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MARKETING TECHNOLOGY
Roadmap for Your Next Website Redesign
If you ask me, the hardest part of a website redesign is simply
geing started. Knowing there will be months of work ahead of you
can be daunting and, even in the best of circumstances, unexpected
setbacks and crises are inevitable. I've done enough of them to know
that a detailed roadmap is critical to geing started on the right foot. It
eases everyone's worries, from the signoff meeting with your executive
commiee to the moment when your IT team updates the DNS seings
and launches the new site.
In this article, I decided to get back to basics with the checklist I
use whenever I undertake a new website redesign. Obviously, the order
and effort for each of these steps could change depending on your
situation. Additionally, you might not want to hire someone to do an
expert review (Phase One); you may choose to do this internally.
The website redesign project I'm focused on at the moment is for the
University of Michigan Law School. While there are some issues unique to
a public institution (such as a more complex procurement process than I
am used to at law firms), the overall project steps are the same.
Getting Signoff
To get project signoff, you need to paint a picture for the key decision
makers. Primarily, it should be one that gives them confidence that
you know what you are doing.
Start out with a high-level project plan that breaks out your
redesign into three phases – the assessment, the build, and post-
launch support and maintenance. If you want to get deeper into the
details for this audience, include the steps outlined below for each of
the stages. Only you know your audience and how deep into the weeds
they'll want to go.
by Cynthia McCollough of the University of Michigan Law School
Roadmap for Your Next
Website Redesign