Scope of work: Technology
What you want your site to achieve will influence the choice of available technology. Dynamic navigation, animation, streaming audio. Searchability, database integration, full e-commerce capability. All these features, and many more, will influence the technology applied to achieve them.
But consider: just because you can doesn't mean you should. Good design is transparent. If your site is crammed with the latest bleeding-edge technotoys, it's almost certain that your message will be lost in the noise. The need to leave your site to download the latest version of a browser plugin will cost you some visitors. Omit everything that threatens to dilute the effectiveness of your site. Simple is always best.
Be aware of what's possible. You don't have to know the intricacies of how things work; that's my job. But it helps me to help you if you have a working knowledge of what can and can't be done. Be clear about exactly what you want your visitors to be able to do on your site. As with content and design, decide which aspects of functionality you need for launch, and which can be developed later.
Next: Budget
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