Currently I have an idea that I would like to develop into a site. The problem is that I don’t know how to code so would need to hire someone to do the job. The main problem with hiring someone is that I would be exposing my plan to a stranger and wouldn’t really have any control over the end result. Here are a few questions I have. - How do I hire a programmer / Web developer to code my site? - Since the site is quite complex how do I create a good sketch in order for the programmer to follow? - Although I have a good idea of what I want how do I mash everything together? Who could help me integrate all my ideas into one site? I have many other questions but these are the ones that are currently worrying me the most. Also if you have any other things that you think I should take into consideration beforehand could you please inform me?
As u said, if u hav some unique idea, thers a risk that programmer may expose it. but if u don know coding than theres no other alternative, u wil hav to trust some one, don u hav any friend who knows coding.
Your best bet is to use a service like rent a coder or scriptlance. There you can post your project and people will bid on it. You can choose the programmer you will best understands your program and offers a price which suits you. You can even hire a partner over there. Give it a try. Good luck!
I've been to rentacoder.com but still feel a bit uneasy about posting my request on a public forum. Many times have I heard of people loosing their money and never seeing any code so that's why I decided to ask before hand. I would really like to know what programmers think about this.
To protect your idea there are NDAs and anti-competitor agreements that can be put in place. Both arent great and depending which countries both you and the developer are based in will dictate how enforcable they are. The other side of it are that professional web developers make their money by developing websites not by running them. Certainly with ourselves, we only just have time to handle all the different projects we are working on for clients and dont have any time to dedicate to running our own sites. Where you can get them? Well there are plenty of people here, including ourselves, Guru, elance, rentacoder to name but a few or there are local companies to you in business directories/ telephone books etc. To protect you most these types of sites offer Escrow services so the provider cannot take the money and run. The best thing to do is think purely what you want people to be able to do on the site and what the "user journey" will look like and forget what the behind the scenes functionality will be. A flow diagram on this is the best and easiest way to do it - whilst you can go to the Nth level of detail showing every single field/ area on every single page this is probably over kill (and certainly to start off with) but if there are key elements on a page (eg selecting option A will show an additional 4 questions) then include these. This will give you an idea of how it all hangs together and help you picture the site in your minds eye and if it will "work" from a usability point of view. We will generally discuss these with our clients both in terms of doability - some things clients want are either simply not possible or, more likely, very expensive to do but other very similar options may be much cheaper or simply inefficient - and in terms of usability - again there is no right or wrong when it comes to the web but there are elements that users are used to and deviating from these can confuse people. Best of luck with your venture
Thanks for your response it really answer a lot of my questions. Because this will be my first investment in terms of site construction I'm taking it slow.
you will need to know SOME programming so you can modify the site when the programmer is done developing it. give the programmer such low level details that he/she wont know what your going to use it for. when they hand the code back to you, change the template around to the way you like it.
And to be honest that is the correct way to go - "gut feeling" is generally very good and beter than any Harvard Business School tool on deciding if there is going to be a problem. The only other advice is to be realistic with your expectations. There is basically a triangle between speed, quality and price. If you change one at least one of the others will have to change too and so you need to decide on your priorities. Many of the people that approach us want a site built for 10% of the cost, to be completed yesterday but at blue chip company standards and this simply isnt going to happen. We are fortunate enough to have enough business coming through in that we can simply reject these types of companies/ people as from the outset they are not going to be satisfied because they want the impossible. If budget is your biggest constraint then expect that you many not be able to get 100% of what you want at the speed you want it. It is worth while considering prioritising your requirements - eg if you are wanting a bespoke forum developed is it more important to you that users can send private message to each other or that they can leave feedback on each others posts? There is also always the option of phasing implimentation - develop the forum first and add feedback system afterwards as a "new improvement" for your members. This will almost certainly increase over all costs however reduces your risk (a feedback system is unlikely to make or break a forum and if the forum doesnt work out at least you have reduced your losses) and means that you can at least launch rather than having to wait 6 months or 2 years until you can afford it all and miss the boat Be wary of anyone/ company that say they can do anything at all and nothing has negative impacts on costs etc.
That's exactly why I'm taking some time to think about everything first. I want something good to create an impact but don't want to make it so complex that it will take months for it to be complete.
1. You will get the runaround from many people who are just looking to make a quick buck. The low bidders will be the first to try and sell the site (without cutting you in) after it is complete ... if they even complete it. You truly get what you pay for these days. 2. If you need to trust a programmer you should 1st make yourself worthy of that trust. Be willing to give up ownership. You will find that your wildest dreams can be accomplished when you offer a blend of money now and later. 3. Find someone who speaks your native language. The communication barrier is difficult to over come when you don't speak programming or chinese. 4. Make (& share) great notes for your project. A solid battle plan is the MOST important part of any project. Know where you are going before you start. 4. Be realistic. Don't give up when the site is not holding it's own after 6 months. Keep putting your heart in it. I also liked the advice about learning programming, however, not for the reasons given above. By learning the basics (especially database structure) you can really do a much better job of planning your project. Anything you can do to speak at the same level as your coder is a major plus.
Some very good responses so far. Just to re-iterate what others' have already said... 1. Get an NDA in place, a true developer / development firm should have no problem with this. 2. Know what you want. You don't have to get it all now, if budgetary reasons don't allow you too. But know what you want, get a quote on that, and then work backwards from there, prioritizing what's important. 3. Once you know what you want, create requirements documents for what you want. This will keep both you and the the designer / developer honest during the process. Another thing to keep in mind, are you looking for design as well as programming? This is typically two different areas of expertise, though if you choose a firm, they will typically have both in house. I'm sure you already know this, but be sure to request portfolios of both design and programming work.
That is yet another problem I'm facing. Is it common for programmers to also create the design or should I get someone else to do it? If that's the case I'm sure the final price for creating a site will increase considerably.
Some programmers dabble in both. Some are very good at it as well. In the end, as I mentioned, you'll want to be sure to request a portfolio, where you can see samples of their work.