The document discusses the process and strategies for iterative website redesigns, emphasizing the importance of micro goals and feedback loops. It highlights the need for small, deliberate changes to improve user experience and achieve larger objectives without undergoing full redesigns. Tools and methods for tracking progress and communicating changes effectively are also mentioned.

1. Iterative Website Redesign: Micro Goals in Action

2. Nick DeNardis
@nickdenardis
Associate Director of
Web Communications
Wayne State University
http://wayne.edu/
Host of EDU Checkup
http://educheckup.com/
Writer for .eduGuru
http://doteduguru.com/
Curator of EDU Snippits
http://edusnippits.com/

3. Higher ed web work is hard

4. aka conferences..

5. Today’s Topics
• Motivations behind full redesigns
• The “non full redesign” option
• Creating effective feedback loops
• Communicating changes

6. Your site is launched
Now what?

7. Wait 2 years, repeat.
Forming the committee now...

8. Or.. Start making
changes in 2 weeks?
While the committee is still busy announcing the launch

9. Churn and Burn

10. The Redesign Truths
• Everyone strives for “something different”
• Your users are not sick of your site
• Large focus on visual appearance
• Old and new websites have completely
incomparable experiences

11. Reasons to Redesign
• Users goals not being met
• Bring the site into a central identity
• Institution or department has new goals/
initiatives
• Reaction to a change in the marketplace

12. Micro Redesigns
Definition:
Taking small deliberate steps to reach a larger goal
(which may be not 100% apparent at the time).

15. Encourage
Craftsmanship
Let designers design, writers write, developers program.

16. Micro Ideas
• Reduce redundancy
• Clearer calls to action
• Reduce path length
• Remove a silo
• Integrate external information

17. Micro Changes
• Grouping content
• Visual style tweaks
• Combining CSS/JS/Image files
• Menu item label changes
• Microcopy changes

18. Homepage Stories

19. 0.009 % CTR
Less than 100 click-throughs per month

20. Trial and Error

21. 0.01 % CTR
Less than 150 click-throughs per month

24. New CTR: 0.8 %
Now ~6,500 click-throughs per month
6400 % improvement!

26. Campus Tour

29. A/B Test
Google Website Optimizer

30. Option 1 Option 2
Goal

31. A/B Test

32. Goal Conversion

33. Faculty Profiles

37. Apply Now
Homepage call to action
http://j.mp/h8pwej

42. 100 days?
What type of timeline is that?

44. Side Effects
Be on the lookout

48. An Evolution
wayne.edu

55. 37 Signals
Evolution

63. Opportunities
Everyone has an eye for challenges

68. Feedback Loops

69. • Interacting with the actual users
• Can be subjective
• Solution may not be perfect for everyone
• Needs to be documented
• Think of the scientific method

70. Communicating Changes
Building support

71. Blogging is story telling

72. Tools of the trade
• Google Analytics
http://google.com/analytics
• Google Website Optimizer
http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer
• Crazy Egg
http://crazyegg.com
• Click Tale
http://clicktale.com
• Woopra
http://woopra.com
• Websort
http://websort.net/

73. CrazyEgg

74. Woopra

75. Woopra

76. Websort

77. Google Analytics

78. Google Website Optimizer

79. Click Tale

80. Dream Big
Think Small

81. Thank you
http://slideshare.net/nickdenardis
http://blogs.wayne.edu/web/

83. Photo Credits
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/cayusa/1198663035/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsnortheast/
5473321885/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/wynnie/6393444439/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/drift-words/
10434156/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjornmeansbear/
5081930704/