By Matt Morrison
November 15, 2011
Web Design
I don’t like my website
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that when a client approaches us for a quote, it’s because they don’t really like their current site. Usability, the appearance, functionality … something isn’t working for them.
Don’t get us wrong - we’re more than happy to work with some instructions scribbled on a napkin. But having a solid starting point, specifically a good creative website brief, can make the process of gathering quotes and working out what you need almost fool proof. We thought it might be worth highlighting some of the best we’ve seen and how it helped the client get exactly what they need.
Writing the brief
Everyone starts these things differently, but to get your creative juices flowing here is some suggestions:
Introduction/Project summary
What does your company do? What’s your mission statement? Don’t assume people will know.
Sites you like/Competitor analysis
What sites do you like the look of and why? Look at:
Tip: look at the sitemaps in the footer to find sites with a similar amount of information as you. How are they organising it? Would that work for you? Note that down.
- Homepages
- Icons
- Logos
- White space used versus busier designs
Link to the sites in the brief and be specific about what you like.
Current site/Situation analysis
No need to be tactful, the potential new web design company needs to know what not to do. Get down on paper in a paragraph why you need that new start. Is the old one out dated? When was the last site built? Can staff not use it because of an unfriendly CMS? Be frank.
New website
We find that after looking at your current site and competitor sites, it’s very helpful to write down what you want in your new site:
- What kind of ‘look and feel’ are you after? (Attach style guidelines if applicable.)
- Do you have images you can supply to give an idea of what will be going in the site?
- What are the major objectives for the site?
- Why are people going to be using the site – what is their purpose of being there?
- What staff need to use the site and what are their technical abilities?
- What else do you need – training for staff? Maintenance and ongoing support?
Website target users
Think of the external and internal people who are using the site/intranet/extranet. Make categories and sub categories if you need to. If 70% of your users all come from one group, make an approximation and note it down. This helps to know who the site should be designed for.
Requirements/Your dream list
This is getting down to the business side of it all. As a good starter point, have a look at the pegboard list of modules (one of the CMS we use at Mintleaf) or an open source CMS like Joomla and pick and choose items as necessary. E.g. news collections, contact management, syndication and newsfeed management, blogs, forms, auditing rollback, search functions, video capability, e-newsletter software, google analytics, integrated help systems.
The options are endless, start making that list.
Technical requirement
- Do you have accessibility issues?
- Do you need it to be mobile compatible, with or without flash components?
- Any legislation it needs to comply with?
If possible, now is a good time to check in with your IT team to see if they want to add anything.
Budget, timeline and details of submission
What would you like back? Be specific on when you need quotes back and what you expect. It’s handy to know a breakdown of costs and names of people working on the project. Ask for licensing costs of software (and if they’re one off or ongoing) and any estimated ongoing costs.
Outline your timeline, and ask for an estimated project timeline.
It can be helpful to send through the brief and ask for a ballpark figure before receiving the whole quote back – in case it is not the right fit.
Last thoughts
We believe in having a standard workflow at Mintleaf for all our projects (big and small) that allows us to work with our clients to determine project goals, competitor analysis, and reference sites. We also carry out user profiling, an analysis of the main tasks performed and individual page analysis.
This process takes a lot of the grunt work out for the clients, and also makes us confident we’re delivering the best solution. Our best work happens when the client and our team work together. However, starting with a creative brief really makes sure we’re on the same page to begin with.
By putting together a good creative brief, you can be sure to get the most out of the project, and you’ll probably find it more rewarding. The above is just a starting point, adapt as you need. This is your project.
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Further reading