As you probably already know, there is more to redesigning a website than new colors and pretty pictures. There is a lot of time and energy that goes into a redesign and the longer it's been since the last one, the more work you will likely have to do.

This month I'll share some best practices for major website redesigns. By major, I mean rethinking every single aspect of the website and making changes where necessary, regardless of if that's how "it's always been done." As always, you can "listen" to this e-newsletter in audio form on your computer, or sign up for our podcast through iTunes. I'd love to hear your thoughts, so send them to me at sharon@bendingdesign.com.

Always, ALWAYS keep your site's audience in mind. Each decision you make should be because it benefits them. Ask your customer service department what kinds of questions they're fielding over and over again. Interview your audience about your website; do a brief usability study where you give them a task and watch how they navigate your site; include brief surveys in your communications. In other words, solicit feedback so you understand their wants and needs.

Get to the core of the purpose of the redesign and never forget it. Break this purpose down into a single sentence and plaster it on every document created. Make it impossible to forget!

Categorize your content in a way that makes sense to your audience, not by internal departments. Far too many companies have done this, and they leave their audience dumbfounded. They are going to the site for a specific purpose and if they want a question answered they probably don't know which department can answer it, so don't make them have to figure it out. Here's news for you... they won't. They'll resort to calling or just dropping it, leaving a bad taste in their mouths.

Don't redesign by committee. The individual leading the effort should interview different team members, get their thoughts, compare them against the audiences' wants and needs, then devise a preliminary content map based on that information. The content map should be shared with the team and all have a voice in revising it from there on. The more people involved creating the initial version of the map, the longer and more drawn out it can become.

Use wireframes to map out complex pages. Wireframes are a fancy term for simple pages that map out content on a specific page. It's not about the location of the content, what it says or how it should be designed, but more about ensuring the functionality and content is all accounted for. Utilizing wireframes saves time in the long run because coded pages don't have to rebuilt.
View a sample wireframe here.

Allow the designers to design. Don't let your personal taste get in the way of the website design. A good designer knows the overall objectives and is using design as a way to meet those objectives. There is a reason for each and every design element that exists, and allowing the professionals to handle that aspect is always a good idea. That's not to say you should be silent on issues you have — but instead of objecting because you "don't like it" figure out what it is about the design that doesn't meet the objective and it can then be discussed and addressed.

Create content and build the site section by section. This helps to break up the monstrosity of an overwhelmingly huge website, and also has work overlapping to save time in the long run. While one section's content is being gathered and written, another section is being coded.

If using an outside firm, don't be fooled by price. Anyone can lure you in with a lowball estimate, but look closely for hidden charges. Are they giving you a number but then stating that it's an estimate and you'll be billed for actual hours used? It's a good idea to establish a budget for the redesign — letting a respectable firm know what you are working with allows them to recommend solutions that will fit into that budget. There are unlimited ways to build a website which include tons of different options and possibilities — the trick is finding what will work for your audience's needs and your budget.

Much of the work in a website redesign is done before the design itself is even established. Be patient through this research stage. The more extensive it is, the more seamless the actual construction of the site will be.

Are you about to embark on a massive website redesign? If so, call me at 847.844.8640 or email me and we can discuss some steps to get you on the right track.