Whether you are a Web designer, or the buyer of Web design services, the planning phase of the Web design process is the most important phase. Planning requires a significant amount of effort before there is a visable product, so it is sometimes a hard-sell to business people, especially those who are used to "flying by the seat of their pants." I often find, however, that once involved in the process, the client gains valuable insights into their business, their market, their clients, and their competitors. Taking time to really plan a Website project, which requires stepping back and thinking, in a systematic way, about how they are approaching their business, gives the Website buyer an unexpected added value, especially if they are in start-up mode.

The first step in planning a Website is define the project. You want to make sure that you, as Web designer, and the client are on the same page, and remain on the same page throughout the project. The following are questions that need answers:

• Project Scope - What will be included in the project and what will not be included?
  
• Audience - Who are the main types of people who will be visiting the Website, what are their characteristics, and why will they be visiting the Website. What will the want to do?
  
• Competition - Who are the competitors and what do their Websites do and look like?
  
• Niche - Specifically what market niche does the business occupy or want to occupy?
  
• Positioning - What is the company's positioning strategy for their niche? Why buy their product or service over the competition?
  
• Overall Goals - What does the business want to acheive through the Website? Sell products? Provide online resources? Present a professional image?
  
• Business processes - How will the Website fit into the company's business processes? How will it integrate into those off-line processes?
  
• Marketing and branding strategies - What existing marketing or branding stategies can be leveraged for use on the Website?
  
• Workflows - What processes will need to be completed on the Website, described in a step by step fashion?
  
• Goals for Web site - What specific, numerically defined goals exist for the Website. What are the expectations?
  
• Keywords/Search Terms - What words will people searching for products/services/information use to find the client's Website, using the major search engines?
  
• Message - What message should the Website communicate to the user, either explicitly or implicitly?
  
• Perception - How should the user percieve the business, based on visiting the Website?
  
• Action - What action or actions should the visitor take while on the Website?
  
• Technology - What technology should be used in designing and building the Website?
  
• Marketing - How will the Website be marketed? How will the business get visitors there?
  
• Administrative - How will the Website be administered and maintained after it is launched?
  
• Schedule - When does the Website need to be complete? When will decision makers be available or unavailable to approve deliverables throught the process?
  
• Budget - What is the budget for the project? What is the ongoing budget for maintenance and updates? What is the budget for promotion?

The answers to these questions should be put into a "creative brief" or "project definition" document that will be used as a touchstone throughout the design process. The information in the planning documents should be as detailed as possible, and based on as much empiricle evidence as possible. Having someone fill the a questionnaire off the top of their head will be useful, but to the extent it rely's on guesses or false assumptions, it will provide flaws in the planning and therefore flaws in the finished Website.

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.