This document discusses lessons learned from website redesign projects. It emphasizes that (1) there needs to be clear ownership of the website with one team responsible, (2) user research is critical to understand user needs rather than making assumptions, and (3) content strategy is important with words and images needing to work together effectively. Executive buy-in on designs is important and wireframes should be made consumable to stakeholders. The team working on the redesign needs high IQs and low egos to have a collaborative process.

1. The highs and horrors of website redesignsSome lessons learned Rian van der Merwe @RianVDM {Cape Town Geek Dinner, 27 May 2010}

2. Ownership User research Design Content Implementation

3. 1 The website is not a free-for-all

4. Global Header team Daily Deal team Marketing Product! Finding team Merchandising team Umm… no one?

6. Global Header team Daily Deal team Marketing Product! Finding team Merchandising team Umm… no one?

7. 1 The website is not a free-for-all Clear ownership is key (I’m partial to Product owning the website)

8. 2 You are not the user

9. No one wants to pay to make a website, right?

10. Users are ready to pay

11. Wrong Users expect to pay to get a website They want to know how we make money They want to know we’ll be around a year from now

13. 2 You are not the user http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/facebook_wants_to_be_your_one_true_login.php “Like” doesn’t have a lot to do with it Remember the story of “Facebook login” This isn’t “To kill a mockingbird”

14. 3 Get off the wireframe high horse

15. Signed off by exec team:

16. From wireframe to high def: Not approved

17. 3 Get off the wireframe high horse If execs don’t get wireframes, it’s your fault (they are the users of your “product”, so your product should be usable) Make your designs consumable to stakeholders

18. 4 Content strategy is kind of a big deal

19. The elements of user experience: User research Content strategy Interaction design Visual design User research

20. Loremipsumdolor sit amet… It does actually mean something…. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure? -- “The Extremes of Good and Evil”, written 45 BC

21. Loremipsum must die >> It distracts from your designs >> It confuses users >> It sometimes gets pushed live http://designinformer.com/lorem-ipsum-killing-designs/

22. 4 Content strategy is kind of a big deal Words and images can’t be separated

23. 5 Have a team whose IQs are higher than their egos Surely, we have learned enough from spectacular failures that governance does not give people an opportunity to exercise self discipline. When you give a person a chance to develop personal discipline, then forced compliance is unnecessary. With forced compliance, we force people into ignoring their own discipline because the system will “sort” it out for you. It breeds an attitude of “the system failed me and it’s not my fault”. http://aslamkhan.net/software-development/forced-compliance-is-an-obstruction-to-discipline/

24. Before

25. After

26. The highs and horrors of website redesignsSome lessons learned Rian van der Merwe @RianVDM {Cape Town Geek Dinner, 27 May 2010}