If the website you own is not meeting expectations, it is time to consider engaging in a comprehensive redesign process. While the notion of undertaking a project of this magnitude can
seem overwhelming, doing some benchmarking and research, reviewing website analytics and performance metrics, and aligning that information with your objectives will make the redesign process much less cumbersome and result in a more polished, more effective final product.
While it’s not uncommon to grow tired of how a website looks, a more logical reason to take on a redesign project is that the site is not meeting its objectives. The number or amount of sales
and leads generated is a solid indicator of site performance but there are others. Is time spent on site noticeably low? This might be an indication that the wrong visual impression is being given to users. Are you receiving feedback about users’ inability to locate specific content items? A website’s user-friendliness is a catalyst for overall performance – so inaccessibility is also a logical reason to take on a website redesign.
Search engine friendliness is also a common reason for redesigning a website and is frequently the reason most sites start the process at all. A formal redesign process will include a sufficient amount of audience research, taking into account an organization’s on-site marketing objectives, developing a wireframe, and establishing a fixed framework from which design elements can be applied and implemented in the future.
Before starting audience research and marketing objectives, it is important to take into account whether this is really just a redesign (i.e. a freshen-up) or if an entirely new software platform will be integrated. Should it be the latter, understanding the features and limitations of the selected solution and asking designers and developers for recommendations and guidance will prove to be extremely useful. For example, if you are deploying a new content management system (CMS), ask for input from your Web designer about the level of complexity in relation to creating new design themes and templates, or quiz the developer about challenges integrating new modules.
The next step in redesigning is often where most Web professionals immediately jump – the layout and wireframing. Only when you are armed with a sufficient amount of benchmarking insights and elements necessary to satisfy marketing objectives should you start working with wireframes and layouts. Web-based diagram tools like Gliffy can help layout the structure of a website and ensure that all the “pieces of the puzzle” are present before moving on to actual site wireframing. Some of the most popular wireframing tools include Mockingbird (gomockingbird.com), HotGloo (hello.hotgloo. com), MockFlow (mockflow.com), and a personal favorite in Pencil (evolus.vn/pencil/), a free add-on for Firefox.
Completely redesigning a website every few years might seem like a daunting task. But staying fresh in the eyes of your users and relevant to the employees that support your business is imperative. Understanding how all users (consumers and employees) use the site, how your site’s competitors stack up, understanding the underlying but required marketing objectives and getting started with the redesign with a layout and wireframing session will prove to shorten design and development time and ensure that your newly redesigned website make a difference to your company.