About Our Web Site Design Process
Posted on 16. Mar, 2009 by David Kluskiewicz in interactive
We believe that web site redesign and development should be tailored to your business needs as much as your technology needs. When we’re done, you should have:
A unique, market-focused, measurable web presence that aligns with your communications strategy, connects with your operations and flexes with new opportunities.
Let’s break that down from a business perspective, because most initial web site decisions are based on superficial thinking, like preference for certain design styles or loyalty to particular technologies. Inevitably, after a few months, these decisions lead to degenerative sites that fail to communicate your key messages.
Unique
What separates you from your competitors is nuance. Use stock photography, templates, third-party add-ons and that nuance is effectively eliminated. A memorable site is crafted from real information drawn from your actual prospects and customers. The photographs are of actual people inside your organization and authentic products that you made. Not everyone can visit your physical site or meet your people face-to-face. Why not promote that authenticity on your web site?
Market-focused
We know what you like. And, if you were your own target audience, really, we’d configure your site exactly the way you want it. But, we push back. We find out what’s important to your customers and your prospects and we test those theories rigorously. Prospects may be looking at your site on a different monitor, on a different operating system, in a different country and with a different level of expertise about what you do. To achieve an effective site, we focus on your market first.
Measurable
Much like a new employee, a new site is probably only going to be 50% right when it starts. You need to know how people are finding your site, what they’re looking at (and what they’re not) and what actions they’re taking. Sure, many web design firms will tell you that those numbers can be improved with search engine optimization (SEO) and new flashy effects. Those tactics might help a little bit, but the real issue is constantly improving your site to match the demands of your target audiences. That might even entail looking at your marketing strategy and your value messaging. You were hoping for an easier way out? Sorry.
Aligns with your communications strategy
Is your business going to ignore market conditions and customer demand for the next three years? Great! Go buy a template web site and throw it up. Or, are you going to flex and adapt your organization to maximize profits, minimize costs and build strong relationships with your clients and customers? You need a site that doesn’t require an overhaul when those campaigns and initiatives are decided. That’s expensive, and by the time you get your site updated, you’ve missed your window of opportunity. We understand how to position an enterprise efficiently, and we integrate that expertise into the designs and architecture of every site.
Connects with your operations
An effective web site conforms to the way you work, not to “best practices”. We don’t just give you a form to fill out; we architect a site that meets your standards for security, usability, ease-of-use, uptime and any other nuance of your operation. It works with your staff, your internal systems, and your levels of expertise.
Flexibility
That’s the true differentiation. We build sites that you really own and can use. It’s our craft. Whether you need to refresh your design or add a sophisticated application, every component of your site is accessible to you and your extended team. You are “locked in” to nothing. As a result, you can quickly update your site content without damaging the design. You can also add new features knowing the foundation architecture is elegantly crafted without the closed technology and sloppy workarounds that often lead to a lifetime of expensive web projects.