2. Do we know what the real existing issues are?
For a simple little exercise in what types of feedback you’ll come across in the redesign process, get a handful of end users or colleagues to do a two-minute critique your website today. Chances are you’ll get a lot of different perspectives of some of the lower-level corrections that we tend to focus on during planning. Channel every critique back to your ultimate goal – whether it’s better articulating your brand proposition, getting in front of the right people, or converting more traffic to customers.
3. Is my team on the same page regarding requirements?
Ninety-nine percent of web redesign delays come down to miscommunication among the parties involved. We recommend over-communicating with everyone involved—from executive review to those who will be part of ongoing maintenance. Leave out the assumptions so you don’t get stuck at launch ripping your hair out with statements like these—all of which are real things we’ve heard from redesigns:
• “We have to pay extra to do another mock up of the design?”
• “I can’t see the site on my iPad!”
• “This site isn’t compatible in Chrome?!”
While working with creative agencies or developers, we often make assumptions that end up as points of frustration (or worse, outstanding items that cause delays). Discussing each requirement all the way down to the minutiae in a Project Brief or RFP Request is the only way to protect your project.
