Our Development Philosophy
User-Centric, Test-Driven Development
Having worked in web application development for a long time, some of us since the dawn of the web, Zoo Zoo Web developers have seen many design methodologies come and go and we have developed our own flavor using the best of several approaches.
Iterative Development
The core approach that Zoo Zoo uses is Iterative Development, also known as a Spiral Development approach. This development approach evolved first into Extreme Programming and later informed the Agile Movement This philosophy focuses on putting pages and functionality in front of users as frequently as possible. Very often people have difficulty designing in a vacuum, so in everything we do from wireframes and information architecture to prototyping and integration code, ZZW iterates, putting working product in front of customers as often as we can.
What does this mean to you? It means as a client of Zoo Zoo Web, you will see work in progress. This means, like the captain of a ship, you can course correct frequently and stay right on top of your project.
User-Centric
Taken from Iterative Development as well as Extreme Programming, and also now an important tenant of Agile, user-centric means that software is about the users and must be focused on their needs. The way ZZW achieves this is by putting documents, schematics, wireframes, site-maps, mockups, prototypes, pages and working code in front of users as often as practicable. In this manner, the direction can be constantly adjusted based on user feedback. An added benefit is that code must be constantly ready for release, which shortens test cycles later in the process and tends to bring chaos under more and more control instead of less and less.
Test-Oriented
Another philosophy that ZZW focuses on is rigorous testing. Agile advocates create test cases before creating code. By creating robust unit testing via automated testing suites through the course of a project, a more robust product is created. Additionally, the testing suite created along the way forms the backbone of regression testing that can be utilized as features are added. Coupling this with an iterative, user-centric approach has proven to be a very successful way to create complex web sites that perform reliably and are easier to enhance and modify. Web sites are living, breathing animals in constant change and constant motion and the speed with which they change must be supported by the development process.
