This phase occurs before hiring a designer/developer/company. Before requesting a proposal from a potential designer/developer/company you will need to collect and summarize your ideas about your project. A document like the Project Profiler will help you communicate your goals, ideas and requirements to the designer/developer/company so they can give you a comprehensive and accurate proposal for your site. This information will also be used by the designer/developer/company to plan and execute the project.

In general you should define/provide as much information as you can about the following:

• Company, Industry Background
• Project Overview, Project Goals
• Intended Audience
• Design
• Content
• Functionality

• Web Hosting and E-mail
• Maintenance
• Promotion
• Sites you like and why
  This will give the designer/developer/company a feel for the style and level of design you expect for your project. It will also communicate information about audience, content and functionality that may not have been communicated previously.