3 steps for launching a successful web project

On web projects, our toughest clients aren’t the overly demanding ones – but rather those who for one reason or another can’t clearly communicate their needs. When a client hasn’t defined his or her company’s objectives, it’s almost impossible to meaningfully engage them in the design process.

The point person on the client side may face any number of common challenges when getting a project off the ground:

1. Too busy – They may have too much on their plate to spend a lot of time and energy thinking about how the site potentially fits into their overall business strategy.

2. Lacking web-savvy - They feel like they don’t understand the web well enough to think critically about their company’s site.

3. Help is not at hand - It can be difficult to get meaningful input or buy-in from colleagues.

4. Lacking clarity -The process is abstract – it’s hard to visualize what a successful solution might look like.

A handful of simple steps can make it much easier to get a project on solid footing and create a well-defined set of objectives for the entire team:

1. Define your target user and understand what they are looking for. Ideally, who is coming to your site and what type of information do they seek? Think from their perspective; what do they want, and what would constitute a rewarding user experience for them?

2. Map out and prioritize desired outcomes for the users of your site. What are the specific (ideally measurable) actions you’d like them to take? Examples include filling out a form, watching a video, picking up the phone, or downloading a document. Define how this action will integrate with your sales & marketing process, e.g when a user does A, we do B or C.

3. Do some basic competitive analysis. With your knowledge from steps one and two, look critically at websites in your business space. Bookmark them. Print them and make notes about where you think they succeed and where they fall short. Then look at sites outside your space and see if you can find examples of success that might translate to your business. Make a “Frankensite”; cherry-pick ideas and features from the best of the bunch.

With these first three steps as a lens, you’ll have a new perspective on your project and meaningful information to share with a designer and the rest of your team. Look at the materials together, discuss your goals, and map out a strategy for success. It’s important to work with a design team that understands the business of the web. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – we don’t expect you to know everything, and don’t be afraid to make suggestions – you know your business better than we do.

With both parties on the same page and fully-engaged in working to achieve your goals, the project will move faster, be more productive, and ultimately yield a much better product – not to mention it will be more fun and rewarding for all involved!

Chris Burns
Director of Interactive
Everon Technology Services

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