One main failure most professional software developer has is not understanding client's business. The fact is, if we can put 90% time to communicate (effectively), and the rest 10% to do the actual coding, there is 90% more chance to end up with the right product.
More often than not, what happened was the other way around.
Being aware with that fact, I am using agile approach / iterative development for the projects:
- We build the "big picture of the system". At this time, also work on the cost estimation so it can be comfortable for both the you and me.
- Divide the big picture into smaller chunks of projects, with the final cost quotation for each chunks. Keep in mind that the project is allowed to be changed / evolved at any time during development at your request. The payments are done before the start of each small projects.
- To support point two, after each small project done, I will consult to you and you can give feedbacks for the project. I will then do fixes to the delivered result. We won't start on the next projects before you feel comfortable with the result.
- Even after we are moving to the next small project, if you feel anything need to be changed with the past deliverable, you can always ask me, usually without any extra charge.
- During the entire project, I will also offer my advice on the website, to ensure you can get the best E-Commerce site for your business.
There are three kinds of clients may benefit from my service, described below.
For E-Business Starters
For E-Business starters I can help you in building your E-Commerce site, specifically customised to your business. Following the best common practices of agile software development, you can change your mind at anytime and most of the time it won't cost you any extra cost.
These are what I can offer for your business:
- A custom made Shopping Cart website, with cutting-edge technology in web development to ensure you get the best product your business can get. Read the web development skills I can add to your site from about me page .
- An professional advice of what would be the best technology to assist your business, even if it means to have a non-E-Commerce site created for your business (in this case, I would refer you to my friends working in this area).
For Zen-Cart™ Site Owners
For Zen-Cart™ site owners I can help you implementing web 2.0 standard customisation to your website. They will not only be the design, but also mostly functionality.
I can also create you Zen-Cart™ modules. I will not brag about the quality of my modules, you can see for yourself through my free modules page. For the modules you can choose whether to let me publish it or custom made them only for your site. By letting me publish the modules, they will be open for further developments.
These are what I can offer for your Zen-Cart™ site:
- Web 2.0 style design and functionalities.
- Fixing up your existing Zen-Cart™ site. The problems some clients had were they installed too many useless modules making it a hellish work (almost impossible) to upgrade the site. I can fix that.
- Creating any kind of modules you want to be implemented on your site. Just let me know the spec, and I can work on it.
- Pretty soon I will also be able to help your site with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) technique. There are already some modules out there, but I don't really believe them yet. I have burned out too much by non-standarised modules (even one that had to pay US$175 for it!!). In near future I will develop my own FREE module on this area.
For Zen-Cart™ Developers
For Zen-Cart™ Developers I can help converting your site design into Zen-Cart™ standard design architecture. By doing this, the design would be a dynamic one, can stand even if you add more products, EZ-Pages, or links. This website is using standard Zen-Cart™ architecture, for example.
I can also help you standarise your module, but it is better if you could do it yourself by following my guidelines at this article .
These are what I can offer for your Zen-Cart™ projects:
- Design advice & standarisation.
- Module advice & standarisation.
What Are Not My Service
I do not:
- Do data entry for your website. I can refer you some friends to do that.
- Create fancy flash animations or a splash screen (nor do I believe splash screens may boost your sales). Again, I can refer you a friend who is very good at this.
- A business consultant. All my advice for your business were coming from my experience with clients in ranging business fields, but I have not taken any specialised business course for this. I am formally an IT specialist.
My Rates
My rate is AU$50 - $80 / hour, mostly depending on the size of project and the complexity of the jobs (and frankly, my mood, heh...). For each project discussed I will always tell you earlier how much hours would a project need.
Take a look at quote request page for more information and cost estimation.
How To Start
If you feel my service might be for you, you can start by offering me a job through this quote request page . If possible, to help me assessing the job requirements, please fill as much details in the comment area, such as (Most of these points are discussable during the project, so if you do not already know, you don't need to include them):
- How many products approximately you are expecting to show in your website.
- Are you planning to show articles on your website? If yes, how many? You might find this article helpful to decide which shopping cart style to build .
- Will it be able to actually sell products or just a showcase?
- What functionalities you can currently think of?
- Are there multiple stage in development you can think of?
- Are there any competitor sites you want to overtake?
- Are there any design style you want to use or website design you want to get the essence from?
Even if at the end of the day you decided not to use my service, I still wish the best for your business. If you want to have a friendly discussion, I am always available as a friend through
the forum as Jaycode.
