Last September, I conducted several email interviews to prepare my column on how to survive a website redesign for the December 2006 issue of University Business: “10 Tips to a Successful Website Redesign.â€
Andrea Arbogast, Web Manager at Humboldt State University shared these 5 tips at this time.
Clearly define the purpose of the redesign, and put it in writing.
I have found a short document with the redesign’s purpose, backed up with some web stat data or research, to be invaluable. It helps keep the web team on track, provides an easy answer when folks question why certain decisions were made, and gives the decision makers a clear concept to support. There is usually a very concrete reason for taking on a redesign, and being able to articulate it easily has saved me a lot of grief.
Clearly define and limit the target audience of the site you are redesigning.
This can be harder than it sounds, since there are so many groups that feel they have ownership of university web sites. It is also tied to the point above. If the purpose of the redesign is to try to increase enrollment, then the target audience has to be prospective students if the redesign is to be a success. Alumni, faculty and staff, and fans of the athletic teams will have to take a back seat in terms of focus. This can be politically challenging, but will lead to a much stronger site that is more likely to accomplish your goals.
Design from the user’s prospective.
Try to get inside the mind of your target audience and design a site that makes sense to them. Don’t use jargon or acronyms that are familiar to you but mean nothing to your users. Throw the org chart out the window– chances are your users don’t know who does what on campus, and they shouldn’t have to know this to get their questions answered or their tasks accomplished. Build navigation paths that make sense to them, not based on internal hierarchies. Test with members of the target audience to make sure you get it right.
Determine the messages you want to send to your target audience, and then choose photography, graphics, and layouts that support those messages.
In other words, make sure every element you use is chosen for a specific, defined reason. Don’t add photos that don’t speak to your messages, and don’t start designing templates until you have determined your communication goals. Good sites are driven by concepts, and the graphic design supports those concepts. Working the other way around leads to a less coherent web presence.
Work with a small multidisciplinary team.
If possible, work across department barriers and tap into the talent on campus. I have had my best successes working as a team with the print designers that handle admissions and marketing publications, the Admissions staff, the campus photographer, and the Public Affairs staff. This helps to keep all of our messages tight and our graphic designs complementary. I also lets me tap into the expertise that these folks have built up in their areas. One representative from each discipline is ideal, since large committees lead to inefficiencies.