation
• Accessibility Validation

Performance Testing

• Optimize images
• Implement caching here necessary
• Optimize page download time (Home)
• Compress static files (Javascript, HTML/CSS)
• Check for correct DB indexing
• Check configurations (Web server, database & CMS)
• Configure logging

Security & Risk

• Configure backups
• Test recovery from backup
• Protect sensitive areas (admin, documents, etc)
• Robots.txt
• Penetration testing (SQL Injections & Dictionary Attack)
• Confirm disk capacity on server
• Setup monitoring notifications
• Remove stray OS & IDE directories
• Turn off display errors

SEO

• SEO friendly page titles
• Remove CMS meta generated META
• Meta data
• SEO friendly URL naming
• Semantic mark-ups
• Setup RSS and ping services
• Setup Google Analytics
• Create XML Map
• Run SEO test software against the site
• 301 redirects

Once we’ve “measured twice” we can cut the site loose and deploy. What you get is a finished project that is on time/budget with minimal waste. Each new website launch is a nod to good old dad, his table saw and mantra “Measure Twice, Cut Once”

Questions about this or other Ardent processes? Feel free to contact James Wallace at 817-348-9049 or by email at jw@ardentcreative.com.

My "Measure twice, cut once" mentor, Dad.

This site targets fresh music, served chilled, with no apologies. Based out of the United States & Canada, this creamy menu delivers a talented team’s hard work and dedication to bringing music genres of all types to your ears. “Together we leverage the collective’s diverse skill set to produce quality curated music news, an iconic brand, and business interests in key lifestyle markets including events, apparel, and art.” – Earmilk

You can expect a daily selection of new music, artists, and vibes to grace the homepage portal. Whether it’s face-melting dubstep, bangin’ electro, or anything and everything from their “Straight from the Teet” section, you can always find some good groceries on Earmilk.

As a bonus, their newly revamped site/media player interface is rather impressive. I am one to always appreciate good UI, as it moves us forward. You can aimlessly browse any section of the site and keep any song playing without interruption. Like what you hear? Download links are thoughtfully included for your milk-tasting ventures.

Check em out! http://www.earmilk.com

Make Money On YouTube

Today I was reading this article on Mashable that explains  that YouTube’s exclusive partner program has just been opened up to everyone.  You just have to go into your account and click the videos you want to monetize.  The only requirement is that you own all the content in the video, so no unauthorized music or other copyrighted material is allowed in your monetized vids.  So now is a great time to post some of your baby videos raise some money for a college fund..

http://mashable.com/2012/04/13/youtube-opens-partner-program/

Click here to view the embedded video.

As we took our seats for dinner, the awards presentation was set in motion. Red Productions, last year’s Best of Show winner, kicked off the event with a creative spin-off of a spy thriller production. Their video was centered around the 2010 Best in Show trophy being taken and the kidnapping of Red’s dog, Sophie. The plot then thickened to unveil a planned attack on the perpetrators, resulting in both the rescue of Sophie and the safe return of the sacred trophy.

After the first of four videos ended, we quickly picked up our first trophy with a Bronze for the Babe’s Chicken web design concept. Ardent also went on to win several more awards at the bronze, silver and gold levels.

The final video finished leading into Special Awards. All Special Awards winners were great and deserved the awards. Then, it was finally time for the big announcement – Best of Show.  Anticipation filled the room, but what came next was a welcomed surprise. “Best of Show goes to … Ardent Creative for Frank Kent Empty Lot Video!” As you can imagine, excitement and shock filled our team as we walked to the front of the room to accept this tremendous honor from our peers and colleagues.

It is truly a privilege to receive this award and we couldn’t have won it without Frank Kent trusting in our creativity and big ideas for their video campaign in 2011.

2012 is off to a great start at Ardent Creative and we couldn’t do it without our awesome clients! We have some great projects in development and cannot wait to start sharing them.

Gold
Out of the Frost Campaign (Email | Poster | Web | Video)
www.outofthefrost.com

Silver
Frank Kent Video Campaign
Used Car & Empty Lot Videos

Silver
SocialDish Website

Bronze
SocialDish Logo

Silver
Social Dish Campaign (Website | Animation | Ad Design)

In The News:

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/02/26/3764300/ardent-creative-wins-top-advertising.html

http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/news/Addy-winners-announced-at-action-packed-gala-.html?searchterm=ardent+creative

Job: Web Developer

Responsibilities include designing, developing, implementing, and managing complex web sites and web applications for several clients. You’ll need to be a creative thinker, detail-oriented, confident, and able to clearly express ideas and concepts to other team members. Most importantly we want you to be passionate about what you do, and have fun while doing it.

Requirements:

• In-depth knowledge of current Web design trends, techniques, languages, extensions and tools
• Two or more years experience using, or knowledge of, Javascript, PHP, HTML, mySQL, XML, Actionscript, C, and C++
• An online portfolio demonstrating strong programming skills
• Proficient with tools used for web design (Photoshop,Dreamweaver, Flash etc.)
• Comfortable working in a small, nimble organization
• Well-organized, flexible and detail-oriented
• Strong collaboration skills (you will interact with team members and clients to develop projects)
• Familiarity with various browsers and operating systems, and how they affect web experiences

Additional Requirements:

• Experience in Macintosh, Windows, Unix, and/or Linux environments.
• Experience in object-oriented methodologies.
• Experience using, or knowledge of, content management systems.
• Strong understanding of all phases of web deployment and the web application development lifecycle.
• Strong understanding and application of project management disciplines.
• Ability to work on multiple project with competing deadlines while paying strong attention to detail and analytics
• Excellent organization, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills (verbal and written).
• Ability to work well with people in all levels of the organization
• Knowledge of Linux/Unix command line
• Joomla and building Joomla Templates
• Building Smarty Templates
• WordPress Theme development

The person needs to have a willingness to figure out a problem that he/she doesn’t know the answer to. If he/she doesn’t know it, needs to have the drive to figure out how to make it work.

This is an onsite, full-time position. No freelancers, please. We offer: Competitive salary, health insurance, and a laid back work environment.

Please send a resumes and samples of your work along with any other skills you may have. hello@ardentcreative.com

• Location: DFW
• Compensation: Relative to experience
• Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.