Planning a website redesign can be a daunting task – not to mention profoundly scary for many people. So, we’ve prepared a handy little cheat sheet of all the right questions you should be asking when considering redesigning your website.
These questions will also help create a clear roadmap for the project manager, designer and developer who will be in charge of executing the redesign.
1. Why Redesign?
Before you jump into the weeds, it’s important to understand the reasons behind a website redesign. You have to know “why” something needs to be changed before you know “how” to change it. We recommend writing down three or four specific reasons why you think the website needs to be redesigned.
Drill-down Questions:
- Who prompted the “redesign” discussion?
- What reasons did they give for wanting a redesign?
- What are the measurable goals?
- What would a redesign achieve?
2. What is the Scope?
So you made it through the first set of questions and you’re ready to move forward with a redesign huh? The next questions you need to ask are around defining the scope of the project. You need to know the design, functional and technological requirements before even thinking about budget or timeline.
Drill-down Questions:
- What is the general purpose of the website (product sales, lead generation etc)?
- How much content needs to be changed (pages, images, copy etc)?
- What new functionality needs to be added?
- What design updates are necessary?
- Is the current content management platform (CMS) adequate?
- Will you be selling any products online?
- Is the current website hosting adequate?
3. What are the Project Requirements?
It’s tempting to jump straight to these questions, but it’s imperative that you answer the above questions first because they drive the project requirements and will provide your team greater clarity. Now that you know why you need a redesign and what the scope is for the project, it’s time to outline the budget, timeframe and how to execute everything seamlessly.
Drill-down Questions:
- What is your budget range (ex. $10-15k)?
- How will you define a successful website redesign?
- What is your timeframe and target launch date?
- Who will be in charge of planning, project management, design and development?
- Will you be changing your website hosting?
Curious if you need a Website Redesign?
