GD 437 – Web/Multimedia Development and Planning

Bonney ArmstrongWestwood CollegePages 12 & 13 of Web Redesign; Workflow that Works, Goto & Cotler

Think before you act

Don’t just put up a new site because you think you are behind the times

This is a common trap Understand that there is more

involved that simply designing a snazzier interface

Plan to plan A logical workflow will help you cover

all your bases

Identify redesign issues and goals

What is currently working on your site, and what needs to change in the redesign?

Review customer service calls and emails – especially complaints

Conduct usability tests to identify specific redesign issues rather than speculate

Determine your goals and then execute accordingly

Analyze your competition

View the industry objectively Look at competitor sites and see what

works Compare features and services See what works by actually using

competitor sites and your current site, too

Understand how your site differentiates itself from the competition

Involve your current audience

Include your current user base in the redesign

Don’t alienate your current audience with sudden change

Communicate clearly why and when your site is changing

Design for users, not investors

If your site is not usable, your online presence risks failure

Too often, usability issues are clouded by the requirements of the advertiser or investor

Do not make the mistake of designing for the wrong audience

Know your audience Take great pains to ensure that the needs

of the user are compatible with your business objectives

Bring your engineer in early

Consulting with a technical engineer (for HTML as well as application development and backend needs) early on in the process will save you time and headaches in the midst of your project

Your engineer will help you plan confidently and will clue you in at every step as to what is technologically feasible

Believe in usability testing

Redesign with your user in mind Perform usability testing on both current

and redesigned sites during the development process

Determine usability issues and see to resolve them with redesign

Nothing gives you more honest feedback that watching someone go through your site

Can users use the new site? Watch and learn, and then apply

Understand content delivery reality

Content delivery is a top schedule buster in nearly all redesign projects

Have a dedicated, client-side point person who gathers, modifies, writes, and delivers content on time

Don’t underestimate the need for a content delivery plan

Set clear expectations

Communication is key Many times, a project starts beautifully

and then breaks down due to misunderstandings and misinterpreted assumptions

Each document you produce should clearly outline your goals

Make sure all team members are always on the same page, speaking the same terminology

Think long term; focus on short term

Don’t try to do everything at once; you will drive yourself absolutely nuts

Redesign and launch in phases In addition to allowing for realistic

delivery goals, an iterative approach to launching also offers the chance for evaluation of the redesigned site so that changes can be incorporated