When I started my job four years ago my job description included migrating our website into a new content management system including a full site redesign. This past spring, that finally happened.
As a planner, I outlined the entire process, got the necessary parties on board, and planned for a full site redesign including a significant content restructure. As a little bit of background information, our organization is composed a variety of departments, all with different needs, and different functions for their website. A solid plan with deadlines and tasks was a must.
For anyone that is lucky enough to be in a position that requires a full redesign, I offer the following three things to keep in mind.
- Use your analytics wisely
- Focus on user-centric thinking
- Don’t skip the story boards – that means full story boards
Starting the redesign
The first thing I did was take screen shots of every single page of the website and copied all of the content into a word document. I walked through all of the content with the staff and asked them to improve their individual departmental sections. They key is to anticipate what content will be necessary when the site actually launches. The web ite will not be launched over night, so it is very likely that the content that is currently there will not be applicable when the site launches.
