Filed under: Business, Design, Internet, Productivity, Adobe, Google, Yahoo!, web 2.0
Seven Web Redesign Planning Tools
Let's pretend you read this column and agree that it's time to embark on a Web site overhaul for your small business. You understand a little about Web 2.0-ness, want some interactivity, are considering using new online tools and have created a real job for the webmaster to do site updates. What's on your Web Overhaul Due Diligence To-Do List? What steps should you take to ensure that your site gets architected, designed, programmed, launched, and updated correctly? HOMEWORK – let's start browsing sites and making favorites/bookmarks out of the ones that catch your eye. Note that you like the drop-down menu in one and the fading background in another. Make a "how did they do this?" list of snazzy features to ask your designer about implementing. In fact, build a spreadsheet and make column headings such as: URL, feature, forms, Flash, menus and more so you can keep your design notes and questions in a handy electronic document to share with all the design firms you interview, and we want you to talk to more than one.
WHO DONE IT? – make an extra column on your spreadsheet to note which firm build the site you like. Most classy sites have a small credit near the footer (although some site owners forbid that). Paste the design firm's URL into your spreadsheet because you might just want to send your site's RFP to them.
YOU DESERVE AN RFP – yes, your site is big enough to warrant an RFP (Request for Proposal). Take some time with your RFP and be sure to include what your site really needs and not a laundry or wish list of over-the-top features that you can't afford and don't intend to buy. There are several online outlines for sample web site RFPs but please don't copy and paste a $100K site build for your design if your budget is $5k. Let's be a reasonable, shall we? (Download or review free RFP templates online at SiteLab – free registration), free toolkit – registration required, Emerald Strategies)
DESIGN PLAN MAGIC – plan thrice, write a check once. When the eager design companies (and you've sent your RFP to those most appropriate for your business) reply to your RFP, read each proposal. Skim the background data to ensure the firm is using real people to build your site and pay attention to what is promised.
TOOLBOX – What online tools are being built, purchased, rented or incorporated into your new site? There are free, rented and custom-built tools and the price naturally goes up as you move from left-to-right. Do your due diligence: if they propose to build and charge you for form delivery, is there a free alternative? (The answer is "yes.") Demand they include Google Analytics) and make sure you are authorized to see the results. Don't get talked into a ListServ when a free online group will do (Google Groups, Yahoo Groups). If they don't suggest using free online tools up front, find another firm. Really, a good firm would try to save you money so they could charge more for design and programming without fatal sticker shock.
AFTERCARE – what happens to the design firm when the site launches? Do they run away and hide? Do they want a monthly fee for "maintenance" but insist that you do the site updates? (Exactly what are they maintaining?) Are they offering you a back-end editor to update your site? If so, try it out before signing. They should have a test site but better yet, talk over using a universal editor (like Adobe Contribute) because site editors are tricky little devils and can be browser dependent (and die when new browsers come along or don't work with your browser. Yes, I'm talking to you, you Mac user!) Will they help you work with the editor or are you charged for that service? If there's nothing set up for you to edit and update your own site, run the other way!
A chunk of good process is missing from the above admonitions: watching the site build and testing before the whole thing goes beta. We're a highly visual society and need to SEE the pages develop, as opposed to gaining 100% insight from a printed proposal. Wait for my next column on the build process but let's talk over your suggestions for the design process in comments. I know there are Web designers reading and I value what you have to say.
YOU DESERVE AN RFP – yes, your site is big enough to warrant an RFP (Request for Proposal). Take some time with your RFP and be sure to include what your site really needs and not a laundry or wish list of over-the-top features that you can't afford and don't intend to buy. There are several online outlines for sample web site RFPs but please don't copy and paste a $100K site build for your design if your budget is $5k. Let's be a reasonable, shall we? (Download or review free RFP templates online at SiteLab – free registration), free toolkit – registration required, Emerald Strategies)
DESIGN PLAN MAGIC – plan thrice, write a check once. When the eager design companies (and you've sent your RFP to those most appropriate for your business) reply to your RFP, read each proposal. Skim the background data to ensure the firm is using real people to build your site and pay attention to what is promised.
- Will you see mockups of your design? What if you don't like the mockups?
- Are you guaranteed a delivery date? What if the design firm misses that date?
- What are you obligated to provide (logos, content, photos)? What if you don't send them on time?
- What are the extra charges after you change your mind after approving the design (and you WILL, so read this part carefully)?
- Are you paying for logo design? What formats will the logo be delivered in (print-ready, Web ready, signs, banners)?
- Who owns what when it's done? If it's not broken out, get an itemized list of what the deliverables are, including copyrights and original artwork (please promise me that you will get your original artwork!).
- Are you charged by the page? If so, are all the pages listed? What do extra pages cost? What happens if you decide to combine two pages into one?
- What are the payment terms? Are you offered options? (Please, do NOT pay for the entire design up front; there's no incentive for a firm to finish on time if there's no check dangled at completion.)
TOOLBOX – What online tools are being built, purchased, rented or incorporated into your new site? There are free, rented and custom-built tools and the price naturally goes up as you move from left-to-right. Do your due diligence: if they propose to build and charge you for form delivery, is there a free alternative? (The answer is "yes.") Demand they include Google Analytics) and make sure you are authorized to see the results. Don't get talked into a ListServ when a free online group will do (Google Groups, Yahoo Groups). If they don't suggest using free online tools up front, find another firm. Really, a good firm would try to save you money so they could charge more for design and programming without fatal sticker shock.
AFTERCARE – what happens to the design firm when the site launches? Do they run away and hide? Do they want a monthly fee for "maintenance" but insist that you do the site updates? (Exactly what are they maintaining?) Are they offering you a back-end editor to update your site? If so, try it out before signing. They should have a test site but better yet, talk over using a universal editor (like Adobe Contribute) because site editors are tricky little devils and can be browser dependent (and die when new browsers come along or don't work with your browser. Yes, I'm talking to you, you Mac user!) Will they help you work with the editor or are you charged for that service? If there's nothing set up for you to edit and update your own site, run the other way!
A chunk of good process is missing from the above admonitions: watching the site build and testing before the whole thing goes beta. We're a highly visual society and need to SEE the pages develop, as opposed to gaining 100% insight from a printed proposal. Wait for my next column on the build process but let's talk over your suggestions for the design process in comments. I know there are Web designers reading and I value what you have to say.