Credit:https://designmodo.com/website-redesign-plan/
Redesigning a website is always a challenge because it requires a lot of resources and can be quite risky. The idea of implementing the newest technology and design trends is tempting. But as a rule of thumb, it is better to have an outdated but functional website than a shiny new design that does not pay off.
Before starting a website redesign process, it is essential to clearly define the goal behind it.
Why do you need a website redesign?
Although users quite often perceive a website redesign as a change of look, it is not always the case. There are usually three main reasons for a website redesign:
1.Better usability and more sales. If your website hasn’t been updated in years and you are losing potential customers because of serious usability issues, then website redesign might be a good option.
2.Structural business changes. Your business model has changed significantly, and your website no longer reflects your actual business. For instance, you used to have a physical flower shop and simple informational website. Now you have pivoted to online-only flower delivery service and need eCommerce email functionality.
3.Branding. 55% of people are disappointed with a brand in general when they have a frustrating experience on their website. Fixing bad user experience can strengthen your brand.
Sometimes a website redesign can also be a part of a bigger rebranding process. If your visual brand identity significantly changes, your website should change, too.
Identifying a clear goal will guide both UX designer and the project manager decisions throughout the process.
For the competitor benchmark, you can perform a competitive usability evaluation. This is a great practice that will not only reveal your competitors’ strong and weak points but will also validate some of the ideas you were planning to “steal” from them.
Competitive usability evaluation can be done either as an expert review by an experienced UX practitioner or as a user testing. The latter is a standard usability test when users perform predefined tasks on two or more competitor websites.
Set Benchmarks
If you are planning for success, then you need to define the success criteria beforehand.
Once you have a general purpose for the redesign, set measurable objectives for the project. For instance, if you want to achieve more sales after the redesign, you can set objectives for sales funnel conversion rates or average revenue per customer.
These objectives have to be as accurate as possible. And the best base for this is your current benchmark.
To set your benchmark, you need to answer two main questions.
1.What is the current state of your website regarding metrics you will measure as success indicators?
2.How does your website compare to those of your competitors?
If you have well-configured website analytics, it will not be difficult to answer the first question. Take your average metrics for the past 12 months as a base. In most website redesign cases, you will also need to conduct a usability test with quantitative metrics as a part of your benchmark.
Match User Intent to Business Goals
As much as your new website design needs to be user-centric, it is also important to meet your business goals. Otherwise, the whole process would be pointless.But how can you align business priorities with user needs?
Start by knowing exactly what your target user wants by referring to existing user personas. If you are planning to target a new group of customers after the redesign, then you should conduct user research and build a corresponding persona.More
Redesigning a website is always a challenge because it requires a lot of resources and can be quite risky. The idea of implementing the newest technology and design trends is tempting. But as a rule of thumb, it is better to have an outdated but functional website than a shiny new design that does not pay off.
Before starting a website redesign process, it is essential to clearly define the goal behind it.
Why do you need a website redesign?
Although users quite often perceive a website redesign as a change of look, it is not always the case. There are usually three main reasons for a website redesign:
1.Better usability and more sales. If your website hasn’t been updated in years and you are losing potential customers because of serious usability issues, then website redesign might be a good option.
2.Structural business changes. Your business model has changed significantly, and your website no longer reflects your actual business. For instance, you used to have a physical flower shop and simple informational website. Now you have pivoted to online-only flower delivery service and need eCommerce email functionality.
3.Branding. 55% of people are disappointed with a brand in general when they have a frustrating experience on their website. Fixing bad user experience can strengthen your brand.
Sometimes a website redesign can also be a part of a bigger rebranding process. If your visual brand identity significantly changes, your website should change, too.
Identifying a clear goal will guide both UX designer and the project manager decisions throughout the process.
For the competitor benchmark, you can perform a competitive usability evaluation. This is a great practice that will not only reveal your competitors’ strong and weak points but will also validate some of the ideas you were planning to “steal” from them.
Competitive usability evaluation can be done either as an expert review by an experienced UX practitioner or as a user testing. The latter is a standard usability test when users perform predefined tasks on two or more competitor websites.
Set Benchmarks
If you are planning for success, then you need to define the success criteria beforehand.
Once you have a general purpose for the redesign, set measurable objectives for the project. For instance, if you want to achieve more sales after the redesign, you can set objectives for sales funnel conversion rates or average revenue per customer.
These objectives have to be as accurate as possible. And the best base for this is your current benchmark.
To set your benchmark, you need to answer two main questions.
1.What is the current state of your website regarding metrics you will measure as success indicators?
2.How does your website compare to those of your competitors?
If you have well-configured website analytics, it will not be difficult to answer the first question. Take your average metrics for the past 12 months as a base. In most website redesign cases, you will also need to conduct a usability test with quantitative metrics as a part of your benchmark.
Match User Intent to Business Goals
As much as your new website design needs to be user-centric, it is also important to meet your business goals. Otherwise, the whole process would be pointless.But how can you align business priorities with user needs?
Start by knowing exactly what your target user wants by referring to existing user personas. If you are planning to target a new group of customers after the redesign, then you should conduct user research and build a corresponding persona.More
