articles

Redesigning a Web Site

By Theresa Wilkinson, W-edge design
Reprinted with permission from the STC Intercom magazine - September/October 1999 Volume 46, Issue 8.

Why do you redesign a Web site? There are many reasons. A lot of companies want to update their look every year. Others redesign sites to solve specific problems -- they may realize that after a time, that they are not getting any traffic and finally call someone to get their opinion as to why. Sites are redesigned to correct specific problems in navigation, professional image, or ease to use.

How to redesign

I approach a redesign like I would any site design, with this exception: I critique the existing site first. I detail the mistakes I see and suggest how to improve the site. I also make a mental list of what I want to keep -- content, graphics, and so on. -- from the original site. Then, as with any site, I write up the general and specific goals for that site, analyze the audience, and decide what I think the audience will do at the site.

Many site owners do not seem to understand why their site should have a professional look. They think they need only a "dummies" book to be ready to jump into the Internet world. But Web sites that are designed to market and sell products must demonstrate competency, skill, and knowledge. And if you are selling something from your Web site, you also have to instill trust - as in "Do I trust this company enough to give them my credit card number?" I shop the Internet quite regularly and know that if site owners cannot afford to invest in a professional, easy-to-navigate site, I'm gone. There are a lot of scam sites out there.

When you approach a redesign, it's good to know what goal you hope to achieve. Below is an example of my redesign efforts and how I approached each problem.

Example: Maximation

Maximation, where I worked as a contract employee, provides computer consulting services, including Web design, to various industries. The problem with the Maximation corporate site was that it just did not look professional to me. It looked almost like an afterthought, not a company priority. So I put myself in the mind-set of a potential client and asked whether I would call Maximation to build my company's Web site. I thought not. Why? If a company has a badly designed Web site, what kind of site will they build for me?

The main goals of this redesign, therefore, were to give the site a more professional appearance, to sell the company's services more effectively, and to demonstrate that this company can build great Web sites.

I designed a new architecture for the site and decided to put the navigation bar on the top of the home page. I was also challenged with writing content for the site from two perspectives -- one from a person looking for a job with Maximation and the other from a company interested in one of Maximation's consultants. Ron Brown, CEO of Maximation, was kind enough to give me free reign on the site. So I added an Employee section to give employees a place to go to look up upcoming events and check out training that is available.

This site was quite challenging -- Ron originally wanted a java-enabled navigation system. But after several demonstrations of just how difficult this type of navigation was to use, he allowed me to make it more usable. He was quite happy with the completed site. Here is what he said: "I just went through the sight - it looks fabulous. Great job. I also like the employee of the month, qtr. year award. Congratulations."

Example: CaBella Creations

I attended a home show last year trying to get some decorating ideas. I was looking for a backsplash for my kitchen. While at the home show, I saw a great looking custom backsplash and picked up card with a URL for a site featuring backsplashes - the site of CaBella Creations. I was excited.

However when I hit the site, I was frustrated. I could not find any backsplashes! Well there was one backsplash, but I wanted to see some more ideas. I found the navigation of this site, or lack thereof, very frustrating because I never knew what page I was on (no page headings). This site exemplified the all-to-typical Web site trying to sell products -- it was too hard to use!

I emailed Caryn Addyson, owner of CaBella Creations, and gave her some feedback on the site. She asked for more feedback and offered to buy me lunch. After we discussed the site in person, she asked me to redesign it.

The main goals for this redesign were to create a more professional appearance that would make the site easier to use (i.e., add a navigation system and page headings), promote the company, and promote the products and the product line through a catalog format.

After several attempts of a redesign, Addyson and I decided to streamline the site and the CaBella product line to mirrors frames and tile accessories. As with any site that features a lot of products and an ordering system, it is paramount to ensure the site is easy to use.

I broke down the mirror frame categories into separate pages -- one category per page and added "more" and "back" buttons so the customer could flip through them easily and see what was offered -- I wanted to avoid a long scrolling page with a lot of graphics. The ordering process was also divided into "steps" so the user could know where they were in the process. A help system is available to aid the user in completing each step. I also added an Ordering page to explain how to order products from the site. I followed this format with the tile accessories. At the time of this writing, I have not completed the site and am writing usability questions and lining up candidates to test how all of my ideas will work. I am feeling optimistic.

Redesigning an existing Web site is almost more fun than creating one from scratch. When you redesign a site, you are given a specific challenge to overcome, and, as with any Web site, your users will let you know if it works or not by the hits on the site -- or the product orders.