No matter what field or industry your company belongs to, you’re going to need a website. This of course is a daunting task to do on your own, so how about you just hand it over to someone else? Great, you’ve hired a web design and development team and now they want to know what you would like on your website. Where do you start? Don’t worry, we’ll help you out.
In 2000, James Garrett created the User Experience-centered model (pictured). The model depicts the creation of a website from conception to completion in terms of both abstract and concrete forms (design and development). This model is incredibly helpful and still holds up great even in today’s climate of fleeting trends.
Here are a few other guidelines that coincide with Garrett’s model:
- Business Objectives- overview of your goals for the website and how you will measure results.
- Target Audience- the unique audience that your website will address.
- User Experience- the website’s design strategy; look and feel of the website.
- Website Features- short and long term features which also influence user experience.
- Enabling Processes- business processes required to effectively operate the website.
- Success Measures- how your success will be measured, i.e. registration, membership, etc.
What do you want your website to do? How will you get your visitors to do that? A good web designer will know how to guide the user to what they’re looking for, and an ace web developer will literally provide that connection. But before you sign any contracts, brainstorm your ideas and get some blueprints going. Know what you want before you are influenced by outside factors.
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