SHIFT_THE FUTURE

Crystal Olig | @sparklegem | Oxiem | January 2014

Web in 2014 How to manage into the next best website for you

What You’ll Learn

§  How to Know What You Need Online

§  Site audits §  Comparison sites §  Benchmarking

§  Managing Expectations

§  Internal stakeholders

§  Developers §  Designers §  Outside partners

§  Next Big Things §  Responsive

design §  Actionable

content §  Widgets

Common causes of website failure

How to move forward

Managing stakeholder expectations

Top 10 Issues with Websites Now 1.  Content proliferation & governance 2.  Outdated design or branding 3.  Outdated technology 4.  Poor information architecture 5.  Not suited for current needs 6.  Too few conversions 7.  Not able to optimize for search 8.  Not able to update internally 9.  Established best practices not followed 10. Needs to be optimized for new screens &

devices

Top 10 Issues

Outdated design and branding

Top 10 Issues

Content proliferation

Top 10 Issues

Not suited for current needs

Top 10 Issues

Confusing information architecture

Top 10 Issues

Not updated for modern screens

Top 10 Issues

Confusing information architecture

Starting Points Revise, Reskin, or Redo? §  Revise

§  Imagery §  Menu items §  Page organization

§  Reskin §  Light updates to color or typography §  Imagery §  Backgrounds

§  Redesign §  Moving major elements or revising page

layouts §  Changing core functionality §  Entirely new navigation desired §  Responsive design focused

On Responsive Q: “Can You Just Make My Site Responsive?” Why you might ask:

§  I spent $XX on the site and it took forever… I can’t go through that again

§ People won’t sign off on a whole new site again

§ The look & feel and features are fine – I just want it to be accessible on tablets and phones

On Responsive A: Not if you want it done right. Why Not:

§ Responsive is a core technology

§  If you mash your desktop site down, you’ve lost an opportunity

§ Starting from desktop is usually a bad idea

“Seems like a lot of people are laboring under the mistaken

impression that using responsive design

means they can make a mobile website without

dealing with their content problem.”

Karen McGrane in

“Responsive Design Won’t Fix Your Content Problem,” A List Apart

http://alistapart.com/column/responsive-design-wont-fix-your-content-problem

How to Move Forward What to Focus On

Starting Points

What to Focus On: Technology § Content – Take inventory, prioritize, curate § Conversion – Use your data to create tools,

interactions § UI/UX – What are the conventions and

expectations to make a path clear § Workflow – How will the site create actionable

tasks to build business? How will key inputs be managed?

§ Styles – Branding, styletil.es § Features – What it does

What to Focus On: Technology Great questions to ask: § Who needs to use the website? § How are we going to keep it updated? § How will leads come in? § What points of interaction are present? § How does this integrate into our business

processes? § What is delivered on smartphones and tablets?

What to Focus On: Technology Lower on the list: § Exact layout – now it’s water in different

containers § Platform or programming languages § Hosting § CMS

What to Focus On: Technology Great questions to ask: § How secure is your platform or your hosting? §  Is the CMS search engine friendly? How so? § What happens if my site goes down?

What to Focus On: Partners § Partner personality match § Quality of past work for similar industries or sites

that could be similar to yours § Referrals/references § Timing expectations

What to Focus On: Partners Great questions to ask: § What is your QA or testing procedure? § How do you guide me through the process? § What do you do if my idea stinks? § How often do your sites launch on time? § What am I required to do for the site?

Ways to Find a Partner How §  Write an RFP (my least favorite) §  RFQs §  Write a creative brief or site map & share it §  Create a functional specs guide of requirements §  Share your budget (! – More on that later) §  Talk about problems to be solved, not the solutions

Who §  Reach out to your network for references §  Staffing organizations §  Job boards §  LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter §  Professional organizations

Starting Points Understand Budgeting Models § Pricing based on hours of labor

§ Fixed § Range

§ Different models?

§ Hosted solutions with fixed templates § Purchased themes that can be customized

(themeforest.com) § Custom development

Starting Points

Finding a Number How numbers are quoted:

•  Ranges •  Fixed prices

•  Specifications to an extreme extent

•  Padding like crazy Your number is only going to be as accurate as your requirements. 

http://gadgetopia.com/post/7906

“Come on, is it really going to take that much money to do it? My response is always the same.

Probably not, but your requirements are so vague that

the chances for a misunderstanding are huge. 

Therefore, to protect myself, I’m bidding for the worst case.  If

you don’t like this number, then let’s develop your requirements

so that the worst case is less likely to happen.”

Everyone Wants a Number, by Deane Barker, Gadgetopia

How to Get Started 1.  Determine what type of partners you need 2.  Complete an internal audit of content and fuction 3.  Gather data & feedback 4.  Set priorities and get stakeholder buy in 5.  Select a partner(s) 6.  Architecture planned 7.  Wireframes & designs 8.  Development 9.  Content creation & population 10.  Test & launch

"Generally speaking, your web content is useless unless it does one or both of the following: -  Supports a key business objective -  Supports a user (or customer) in

completing a task Kristina Halvorson, Content Strategy for the Web

Managing Expectations

Managing Expectations Why? § Your budget is limited § Not everything can go on the homepage § You need buy-in to succeed § Clarity benefits everyone § Technology can be a black hole… if you let it

Managing Expectations Best Practices in Technology Management § Clear specifications

§ Creative or Project Brief § Statement of Work

§ Great wireframes or early concepting § Put it all in writing § Key stakeholders involved in crucial decisions,

the “points of no return” § Be clear about timing needs and flexible on

outcomes

Managing Expectations Issue: Designs are sent to your team. You get no feedback. Consequences: You wrongly assume no one had thoughts. You proceed with the design only to need to change it too late in the process.

Solution: Schedule a time for all to review design comps, with your designer or partners as schedules allow.

Managing Expectations Issue: No one is able to agree on a design direction. Consequences: Design becomes the focus of the website process. It puts a wrench in the timeline.

Solution: Own the process of collecting and suggesting revisions. Ensure a creative strategy brief is created at the start of the project, and that it is agreed to. Find samples and competitive benchmarks ahead of time. Isolate key outliers.

Managing Expectations Issue: Getting “the stuff” for your website is hard Consequences: It becomes all your job. It is no one’s job.

Solution: Act as the quarterback. Have breakout sessions with each department, brainstorming ideas for completion. You may hide pages, then fill the pages when content after the website is live. Find a professional writer to assist. Suggest existing literature (brochures, other print material, or current on-site copy) and repurpose for the web.

thank you crystal olig@sparklegem colig@oxiem.com