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Today’s Class
- About the Importance of Planning
- Before Designing a Website
- Needs Assessment
- Results of the Lack of Planning
- Aligning a Website With the Marketing Plan
- Project Roles
- Website Content Needs to be Determined
- Questions to Ask a Client
- TASK: Create a Catalogue of Questions
- Screenshot of In-class Work
- Feedback
About the Importance of Planning
Why do we need to plan a large-scale or even smaller-scale project? Let us look at something we might be able to relate to: imagine you have purchased a house in Melbourne (I know you may think – ‘at these prices, how unrealistic is this example’…), so anyway, let us imagine you were lucky and received a well deserved payment from your previous job and are in the position to purchase a house in Melbourne. The house needs some structural work and changes before you can move in. You also want to built a second floor with 2 additional bedrooms and a bathroom.
Now, let’s cut a long story short: you need to get a morgage from your friend – the local bank and contract a builder to do the job.
What will happen without plans/drawings of the changes and new structures? What will happen if you do not specify facts such as:
- amount and locations of power points
- amount and locations of light switches
- where do you want the dining area?
- what heights do you have in mind for benches?
- cupboard finishes
- floor finishes
- wall finishes
We get the picture. No project can be completed if you do not have a plan. Plus, you never know when you are finished unless you define a clear outcome!
Before Designing a Website
When you are designing a website there will be a number of pages, technical aspects, payment systems, membership options, design considerations and many other characteristics that need to be considered.
Needs Assessment
’10 hours spent on a needs assessment can save 30 hours of development time’
It is a common fact that clients don’t necessarily understand the efficiencies gained by up-front assessment. Discovering the needs of a client halfway through a project can lead to:
- headaches
- extended development time
- cost overruns
- missed deadlines.
Results of the Lack of Planning
Usually the lack of planning can lead to:
- the web designer is forced to make decisions based on assumptions, which may lead to significant mistakes
- the design team and client will be bogged down in back and forwards communication, this is a waste of time and can be annoying for everyone involved
- back tracking can lead to misunderstanding and dead lines may be missed as a result
- extra work may lead to a gowth of project cost
Aligning a Website With the Marketing Plan
The website must work in sync with the overall marketing plan. The needs assessment for the website might overlap with the other efforts and approaches of the marketing department, which is fine.
Note that the established branding and marketing of the business should inform the structure and design of the website.
Project Roles
Every project is different, but these are the typical roles in a sizable Web project:
Internal stakeholders (aka “clients”), who represent all primary aspects of the business:
- Project manager;
- Copywriter or editor;
- Web designer
- Web developer
Website Content Needs to be Determined
As you prepare to add content to the website, think about who will contribute. In a five-person business, it might be just two of you, and that’s fine.
In a large business or organisation, 5, 10 or 15 people might be contributing content. The time required to edit and proofread both copy and visual content grows exponentially in proportion to the number of people who contribute content.
Questions to Ask a Client
TASK: Create a Catalogue of Questions
- In teams of 2 spend 15 minutes developing a list of questions that you would need to ask a client for a website before you could commence planning the website. We will discuss your catalogue of questions in class. You will be able to improve on your list and afterwards …
- post it here as a comment! (Make sure to include both your names, but only one of you needs to post) .
The examples of the Design Process form last week may help you with this, so find below the links again and a third one:
Here is another example for the design process that can be used for Web Design: Design Process for Web Design 2 (Source: Dreamweaver CS4, R.Rate & J.Campbell, Natcoll Publishing 2009)
Last week’s Design Process for Web Design 1 (Source: Go Wild Web, Carol Green, Natcoll Publishing 2006)
Last week’s Design Process for Graphic Design (Source: Go Wild Photoshop, Jamie Campbell, Natcoll Publishing 2006)
Screenshot of In-class Work
Feedback
Please leave your feedback in form of a comment. Your feedback and suggestions will help me to make this blog more user friendly. Thanks!
![The concept was used on the German side as well with this 'Auch du sollst beitreten zur Reichswehr' [You too should join the German Army], design by Julius Engelhard, Image: courtesy of mental_floss](https://classoffederico.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/world-war-propaganda_auch-du-sollst-beitreten.jpg?w=187&resize=187%2C239#038;h=239 "world war propaganda_Auch du sollst beitreten")
RAE - Research and Exploration 
QUESTIONS THAT A CLIENT SHOULD BE ASKED:
What are your details? (Name, Company Name, Addresses, Contact Numbers and Email)
What are the Business Goals and Objectives?
Is a product going to be promoted?
Who is the target audience for the website?
When do you want the website to be completed by?
What is the timeline for the website to be created within? (Start date, stages, etc.)
What is the budget for the website?
How will you pay the web designer?
Do you want specific colours to be used and where?
Will there be a certain colour scheme? (Possibly matched to a logo somehow)
What kind of images do you want on the website?
Will the company provide any images?
What kind of layout do you want for text and images?
Is a specific font going to be used and for what area? (Example: titles, paragraphs, URL links, etc.)
Is there going to be a cover photo/graphic on every page?
How many webpages will there be?
How will they be linked?
Will there be a Menu Bar to link the webpages and where would it be on the page(s)?
Will there be a member login and what page would this be on?
What don’t you want on the website? (Colours, images, fonts, feel, navigation, etc.)
Is the website going to have a national or international target market?
Will you maintain your website? (Updates, image changes, etc.)
How often are you going to maintain and update the website?
Do you need a payment gateway/system? (eg. PayPal, MasterCard, VISA)
Tell me about your business.
What is your mission statement?
Is the website for work or private?
What kind of website will this be? (eg. Forum, Social Network, Online Shop)
What is the scope of your project?
Will there be videos? Where would they be?
Here is a list of questions you will need to ask your clients for the design brief when designing a website to the clients requirements.
What Questions do we need to ask the client?
1. Client details:
• Client Name
• Company name
• Company address
• Company contact details
2. When building the website what is the business objectives/outcome of the website?
3. What products or services do you want to promote?
4. What are the due dates are we working towards for the completion deadline?
5. What is the approximate budget for the website?
6. Does the company have a website look and feel that they have decided on?
7. Do they have online examples of websites they like?
8. Is there anything you (the client) do not like? Do they have examples?
9. What is the company feel or mission statement of the company?
10. Is this your first website?
11. Do they have any existing URL’s?
12. Is this a local, national or international target market?
13. Do they have an existing website?
14. How many pages for the website?
15. Does the company have an existing logo?
16. Does the company have its own images?
17. Does the client have their own electronic content (text) for the website and how will it be provided? For example: Word doc or hard copy.
18. Does the client need the content to be edited?
19. Do they have existing hosting?
20. What style does the company want for their website? For example:
• Conservative
• Funky
• Modern
• Fun
• Contemporary
21. What is the target audience?
22. What are the demographics?
• Age
• Sex
• Occupation
• House hold income
• Where do they live?
23. What are the psychographics?
• Where do they interact online
• What do they do for entertainment
• Where do they go for holiday’s
24. What colours scheme do they want?
25. What fonts do they want?
26. Do they have a style guide?
27. Is the client going to maintain the website
28. How often is the client going to update the website?
29. Does the client need a payment gateway?
30. Does the client have any questions?
Client Copy
Contact Details
Client Name:____________________________
Client Address:___________________________
Client Email:_____________________________
Client Phone Number:_____________________
Client Home Phone_______________________
What Are You Willing To Spend?
____________________________________________________________________________
Who Is Your Target Audience?
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________
What Are Your Business Intentions?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What Products (if any) are you looking to sell?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Is Your Site For Business Of Private?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are You Paying In Full Or Do You Need A Payment Plan:
______
If so How Much Are You Willing to Pay to Pay it Off?
________________________________________________________________________________
What Is The Name Of Your Website?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do You Have Any Other Existing URLs?
If Yes Please Explain. if Not Proceed To Next Question..
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What Colors Do You Want In Your Site?
__________________________________________________________________________
What Is Your Completion Dead Line?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How Many Pages Would You Like In Your Site?
Number Of Pages:_______
Names Of The Web Pages:
Page 1:_______________
Page 2:_______________
Page 3:_______________
Page 4:_______________
Page 5:_______________
Page 6:_______________
Page 7:_______________
Page 8:_______________
Page 9:_______________
Page 10:_______________
Page 11:_______________
Page 12:_______________
Page 13:_______________
Page 14:_______________
Are You Aiming For:
World Wide:______
International______
National_________
What Font Do You Want For Your Site?
______________________________________________________________________________
Who Will Manage Your Website?
_______________________________________
How Often Will The Website Be Updated?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tell Me About Your Business?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What Do You Want To Promote?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Any Changes For Website Please Write Below:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Developer Contact Details:
Name:__________________________________
Address:________________________________
Phone:_________________________________
Business Phone:__________________________
Email:__________________________________
Business Email:___________________________
Terms And Conditions:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Client Signature:_____________ Date:________
Developer Signature:_______________ Date:________
1. Questions to be Asked By you with Client
2. What is the aim of your web site
3. What is the purpose of your web site
4. What is your budget
5. What is your target audience
6. Are you going to provide your logo and images
7. Contact details
8. Promote product
9. Payment Plan
10. Name of web site
11. Any other web sites
12. Any preferred colours
13. How many Pages
14. Maintaining and Up Dating Web page
Do you have a general idea on what your site would look like?
What is the aim of your website?
What is your time for the site to be completed?
What are you hoping to promote on your website?
What is your target audience?
What are your contact Details?
How many web pages will there be?
What don’t you want on your site?
Are you hoping to go global?
Will information be originated?
Are you going to have a blog?
Do you have a budget?