Developing a design

The AFAO Website Redevelopment

Jill Sergeant

AFAO Website Officer

About AFAO

The working group

• Five staff representing the three main teams at AFAO – Education, Policy and Admin

• Members / stakeholders were invited but not interested in being involved – it was too big a time commitment

• The group met regularly while developing the design brief, then not again until we had to start choosing images for the site build.

• I also had additional meetings and brainstorms with the Communications Officer.

• Executive Director delegated authority to the group.

How to brief the designer?

We kept it simple in the original tender document:

“The AFAO logo must be displayed in the banner, but in all other respects a complete refresh of current visuals is required. We are seeking a clean, simple, contemporary design.”

But we needed to a comprehensive briefing when it was time to actually develop the design.

Developing the briefing

• Information you need to supply to the designer– Information Architecture

• Wireframes, navigation, sitemap

– Major influences on your design• Style, brand, competitor sites, target audience

– Design Specifics• Colours, fonts, images, animation

– Technical Issues• Screen resolution, tools, accessibility

What we want

clean easy to navigate authoritative reassuring up to date

innovative trustworthy ‘rooted in real lives’ clear

accurate accessible mature, not conservative human

warm light uncluttered balanced optimistic

What we don’t want

• corporate• cold• modular• dark• dour• funky• busy• animated menus • too many competing moving graphics

Things we like ….

Choosing colours

http://www.colorcombos.com/

Some feedback on our proposals

“I really like the blue, green, orange one. I think it makes it bright and engaging and still allows for some warmth and other tones that can be used for highlights etc. I like the blues one as well, though I don't think that allows for the contrasts/ highlights that the blue, green, orange one does.”

“I'm not particularly fussed either way though I do like the softer colours.”

“Definitely charcoal and brights is my choice, earthy and expressive!”

Decision time

• Completed design brief

• Meeting with Squiz

• Consider functionality

• Still trying to decide on colour

• Conservative or ‘out there’?

= two design mockups.

Surveying the members

• Which concept do you prefer? (Tick 1 only)– Concept 1 – Concept 2 – chocolate – Concept 2 – light background

• Did you prefer this concept with or without the AFAO logo? – With – Without– Indifferent

• Name 3 things you like about your most preferred option

• Suggest 3 improvements or changes that you think might make the concept better

Nearly there …

• Consultation with stakeholders

• Review design options

• Choosing the best of both

• Tweaking, tweaking ….

Lessons learned

• People like to feel included

• Design is a fun way to engage people

• If staff weren’t engaged with the website before, this could be a way to get them interested.

• Be clear about the time commitment

• Know the culture of your organisation & work with it

• Structure stakeholder involvement around organisational events– E.g. Give regular updates at staff meetings

• Having a side-kick helps a lot

Feedback on the process

I thought the process was really well done. There was consultation from the start, but without huge time impositions. The times that did take longer were done in a way so people wanted to engage with the process and contribute. – Ben, staff

I am glad to have had the opportunity to have a saying in how the website of the organisation for which I am working is going to function and look like. I am also glad that I had an opportunity to learn how complex the website redevelopment process is. – Danica, staff (design working group)

I found the AFAO website development project process engaging and consultative - from the formative early development consultations and then later in the design phase. The process was participatory (inviting) with clear communications and project clarity. Fiona, AFAO member

Thanks

www.afao.org.au

web@afao.org.au