How To Prioritize and Plan a Successful Web Site Redesign (Part 1)

When stepping into the forefront of revamping a site for a client, I always receive the same question: I have a lot of things I need to fix on my site, but I do not know where to start. Can you help me?

Here is a starting checklist for your redesign efforts:

Business

• What is your goal in doing this redesign?
• Increased sales
• Redefine brand
• Disparate sites
• Resource constraints
• Budget
• Time
• Manpower
• Policies
• What has been working / doing well?
• What hasn’t?
• Are you measuring it?
• What can you afford now, and what can (or must) you wait for in the next redesign?
• Vendor selection
  

User

• What has been working for them?
• Complaints?
• Features requested?
• Navigation paths clear?
• Find what they are looking for?
• Shopping cart abandonment?
• Type of user

Technology

• What is currently being used
• Migration?
• Content Management System
• Third Party Tools
• Browser, Color, Page Size constraints
  
  

Content

• What is currently there and works
• What is currently there and doesn’t work
• What needs to be there
• Is it unique?
• Is it useful to the user?
  

Prioritize by:

1. User
2. Business
3. Content
4. Technology

Why Users First?

• User drives design
• Business will not succeed if user doesn’t succeed
• Content can be created once user dictates what they need
• Technology is always last- it should meet the users’ needs, users or business shouldn’t have to suffer or cater to the technological confines. When the computing rate doubles every 18 months, there is bound to be a technology that will suit your need, otherwise, if it must be created, that could be a possibility for a new business venture.