UNDERESTIMATING CONTENT DEVELOPMENT – Probably the most common challenge when redesigning a website is the development of web copy. Consider the level of resources and time for development, editing and approval, and then double it.

STAKEHOLDER ABSENCE – Website development suffers when approval cycles delay the momentum behind the project. This often happens when key stakeholders aren’t available.

FEEDBACK DRIP – The complexity of design and web functionality can create a wealth of valuable feedback, but critical comments can be lost when it is provided as streams of emails, phone calls and meetings. For critical components, aggregate and deliver feedback in a single comprehensive document.

SCOPE CREEP – When critical requirements are missed in the assessment phase of the project, major disruptions to timelines and budgets occur. The key to avoiding this is conducting thorough assessment of stakeholder requirements.

The homepage gets more views than any other page on your website and it represents your company’s face to the world. It plays a central role in presenting your company’s brand and guiding visitors through your website. Your homepage is so central to the redesign, requirements for the homepage design should be addressed in the kick off meeting with all the key stakeholders present. Be prepared to address the following questions:

• What are the pain points with the current home page?
• What is working on your current home page?
• What are the content priorities for the new home page?
• What are the strategic goals for the home page?
• How do your business objectives map to your home page goals?

Websites, like your business, are ongoing concerns. So don’t think of a redesign as ever completely done, rather just a significant evolution of your company’s web presence. When considering requirements for the current project it is important to consider future business initiatives, product lifecycles, and infrastructure requirements outside the scope of the current project. Designing a successful user experience that ties together the multiple product lines, customer segments, and solution messaging can unravel if two months after the redesign a major acquisition changes the whole equation. Significant product launches may be served if the new website’s information architecture is built to be extensible. Prior to the kick off meeting think about where you want your website to be in two years and be prepared to consider:

• Do you have plans for international expansion?
• Is there a major product launch on the horizon?
• Do you plan to add a forum, community, blog or other social media?
• Is there a desire to add a Content Management System?

Be prepared to describe the current website. This is an important part of the meeting and it will take some preparation to have all of the following information prepared.

Create a visual site map - A visual site map is a document that shows symbols for web pages and website sections and lines between the symbols that shows links between content.

It isn’t required to show every page of your website, but for the purposes of planning a visual site map is very helpful. You may simplify your visual site map by showing sections instead of individual pages where it makes sense.

Put your homepage at the top of the document and secondary pages (usually represented in your website’s main navigation) are organized on a lower line. There are a number of applications that can be very helpful when creating a visual site map, but even a piece of paper and pencil can get the job done. Popular tools for creating visual site maps include diagramming tools such as Visio and OmniGraffle, but for simple visual site maps PowerPoint will do in a pinch.

Review Website Infrastructure - Be prepared to review the website infrastructure with regards to the following items:

• Web platform (ex. LAMP, .NET, J2EE)
• Applications (ex. CRM, marketing automation, etc.)
• Custom scripting
• Hosted services
• Publishing systems (ex. CMS)
• Data center
• Web developer tools

Lead Generation - Be able to share what content on the site is restricted and what content is available to everyone. If there is content that requires a visitor to fill out a form or provide a password, be prepared to review in general terms the restrictions or permissions that are necessary to access content and where on the site this content resides.

Review History - Each website has its own legacy. How did the site evolve? Where are the pain points with the current website? What is currently working? Do you have any reporting such as website analytic reports or website surveys? How much traffic does your website see in a day? Are there any identifiable trends?

Prior to the meeting develop a thorough understanding of what new content will need to be created, and what existing content will be repurposed. Also identify what existing assets can inform or support the design process including, brand guidelines, image libraries, collateral and source design files. You should be prepared to answer questions such as:

• What percentage of content on the new site will be new?
• What existing content will be repurposed?
• What internal resources are available for writing, editing or reviewing new content?

Be prepared to speak to your company’s brand qualities and attributes. What are customer’s perceptions of your corporate brand? What is the ideal perception? How do you segment your customers? Are there any persona based customer profiles that describe your target audience? Discussing brand can become an all-consuming topic on its own. To facilitate the kick off meeting focus on addressing the following topics:

Brand identity

• Strengths and vulnerabilities
• Positioning

Customer segmentation

• Motivations and needs

Brand heritage and organizational values

It is likely the agency was chosen because they have some track record of success serving your market segment or industry. Yet, it is also important for the agency to understand your market from your company’s perspective. What is your company’s position within the market? What differentiates you from your competition? What are your marketing challenges?

Also, being able to speak to your competition’s web presence and what you like or dislike is hugely informative for web developers. It is also helpful if you can identify comparative websites from outside your competition that convey the attributes or sensibilities you want your website to exhibit after the redesign. Be prepared to:

• Present market overview
• Identify competitive company’s websites
• Identify comparative company’s websites