This is always something I have to consider. Getting started is one thing, but understanding the chosen medium and the final output will be essential to creating a good outcome for the site.
I have looked at my target audience, asked lots of questions about thier needs, and discovered that they are all using the web in a variety of ways.I have become so entagled in how I use the web (power user) that I have assumed everyone else is also a power user.
It turns out they aren’t. Sure they are downloading, streaming and facebooking, but other than that, there isnt really much more. Purchasing online seems to be relevent, but they claim that security hinders a purchase. the not knowing factor also influences their progress online.
If I am to go freelance and try to do something different, I will need to pay attention to these users. What do I need to do to make them comfortable, relaxed and ultimately safe with their purchase.
I intend to use a CMS for this. I have used Moodle for college students, Joomla, Drupal and wordpress. Should I use these for an online shop. I have good control over items for sale, styling and uploading the site, but should I go down the route of creating all of this from scratch? I could do this with HTML5 and CSS3, but would require third party plugins for shopping carts etc. This is an area I am inexperienced in.
The design will be laid out and posted online by saturday. any feedback would be appreciated.