REDESIGN: THE PITFALLS AND PERILS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM Jeff Wisniewski [email_address] Computers in Libraries 2009

BAD REASONS TO REDESIGN It’s been X months/years since we redesigned The boss says I have to I’m boooooored with the site

It’s been X months/years since we redesigned

The boss says I have to

I’m boooooored with the site

GOOD REASONS TO REDESIGN When your navigation is dysfunctional When your site doesn’t scale When your site is difficult to update When your code is hopelessly, cough cough, sick When your site has low usability When it is not performing based on your sites’ goals/objectives (you do have those, right?)

When your navigation is dysfunctional

When your site doesn’t scale

When your site is difficult to update

When your code is hopelessly, cough cough, sick

When your site has low usability

When it is not performing based on your sites’ goals/objectives (you do have those, right?)

REDEVELOP VS REDESIGN Redevelop= triple bypass Redesign= cosmetic surgery

Redevelop= triple bypass

Redesign= cosmetic surgery

COST COMPARISON Cost to you Cost to user Redesign Low Low Redevelop High High

AMAZON: 2000

AMAZON: 2009

THIS IDEA ISN’T EXACTLY NEW… The Quiet Death of the Major Re-Launch By Jared M. Spool Originally published: May 20, 2003

The Quiet Death of the Major Re-Launch

By Jared M. Spool

Originally published: May 20, 2003

USERS DISLIKE REDESIGNS…ALOT Facebook anti-redesign group has 1.7 million members. last.fm: redesign drew over 2,000 comments often strongly negative. The Guardian, FT.com, and the BBC also transformed themselves recently, with ‘robust’ opinion voiced on each.

Facebook anti-redesign group has 1.7 million members.

last.fm: redesign drew over 2,000 comments often strongly negative.

The Guardian, FT.com, and the BBC also transformed themselves recently, with ‘robust’ opinion voiced on each.

CAVEATS Beware the vocal majority? Be evidence based…your new sites tests better, right?

Beware the vocal majority?

Be evidence based…your new sites tests better, right?

REDESIGN AND THE FIVE STAGES OF USER GRIEF Denial : “Why did you change it? I was always able to find what I needed!” Anger : “You have rendered the site useless and I will never use it again!” Bargaining : “If you could just revert back to the OLD ejournal page that would be great!” Depression : “I have no idea what I’m going to do now…” Acceptance : “While I dislike the design I was able to find the catalog link quite easily…”

Denial : “Why did you change it? I was always able to find what I needed!”

Anger : “You have rendered the site useless and I will never use it again!”

Bargaining : “If you could just revert back to the OLD ejournal page that would be great!”

Depression : “I have no idea what I’m going to do now…”

Acceptance : “While I dislike the design I was able to find the catalog link quite easily…”

DO WE REALLY HATE TO REDESIGN? Maintenance = Boring Redesign = Exciting

Maintenance = Boring

Happiness Time You Users Launch

Time until “redesign” (months) 12 0 6 amount of maintenance performed a lot pretty much none

PITFALL: THINKING INSIDE THE BOX Is a traditional “page-based model” best? CMS Blog Wiki

Is a traditional “page-based model” best?

CMS

Blog

Wiki

DISCOVERY

PITFALL: NOT KNOWING ENOUGH ABOUT YOUR CURRENT SITE BEFORE YOU BEGIN Look at where people are going in the site, where they're NOT going, what pages they enter into and what pages they leave from Google analytics Clicky Review past usability studies If it’s been a while do one NOW TIP: find and document your current page rank

Look at where people are going in the site, where they're NOT going, what pages they enter into and what pages they leave from

Google analytics

Clicky

Review past usability studies

If it’s been a while do one NOW

TIP: find and document your current page rank

PITFALL: PROCEEDING WITHOUT CONSENSUS ON GOALS AKA BUY-IN Investing time reaching consensus on: The need for a change What needs to be changed What the desired outcomes are Data is awfully helpful here

Investing time reaching consensus on:

The need for a change

What needs to be changed

What the desired outcomes are

Data is awfully helpful here

TWO TIPS ON GENERATING BUY-IN Show your director/manager what cool things other libraries are doing Show him or her data indicating that your site is not functioning well

Show your director/manager what cool things other libraries are doing

Show him or her data indicating that your site is not functioning well

PITFALL: TRYING TO REACH TOO MUCH CONSENSUS Design by committee=death Data + evidence-based practice=harmony and world peace

Design by committee=death

Data + evidence-based practice=harmony and world peace

PITFALL: BEING AN EXPERT Define constituencies and INCLUDE them in the process Librarians ARE users of the site but they’re also information EXPERTS with mad skills

Define constituencies and INCLUDE them in the process

Librarians ARE users of the site but they’re also information EXPERTS with mad skills

PLANNING

“ Spend your money where the water is” Know where your water is!

“ Spend your money where the water is”

Know where your water is!

PITFALL Spending too much time “designing” “ I'm going to go out on a limb and beg you not to create an original design. There are more than a billion pages on the web. Surely there's one that you can start with? “ -Seth Godin

Spending too much time “designing”

“ I'm going to go out on a limb and beg you not to create an original design. There are more than a billion pages on the web. Surely there's one that you can start with? “

-Seth Godin

LOOK HERE http://www.freecsstemplates.org/ http://www.csszengarden.com/ http://www.dynamicdrive.com/style/layouts/ http://webdesign.about.com/od/websitetemplates/a/bl_layouts.htm

http://www.freecsstemplates.org/

http://www.csszengarden.com/

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/style/layouts/

http://webdesign.about.com/od/websitetemplates/a/bl_layouts.htm

PITFALL Failing to account for assessment time & effort

Failing to account for assessment time & effort

PITFALL Looking at only other library sites

Looking at only other library sites

PITFALL: NOT HAVING SMART GOALS FOR THE REDESIGN S pecific M easurable A ttainable R ealistic T imely

S pecific

M easurable

A ttainable

R ealistic

T imely

EXAMPLE GOALS Increase Google page rank and search result exposure Improve overall site usability Measurable increase in use of ejournal finder Measurable decrease in content update lag times Show increase in user engagement as measured by number of blog comments

Increase Google page rank and search result exposure

Improve overall site usability

Measurable increase in use of ejournal finder

Measurable decrease in content update lag times

Show increase in user engagement as measured by number of blog comments

PITFALL: FAILING TO COMMUNICATE ENOUGH Consider a redesign blog or wiki Manage expectations

Consider a redesign blog or wiki

Manage expectations

EXECUTION

PITFALL: COMMUNICATING TOO MUCH Redesign by committee is rarely pretty (hey that rhymes!) Look to evidence to short circuit tedious discussions http://usability.gov http://useit.com http://www.surl.org/ http://www.uie.com/

Redesign by committee is rarely pretty (hey that rhymes!)

Look to evidence to short circuit tedious discussions

http://usability.gov

http://useit.com

http://www.surl.org/

http://www.uie.com/

PITFALL: Not providing users a clear path Define the primary functions of your site and make sure these paths are clear

Define the primary functions of your site and make sure these paths are clear

PITFALL Reinventing the wheel from JavaScripts to CSS…chances are it’s been done already

Reinventing the wheel

from JavaScripts to CSS…chances are it’s been done already

PERFECTION PARALYSIS Get it out of the door already!

Get it out of the door already!

WHERE TO SPEND TIME, MONEY AND EFFORT Remarkable content Engagement tools Testing

Remarkable content

Engagement tools

Testing

REMARKABLE CONTENT You have a staff full of experts! Reading lists Course based guides Reviews White papers: copyright, foreclosure resources, how to get content onto your iPod

You have a staff full of experts!

Reading lists

Course based guides

Reviews

White papers: copyright, foreclosure resources, how to get content onto your iPod

REMARKABLE TOOLS Next gen opac Federated search Ejournal finder Photo tagger Assignment calculator

Next gen opac

Federated search

Ejournal finder

Photo tagger

Assignment calculator

REMARKABLE CONTENT… … is WELL WRITTEN content Cut and paste Invest time in rewriting content

… is WELL WRITTEN content

Cut and paste

Invest time in rewriting content

PITFALL Not designing with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind URL structure Simple URLs Page titles Descriptive Proper and consistent user of structural HTML <h1> <h2> <h3> etc Descriptive <alt> tags

Not designing with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind

URL structure

Simple URLs

Page titles

Descriptive

Proper and consistent user of structural HTML

<h1> <h2> <h3> etc

Descriptive <alt> tags

MORE SEO Submit a sitemap to Google after your redesign http://code.google.com/p/sitemap-generators/wiki/SitemapGenerators Ask Google to remove outdate/removed/old content from its index: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/dashboard Site>Tools>Remove URLs

Submit a sitemap to Google after your redesign

http://code.google.com/p/sitemap-generators/wiki/SitemapGenerators

Ask Google to remove outdate/removed/old content from its index:

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/dashboard

Site>Tools>Remove URLs

PITFALL Not designing with Social Media Optimization (SMO) in mind Social bookmark links: addthis.com Tag your pages Redesign with user generated content in mind

Not designing with Social Media Optimization (SMO) in mind

Social bookmark links: addthis.com

Tag your pages

Redesign with user generated content in mind

PITFALL Moving and/or eliminating good content … the whole baby and bathwater thing Do page and keyword analyses…Google Analytics, etc. Do server side redirects

Moving and/or eliminating good content

… the whole baby and bathwater thing

Do page and keyword analyses…Google Analytics, etc.

Do server side redirects

DON’T FORGET TO… Update your robots.txt file Update your analytics definitions, paths, groups, etc.

Update your robots.txt file

Update your analytics definitions, paths, groups, etc.

MAINTENANCE

PITFALL Not planning beyond the redesign Content strategy Mmmmmmm….that’s FRESH! Maintenance strategy Move from macro redesign to micro changes

Not planning beyond the redesign

Content strategy

Mmmmmmm….that’s FRESH!

Maintenance strategy

Move from macro redesign to micro changes