Where the design time goes on a trekking website

One estimate, page by page

In July 2018 we estimated the design of a new website for a company selling treks and tours in four countries. The estimate came to 130 to 135 hours. The split shows where we expected to spend time on that project.

The pages that take the most

• Home page: 18 to 22 hours, and 11 more for two other versions
• Trip page: 14 hours, and 8 more for a second version
• Finding a trip: 10 hours
• Company and team: 8 hours
• Phone layouts: 8 hours

In that estimate, the home page and the trip page together take about two fifths of the time. The trip page carries the most: the overview, the gallery, the itinerary with its map, the departures, what is included, the equipment, the questions and the reviews.

The pages that take less

• A landing page for each kind of activity: 6 hours
• The blog: 6 hours
• Search results: 3 hours
• Contact: 2.5 hours
• Testimonials: 2 hours

Smaller pages can reuse the parts designed for the larger ones.

The work between the pages

Some hours belong to no single page:

• The style guide: 2.5 hours
• Hover states, forms and actions: 6 hours
• Our own review before the client sees anything: 25 hours

Review is the largest single item. It is where we check the pages against each other, so the site reads as one.

What it means for your estimate

Ask for an estimate that lists the pages, not one total. Check that the trip page has its own line, and that review is in it. An estimate without review has not left time to make the pages agree.