Process
From Wireframe to Launch: A Realistic Timeline
What actually happens between the first sketch and the day a site goes live, and why the realistic version rarely matches the pitch.
What the Pitch Doesn’t Show You
Most timelines shown during a sales conversation assume nothing goes wrong — no delayed feedback, no missing copy, no last-minute rebrand. A realistic project has built-in slack for exactly those things, because they happen on almost every project.
A typical mid-sized site moves through discovery, wireframes, one or two design rounds, build, and QA — usually four to eight weeks depending on scope. The single biggest variable isn’t the build itself; it’s how quickly a client can review and respond.
Feedback Speed Is the Real Deadline
Two days of design work can sit blocked for two weeks waiting on a round of feedback. Setting a shared expectation for review turnaround at the very start of a project does more for the timeline than any amount of extra design speed.
