THE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT BRIEF

TheWebsiteDevelopmentBrief…abestpracticeguidetobriefingwebdevelopmentagencies

THE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT BRIEF

… a best practice guide to briefing web development agencies


Jointguidelinesandtemplateforbusinessowners,toenablemoreeffectiveworkingwith

webdevelopmentagencies/companies.

Supportedby:

DISCLAIMER:

Whilsteveryefforthasbeenmadetoensuretheaccuracyoftheinformation/materialcontainedinthisdocument,theauthorandtheLocalEnterpriseOfficeassumenoresponsibilityforandgivenoguarantees,undertakingsorwarrantiesconcerningtheaccuracy,completenessoruptodatenatureoftheinformationprovidedinthisguideanddonotacceptanyliabilitywhatsoeverarisingfromanyerrorsoromissions.


©2016PatriciaO’Sullivan

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“Failingtoprepareispreparingtofail”

Thisguidecameaboutbecausemylocalenterpriseofficeencounteredaverycommonconcern.Their client companieswere spendinghuge chunksof theirbudgetsonwhatoftenendedupbeingnon-functioning, incompleteordisappointingwebsiteprojects. Ihavesufferedthispainmyselfdespitemycomputersciencequalifications,andI’veseenmanyofthe200+smallbusinessownersI’vementoredandcoachedfall intothesametrap.Perhapsyouthinkyouarenotoneof‘thosepeople’butbelieveme,wecanallfindourselvesinthatpredicament.

Five years ago I established a business specifically to tackle this dilemma, so I wasdelightedtobeaskedtoproducethisguide.ItaffordsmetheopportunitytotakewhatI’velearned,testedandrefinedandplaceitinthehandsofasmanyothersmallbusinessownersaspossible.

Whilstaguidelikethiscanneverbetotallycomprehensive,itwillcoverthemajorareasthatyouneed toputdown inwritingbeforestartingawebsitedevelopmentproject. Ihope it will be an invaluable resource that helps you formulate your brief for webdevelopmentagencies/companies.

It relies on the premise that to maximise your chance of success, your eventualdevelopmentpartnerneedstoknowwhereyouarenow.Andtheyneedtoknowwhereyouwant to get to,what successwill look like for you, and how itwill bemeasured.Aboveallelse,youneedtomakethatcrystalclear.Ifyoucandothatyou’llfindthatmostagencies/companieswillbeprettygoodatgettingyouwhereyouwanttogo.

That is where the ‘brief’ comes in – it is the best way to capture the pertinentinformation concisely, yet comprehensively, so everyone will be singing off the samehymnsheet.

Ifthereareothermembersofyourbusinesswhoseperspectivewillenrichyourprojectbrief,andwillensureitisascomprehensiveasyoucanmakeit,thenitisaexcellentideatoinvolvethem.

Don’tcutcornershere.Theproblems thatresultwill takemany times longerandcostmanytimesmoretorectify.Aruleofthumbusold-schoolsoftwaredevelopersusedwasto spend 20% of the total time/budget of any project getting the requirements welldocumented.Thatismychallengetoyou.

PatriciaO’Sullivanhttps://ie.linkedin.com/in/pattios

P.S.Ifyouwanttoskipsectionsofthesuggestedbriefsobeit,perhapstheyareunsuitedtoyourproject,butmorelikelyit’sbecauseyoucan’tbebotheredtocompletethem.Onyourheadbeit!



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WHATISWEBDEVELOPMENT?Website development, also knownaswebsite design, is theprocess of creating a newwebsite or implementing changes to one already in use, e.g. adding a significant newsectiontoalivesite.

It isundertakentoattractandcommunicatewithusersandbuyers,toenhancebrandsandtolaunchspecificcampaigns.

Websitedevelopmentcanincludewebdesign,webcontentdevelopment(alsoknowasthecopy,orwords),clientliaison,webserverandnetworksecurityconfiguration,ande-commercedevelopment.

Websitedevelopmentcanrangefromdevelopingasinglepageofplaintexttothemostcomplexweb-based internet applications, electronic businesses, or social networks. Ifyourgoalisanadvancedinternetormobileapplicationthenyouwillneedtoprovidealittlemorethantheseguidelineswillcover,butyouwillfindthemusefulnonetheless.

WHYWRITEABRIEF?There are three compelling reasonswhy it isworthwriting a brief forEVERYprojectyoucommissionadevelopmentagencytoundertake:

1. Yougetabetterjob.2. Itsavesyoubothtimeandmoney.3. Thecosttoyou,andfeepaidtotheagencyarefairer.

1.ABETTERJOBAbriefisthesinglemostimportantpieceofinformationyoucanprepare.It’sfromthisthateverythingelseflows.Thesuppliercannotbeexpectedtoreadyourmindorknoweverythingyoudo;thereforeit’sessentialthateveryeffortbetakentopreparethebestpossibledocumentationofwhatisrequired.

Givingthetightestofparameterstocreativethinkers(andthat’swhatwebdevelopersare) will often stimulate the most creative of outcomes. You need to stimulate theircreative imagination,notrestrict it.Ultimatelyyouarebuying theircreativity,butyouwantthatcreativitytobefocusedinthecorrectdirection.That’swhyyourbriefshouldbeastartingpoint;discoveringhalfwaythroughtheprojectthattheyareheadedinthewrongdirectioninevitablyleadstobothsidesplaying‘theblamegame’.

Your brief will be the platform for your business online. Hundreds, thousands orhopefullyhundredsofthousandsofpotentialcustomerswillseeit.Thereforeitbehovesyoutotakealittletimeoutofyourbusyscheduletothoughtfullydescribeyourbrand,yourofferings,yourmarketandyourmessage.Ifyoudon’tdothatthenyouarerelyingonmiraclesasyourstrategyforsuccess.Frommyexperience,miraclesarelikebuses-thereisneveroneinsightwhenyouneedit.



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2.SAVETIMEANDMONEYMostpeoplewouldagreethatsloppybriefsandmovinggoalpostswastebothtimeandmoney.Aclearwrittenbrief,ontheotherhand,canmaximisethechancesofgettingit‘rightfirsttime,ontime,onbudget’.

Iknowthat ‘timepressures’ are themainreasonmostofyoureading thiswill give forproducinganinadequateprojectbrief(ornobriefatall).Butinfactnotwritingabriefto save time is a false economy, as more often it leads to re-work, or even a failedproject.

Youshouldnotbeusingtheagencytohelpyouclarifyyourstrategyandrequirements.That is not their job and not something they are skilled at. You should have thispreparationworkcompletedbeforeyoumakeanapproachtothem.

Clearly thescaleof theprojectwilldictate thedepthandcomplexityofyourbrief.Butbeforeskippingoveranyofthesuggestedquestionsinthisdocument,askyourselfthis:areyouskippingpartsjustbecauseyoudon’tfeellikeanswering?Andisnotansweringworththeriskofblowingyourbudget?

Youdonotneedcomputerorsoftwareskillstowritethebriefyourself.Marketingskillsare useful but not essential. Knowledge of your company, its offerings and its targetcustomersisallthatreallymatters.

3.AGOODLONG-TERMRELATIONSHIPOne of the criticisms that marketers and software developers face is that they lackaccountabilityfortheverysignificantsumsofmoneytheyspend.

To be fair, they operate in areas that have significant uncertainty and often trial anderror is a necessary part of the process. However, you need to act professionally byreigningtheminearly.Theprojectbriefisanessentialstart.

Of course, youwant results.Butpaymentbasedon results is impossiblewithout fullydefiningyourbusinessobjectives,yourprojectobjectives,andoutlininghowyouplantomeasure success. And let’s face it, without the ability to measure/demonstrateeffectiveness,youwillfeelyouarepayingtoomuchforwhatyougetandtheagencywillfeeltheyearnedtoolittlefortheirefforts.

Putting an agency through the process of developing a solution repeatedly, withoutconcretedirection,wearsontherelationshipandiscostlyinwastedstafftime(onbothsides).

WHATMAKESAGOODBRIEF?Thereisaconsensusonwhatmakesagoodbriefamonglargercompaniesandtheagenciestheyhire.Itcontains3elements:

1. Awrittenthenverbalbrief.2. Clarityofthought.3. Clearlydefinedobjectives.



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1.AWRITTENBRIEFAnecdotalevidenceshows that thecombinationofawrittenandverbalbriefing is theideal. There are enormousbenefits to startingwith awrittendocument (producedbyyou,theclient),whichisthenanalysedbytheagencyandinconsistenciesdiscussedbybothpartiesatthesubsequentverbalbriefing.Theprocessofdeveloping,discussingandagreeingthebriefinthismannerinitselfaddsvalue.

Ifyouencounteranagencythatsays“wedon’tneedallthatstuff”orgivestheimpressionthattheyhaven’tstudiedyourbrief,thenmybestadviceistorunintheotherdirection.

Theindustryhasitsfairshareofsocalled‘experts’whothinktheyknowyourbusinessand your customers better than you do. They will ignore everything you tell them.Thereinliesthesourceofthesecondmajorreasonforfailedwebdevelopmentprojects(thefirstbeingyourfailuretoprepareanadequatebrief).

Awrittenbriefisalsovitaltoensurethe‘buy-in’ofotherkeypeopleinyourcompany,inenterprisesupportagencies,onyourboardandamongstinvestors,suppliersandotherbusinesspartners.Thisbuy-inisessentialtoavoidthewasteoftimeandresourcesthatcanhappenwhenotherschallengethekeyassumptionsduringoraftertheprojectbuild,leadingtobelatedchangesindirection.Ideally,yourwrittenbriefshouldhavethebuy-inofallinterestedpartiesbeforeitisdeliveredtopotentialagencypartners.

2.CLARITYOFTHOUGHTAgoodbriefisnotthelongestormostdetaileddocument.It’stheonewhoseclarityandfocusallows theagency tounderstandyour customers, andwhataneffective solutionforthemwillentail.

“Ididn'thavetimetowriteashortletter,soIwrotealongoneinstead.”

―MarkTwain

Briefs are called ‘briefs’ because they aremeant tobebrief!They are a summationofyour current thinking. Toomuch information can confuse the process. Relevance andcontextaremoreimportantthanreamsofdata.However,youshouldattachallrelevantsupportinginformationasappendices.

Yourbriefshouldcontainkeynuggetsofinformationanditshouldsetouttheobjectivesofyourproductorservice,whichthewebsitedevelopmentprojectistoplayakeyroleinachieving.

Thisclarityandobjectivityisnotanattempttoreduceyourcreativity,orindeedthatoftheagency.Emotiveanddramatiseddescriptionsofyourcompanyandthekeyissuesitfacesmakeitmemorableandcansparkoffgreatcreativethinkingandsolutionsyouhadnot considered. And it can challenge, inspire and excite those creative types in theagencyyouhire.



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3.CLEARLYDEFINEDOBJECTIVESUltimatelythepurposeofyourbriefistogetyourchosenagencytoprovideyouwithasolution. Butwhat problems should this solution solve? That is the basis of a projectbrief.Everythingelseisdetail.

Start by making sure that your objectives are crystal clear. Use concrete businessobjectives like ‘to double online revenue’ rather than woolly suggestions such as ‘toimprovebrandimage’.Remember thatSMARTacronym?ObjectivesshouldbeSpecific,Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely… and remember, every objective startswiththeword‘to’...

That’snotwhereitends.YouneedtospelloutexactlyhowyouplantomeasurethoseSMARTobjectives.Nocontractthatexpectstopaybasedonresultscanbemadetoworkwithout appropriate measures of performance. So, clearly defining the objectives(‘successcriteria’),what that successwill look like andhowwill it bemeasured is thenumberonerequirementforwritingagoodbrief.

LET’SFACEFACTSManyagencies complain that thebriefs they receive fromclientsareoften inadequateandmissing key information. In particular, the criteria for success and themetrics ormeasurementsofthatsuccessareoftencompletelyignored.It'salsoraretofindonethatprovides all the necessarymarket data, the full scope of the business objectives, anddiscussesthevariousmediachannelsthatmightbeusedtodrivepeopletothesite.

Rectifying this, or worse forcing the agency tease out and write the complete briefthemselves, requires considerable work by the agency. If they’re not getting paid toundertakethiswork,thenwhyshouldtheyspendmuchtimeonit?

Ifpropertimeandattentionhasnotbeengiventoabriefbeforetheprojectstartsthenthechancesofsuccessprobablyequatetothechancesofwinningthelottery.Therearehuge quantities of anecdotal evidence that show the bestway to brief an agency is acombinationofdocumentationandverbaldiscussion,withthedocumentationprovidedfirstandtimegiventoallowtheagencytoreviewandaskquestions.

Ifadevelopmentcompanyoragencyyouapproachsuggestsskippingthebriefbecausetheyknowwhatyouwant,alarmbellsshouldberinging.Youmightbeasmallcompanybut this isprocurementand involvesasignificantsumofyourownandperhapsotherpeople’smoney.Takingshortcutswillplaceyouinaveryunenviablepositionlater.

Whenyoudoprepareyourbrief,youmay find thatsomeagencieshavea tendency toignore yourbrief andwrite their own, thus apparentlyduplicating effort andperhapsevenmisinterpretingyour requirements. In truth theyarenot ignoringyourbriefnorintentionallymisinterpretingyourrequirements(inmostcasesatleast).

Thetruthisthattheyneedtoconsidertheprojectfromtheirperspective,whichwillbetechnologyanddeliveryfocused.Iftheydon’tdothisstepthentheyareoperatingonawingandprayerandagain,thisisnotwhatyouwanttosee.Theydon’thavetobeabigcompany to act professionally so insist on it with whomever your chosen partner is.People who act professionally care about doing a good job, care about pleasingcustomersandcareabouttheirreputations–othersthinktherearemanyfishintheseaso it doesn’t matter. Which do you want to risk your money and the future of yourbusinesson?



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If it looks like the agency’sbrief ismisinterpreting something, or itmissed somethingkey in your brief, point it out. More often than not it was a misunderstanding or anoversight.Gettingthesethingsclearedupbeforeaprojectsstartsisvital,sobepreparedtospendmoretimeonthese initialstagesof theproject thanyouoriginallyplanned–thisiswherethesuccessofyourprojectlies.

FINALWORDSDon’tforget…youneedtoconsiderthe‘words’(knownascopy)thatwillappearonyourwebsite. Ideally this should be ready, or at least drafted, before you start buildinganything.Ifyouarewritingityourselforhiringanotherpartytoprepareitthengetthatmoving,orbetteryetcompleted,beforestartingworkonthetechnology.Toallowthistohappenyoucanlookatotherwebsitesandpreparesimilarlysized‘chunks’oftextthatthewebsitedeveloperscansimplypastein.

Keep in mind that people don’t read long-winded websites nowadays; they consumeinformation in small chunks. So copy the approach of proven winners and don’t tryreinventingthewheel.

Something I personally do is look through website templates on themeforest.net anddecideontheoneortwoIlikebest.ThenIpreparethewords/copyandsupplysampleimagestosuitmychosentemplates.

Ithengooutlookingforagenciesthatarepreparedtousethethemeforest.nettemplatebecauseIknowthatwillsaveusconsiderabletime(don’tbelieveanyonewhotellsyouotherwise). That equates to savedmoney,which allowsme to domore.Usually Iwillinsist on getting the template up and live with my copy and the images we chosetogetherasmyfirstmilestone.AtthatpointIknowIhaveawebsitethatis,presumably,bug-free and looks like it cost a fortune to design and build. Other things I want toachievewith thewebsite come later as subsequent delivery and paymentmilestones.ThisensuresthatIhavesomethingliveandusefuleverystepoftheway,andthatIcantestbeforewemoveon.

CONCLUSIONWehavenowdiscussed the key sections in a best practice project brief andwhy youshouldwriteone.Thekeysectionsshouldbecompletedforeverybriefyouwrite.Thedetailwithin each sectionwill vary according to your circumstances and your projectrequirements.

Generallyyourbriefshouldfocusondefining‘wherewearenow’and‘wherewewanttobe’. It isthenthejoboftheagencytobridgethegapbetweenthetwo.Howtheygoaboutthatistheirspecialism,oritshouldbe,anditshouldhappenwithinthecontextofyour‘whatwearedoingtogetthere’description.

Acrucialpointistobeasexplicitaspossibleaboutthemeasuresofsuccess,i.e.“howwewillknowwe’vearrived”.Andthentherearethefinaloperationaldetailsaboutprojectmanagementandpracticalities.Soenoughtalk,let’sgetstarted…


TEMPLATE

WEBSITEDEVELOPMENTPROJECTBRIEF


CONTNETS

1.PROJECTCONTEXT 1

2.WEBSITEREQUIREMENTS 5

3.COMPANYOVERVIEW 7

4.SPECIALFUNCTIONALITY 8

5.GRAPHICDESIGN 10

6.WEBSITEANALYTICS 12

7.WEBSITEADMINISTRATION 14

8.ADDITIONALDETAILS 16



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1.ProjectContextThe Project Context (also know as Context, Setting or Prerequisites) is thecircumstances,factsoreventsthatinfluencetheproject.

They explain the general idea and key prerequisites of the project, includingproblems to be addressed, objectives, desired results, and parties interested inand/or impacted by the project. It also describes the financial elements,resources,timelinesandotherpossibilitiesandlimitationsoftheproject.

Thepurposeofthissectionistogiveanoverviewoftheproject,toprovideinitialimpressions about the project and to initiate the planning process. It does notcover specific requirements, methods to be used or any other more detailedinformation.

Whatisthemainobjective/outcomeofyourproject?Lettheproviderknowwhatyouareaimingtoachievefromtheprojectandhowyouseeitsendresults.Clarityheregoesalongwaytopreventprojectfailure,misunderstandingsorincorrectexpectations.

Whatchallenge/opportunitygaverisetotheproject?It is helpful to the provider to understand where you are coming from. Are you facingcompetitive challenges, launching a new product, seeing a downturn in revenues, ormeasuringapotentialopportunity?

Forexample, ‘ouroldwebsitewashackedsoweneedsomethingnewthat issecure’; ‘ournew Chairman of board is a marketing guru and wants a whole new image’; ‘we arelaunchingnewproductsandthoughtthiswouldbeagoodtimeupreplace/updatetheoldwebsite’...


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Whatisthebudgetforproject?Thisisathornysubject.Attheveryleastyouneedtotelltheproviderifyourbudgetforthisprojecthasbeenapproved,ifitwillonlybeapprovedaftertheirquotationisreceived,orifitwillonlybeapprovedwhensomethingelsehappense.g.grantapproval.

You may be uncomfortable stating your budget upfront believing that the webdevelopmentagencywillsimplyaskforitall.Thatisunderstandable,butputtheshoeontheotherfootforamoment.Ifthetableswereturnedwouldyounotwanttogiveyournewclient the best possible result you couldwithin their budget?Would you notwant to doeverythingyoucouldtodemonstratetheycantrustyouandthatyouaregenuinelytheretohelpthem?

Despitewhatwemightthinksometimes,thatisthenorminbusiness.Ofcoursetherearealwaysgreedypeople,butifyouhavepreparedadetailedbrief,thequestionstheyfailtoaskandtheirproposedsolutionwillusuallyrevealtheirtruecharacter.Notdemonstratingtrustinthesuppliersyouapproachisalittledisrespectfulatbest.Atworst,itcanleadtotimewastedanddisappointingresults.

Overall, it isbetterifyoucansupplyanindicationofbudgetfromtheoutset.Atechniqueoftenusedis‘scenariobudgeting’.Forinstance,youmightsupplyoneormorehypotheticalbudgetse.g.‘Whatwouldyourrecommendationsonbudgetsof€x,€y,and€zbe?’

An upfront understanding of budget will allow the agency to accurately describeanticipatedresults. Italsoaffords themtheopportunity toconsiderdifferentapproachesanddifferentsequencesthatallowthemtoprovideyouwiththebestpossibleoutcomeforyourbudget.Remember‘best’isnot‘most’;itiswhatachievesyourobjectivessuccessfully.

Alternatively, you can request the agency’s recommended budget to achieve your set ofgiven measurable objectives. More often than not however this wastes everyone’s timeannoyspeoplewhenyoulatercomebacktoadviseonarealisticbudget.

Aresubcontractorsallowed?Manyprovidersuseoutsidecontractors they trust for certainprojectactivities.Let themknowifyouhaveanyconstraintshere.


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Arethereprojectdocumentationrequirements?Let the provider know if you need any project documentation (e.g. status update, user’smanual,etc.)and/orpresentationspreparedfortheproject.

Doyouhaveafirmdeadlineforprojectdelivery?Tell the provider if there are any specific dates or events that constrain the project’stimeframe.

Willthereberevisionsduringtheproject?Doyouanticipateclarifications/revisionsduringtheproject?Ifyes,explainwhatandwhy.


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Anyotherpracticalities?Isthiswebsitepartofamediastrategy/plan?Explainhowittiesintotheseotheractivities;arethereanylegalconstraintsinyourmarket?Doyouhaveasetofbrandguidelinesthatmustbecompliedwith?Areyoureceivingsupport fromasourcethatrequires theuseoftheirlogoonthesite?Wherewilltheproviderobtainitandanyguidelinesassociatedwithitsuse?

Whoisresponsibleforapproval/acceptance?Whoinyourbusinesshastheauthoritytosignofftheworkthattheagencyproduces.Howwilltheyreview,teststageddeliveries,andsigneachoffascomplete?

Willyouneedsupportaftercompletion?Is on-going support required from the agency following completion of the project tomaintain thewebsite (e.g. securityupgrades,etc.)and/or tomakeoccasionalchanges tothesite?


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2.WebsiteRequirementsThis is a detailed explanation (also known as Project Needs or ProjectSpecifications)ofwhat isneededordemanded from theproject. Inessence it iswhereyouwanttobepost-project.

Thissection isusedtodefine thebusinessneeds, theproblemstobeaddressed,theimplementationmethodsandapproachestobeapplied,andyourdesiredgoalfortheproject.Thegoalshouldbesetinthecontextofyouroverallbusinessandmarketing plan, as well as what you believe will be achievable by this specificprojectwithinyourproposedtimeframeandbudget.

Thisdefinitionofrequirements is themostcrucialpartof theproject. Incorrect,inaccurate,orexcessivedefinitionofrequirementsmayresultinscheduledelays,wastedresources,oryourdissatisfactionwiththefinaloutcome.

Everywebsiteisdifferentbutasingle-mindedandmeasurableobjectiveisusuallyapre-requisite forsuccess.Typicalobjectivesareto increasesalesbya factorof‘x’, to increaseusageby ‘y’,awareness, image,reputation,profitability,customerprofile,shareholdervalue,responselevels,etc.

Whatwebsitedevelopmentservicesdoyouneed?Whatkindofwebsitedesignservicesareyoulookingfor?Abrandnewfirsttimewebsite,acompletere-designofanexistingwebsite,maintenanceofor smallupgrades/correctionstoanexistingwebsite?

Whatarethegoalsofthewebsite?Whatareyourspecificshort,mediumandlong-termgoalsforthewebsite?


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Howwillthewebsitebestructured?Whatpagesdo youhave inmind for yourwebsite?For example, ahomepage, productspageandindividualproductpages,aboutus,contactus.Howmanyoverallpageswithhowmanydifferentstructures?

Doyourequireoptimizationformobiledevices?Wouldyoulikeyourwebsitetobeoptimisedformobileusersinanyspecificwayorwillatypicaldeviceandorientationresponsivesitesuffice?

Howwillyoumeasuresuccess?Describe the form success and failure in this project will take. How will success bemeasured?Whowillmeasure it?Are there specific ‘objective’measurements that canbeused?Howwillpaymentsbetiedtothosemeasurements?

Remember thatyourwebsite isonlypartof themarketingandcommunicationsstrategyforyourbusiness.Itisasteponthepathofalongerjourney.Itcannotachievemiraclesinandof itself; itmerely provides progress towards yourbiggerand longer-termcompanygoalsandshouldbemeasuredaccordingly.


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3.CompanyOverviewTheCompanyOverview(alsoreferredtoasProduct&Market)shouldcontainthefollowing information,whererelevant:productorservicedescription(includingkey attributes and benefits); manufacturing or service delivery; distributionchannels;marketsize(volumeandvalue);customerusagedataifavailable;yourcompanybrand’spositioning;itshistoryofbrandcommunications,etc.

This section is used to define a more specific context for the project and todeterminethemostsuitableapproachesandmethodstobeused.

Above all, remember that despite every website being different, they are allintendedtoelicitsomeformofresponsefromaparticulargroupofpeople.Yourtargetgroupsshouldbeclearlydefinedandprioritisedasaccuratelyaspossible-usedemographics,lifestyle,productusage,attitudes,etc.

Equallyandperhapsmore importantare the insights thatyouhaveabout thesetargetgroups.Theseinsightscanbeusedasaplatformtobuildonandasaguidefor the various decisions that need to be made, in a way that will create thedesiredreaction.

Whatisthewebsite’sprimaryaudience?Defineyourwebsite’s targetaudience. Includeasmuchdetailaspossible. Ifyourwebsiteaudience is different from your current customer/user/ purchaser profile describewhatthe difference is. For example, parents, particularlymothers of children aged 0-5 years;retireesinthe55-65agegroup.

Howdoyouwantpeopletoperceiveyourwebsite?Writedown3-5adjectivesthatdescribehowausershouldperceiveyoursite.Forexample,conservative,progressive,friendly,formal,professional.


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4.SpecialFunctionalityThe Special Functionality (orAdditional Functionality) section of the brief is anoverview of specific features that youmightwish to have on yourwebsite, andthatmightincreasethebudgetandtimefortheproject.

Itisusedtoplanandbudgetforfeaturessuchasanonlineshop,customerportal,memberinteraction,networking,etc.

Planningwebsite functionally helps to see how yourwebsite can becomemorethanjustaplatformforpromotionandselling.Withtime,itcanbecomeatooltobuildrelationshipswithyourcustomersandtoimproveyourservicedelivery.

Doyouneedafeedbackform?Wouldyouliketoincludeafeedbackformcapturingsomeuserdetailsonyourwebsite?

DoyourequireeCommercefunctionally?Doyourequireanonlinestoreonyourwebsite?

Doyourequireamember’sarea?Amember’sareaprovidesmemberswithspecifictoolsandresourcesthatarenotavailabletonon-members.Wouldyouliketohaveamember’sareaonyourwebsite?


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Doyourequireasearchfacility?Wouldyouliketohaveasearchfacilityonyourwebsite?

Anyothertools/features?Wouldyouliketoincludeanyspecifictoolsinthewebsite?Forexample:

• AContentManagementSystem(CMS)toallowyouorotherstoquicklyandeasilymanage,modify,edit,upload/remove/replacetheinformationonthewebsite.

• Theabilitytochangespecialoffersonproducts.• Shoppingcartfunctionalitytoenableasitevisitortobrowseandaddproductsto

theircartandlatertocompletethepurchase.• An interactive online quotation builder to enable site visitors to select products

theywantandtogetaquotebasedonvariousbulkquantities.• Training/online learning functionality to show videos and to supply training

materials.• Communityfeaturesoraforumtoenableuserstointeractwitheachother.• Other features –whatandwhere can thewebdevelopment company seeagood

example?


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5.GraphicDesignGraphicDesign(alsoknownasWebsiteDesignorVisualDesign)istheprocessofarrangingwebsitecontenttoenhanceyourvisitor’sonlineexperience,totransmityourcompanyvaluesandtoevokeorreinforceadesiredemotionalresponse.

It isusedtooptimizecommunicationwithyourvisitors, toorganizeinformationin a cohesive and pleasing layout, and to improve the efficiency of contentpresentation.

Website design encompasses information architecture, interaction, interface,navigation,informationandvisualdesign.Itismuchmorethancoloursandfonts.

Whatisyourcompanylogo?Doyouhavea logo?Doyouhave it indigital format?Canyougettheoriginal files fromwhoeversuppliedit?

Whatareyourcolourpreferences?Doyouhaveanycolourpreferencesforyourwebsitedesign?

Itmightinterestyoutoknowthatdifferentcolourshavedifferentassociationsforus.Youshouldtrytousecoloursthatreflecthowyouwantyourbusinesstoberepresented:

• White:Innocence,cleanliness,space,neutrality,purity;• Black:Authority,power,strength,intelligence;• Grey:Neutral,timeless,practical,functional;• Red:Love,warmth,energy,intensity,blood;• Orange:Happy,excitement,enthusiasm,warmth,stimulation,prosperity;• Yellow:Laughter,optimism,warmth,hunger,attention-getting;• Green:Natural,growth,money,health,tranquillity,fertility;• Blue:Serenity,cold,wisdom,loyalty,truth,focus;• Purple:Wealth,sophistication,exotic,spiritual,creative,mystery;• Brown:Stability,friendship,sadness,security,organic;• Pink:Romance,gentle,calm,feminine,love.


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Doyouhaveicons,faviconsorimagestouse?Doyouhavespecificimagesoriconsthatyouwish,ordonotwish,tohaveinyourwebsite?

Anyothercolour/style‘don’ts’?Arethereanycolourorstyleelementsthatyouwouldliketoavoidinthedesign?Alinktoaphotoorawebsitewouldbehelpfultoo.Forexample,“Acolourwewanttoavoidisbrightorangebecauseitseemstobeoverusedbyourcompetitorsatpresent.”

Canyouprovideexamplesofcompellingwebsites?List at least 3websites that you find compelling and statewhat interests you about thesites.Itdoesn’tmatteriftheyarerelatedtoyourbusinessornot-it’saboutthenavigationelements,style,colours,typographyandothervisualconceptandwhyyoulikethem.

Canyouprovidelinkstoyourcompetitors’websites?Listat least3 competitors’websites.Discusswhyyou think theyhave takenaparticularapproachandwhatyourthinkworksordoesnotworkabouteachsitee.g.theirmessage,the site structure (pages), the navigation elements, style, colours, typography and othervisualconceptsofnote.


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6.WebsiteAnalyticsWebsiteAnalytics (also referred to asGoogleAnalytics) is the functionally usedformeasuringwebsite traffic. It’s also useful for business research andmarketresearch, and for determining and improving upon the effectiveness of yourwebsite.

This section isused todefine therequirementsof theanalytics functionality foryourwebsiteandtodecideonthemostappropriatevendorforthoseanalytics.

Whichwebsiteanalyticstooldoyouwanttouse?Wouldyouliketohaveananalyticstool?Areyoualreadyusingatool,ifsowhichone?Doyouhaveaparticularpreferenceforatoolyouwouldlikethewebdevelopmentagencytouse?

Whatareyoursearchkeywords?What keywords might your typical customer use when searching for your products ofservices?Listasmanyasyoucanthinkofinorderofimportance.


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Shouldcomprehensivekeywordresearchbeperformed?Experts say that proper keywords take precedence over all other online marketingtechniques. The position of your website in a search engine’s list of results will dependlargely on your keyword choices.Would you like theprovider to conduct comprehensivekeywordresearchtorefineyourkeywordsandkeyphrases?

Isyourmetadataready?Mostwebsites includemetadata (information about the length of documents, size of animage,author,publicationdate,summary,etc.).Searchenginesusethisdatawhenaddingpages to their search index. That iswhymetadatawill have a significant impact on thevisibilityofyourwebsiteinsearchengines.Lettheproviderknowwhereyouareplanningtosourceit,ifyoualreadyhaveit,orifyouwantthemtosourceit.


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7.WebsiteAdministrationThis isthespecific informationneededbytheprovidertomakechangestoyourexistingwebsiteor tomakeanewone live.Theyneed this information toallowthem to import, export, upload, make changes and edit information in yourwebsitedatabases,CMSandothersystems.

Typicallyyouwillhaveonelocationwhereyourdomainname(thewwwaddressorURL youwill use) is hosted anda separate locationwhere yourwebsite (thepages,copyandimagestheyagencywillbuild)willbehosted.Theymaybeatthesameplace,buteitherwayyouwillneedtosupplythelogincredentialstoenabletheprovidertodotheirjob.

Youmight also have an accountwith someone like CloudFlare to enhance yoursite’sperformanceand security, or anaccountwithGoogleAnalytics tomonitorandmeasuresitestatistics.Again,logincredentialsareessential.

Canyouprovideaccountcredentials?Listall the relevantaccounts that theagencywill requireaccess toand supply the logincredentialstheywillneed.

It is quite common for web development companies to retain this information to allowthemtoprovideongoingsupportandchanges.Ifyouareuncomfortablewiththis,youcanalwayschangethepasswordswhenthejobhasbeencompleted.

Always, always ensure that you have the login credentials for every account when theproject iscompleted intheeventthatthere isadisputewiththesupplierorthattheygooutofbusiness.Ihaveseentoomanysmallbusinessessuffer,orgetblackmailedformoremoneytohandthedetailsover.Youneedaccesstoyourownaccountstoallowotherstotakeoveranymaintenanceandupgradessoensurethatyouhavethecredentialsyourselfatalltimesandinsistthattheagencydonotchangeyourpasswords.Theseareassetsofyourbusiness.


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Whichtechnologiesdoyouwanttouse?If you already have a website and knowwhich technologies were used (e.g.Wordpress,PHP, Laravel, Node.js, MongoDB, MySQL, etc.) then inform the agency. If there aretechnologiesyouparticularlywantthemtousethentellthemandexplainwhy.Theagencymaysuggestalternatives,andtheymaybebetter,ortheymayjustbetheirpreference.Toooften,theyarejustthe‘flavourofthemonth’,sobeware.

If you are getting into discussions about technologies then find yourself a broadlyexperiencedtechiewhounderstandsbusinessdecisions,orpostquestionsonQuora.com–youneedindependentpeoplegivingyouadviceonthis.Evenwhentheydo,youareoftenleftwithconflictingrecommendationssoalwaysgowiththeonethatmakesthemostsenseforyourbusiness.


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8.AdditionalDetailsThelastsectioninanybriefiswhereyoudocumentanyfurtherinformationthatmightinfluencetheproject.

Itenablesyou tosupplycompleteproject informationandenhancetheagency’sunderstandingoftheproject.

Additional Details may take the form of brief comments, longer supportingdocuments or any other information worth considering before starting theproject.

Anyfinalcomments?Ifyouhaveanyfinalcommentsorinstructionsfortheprovider,pleaseaddthemhere.

AdditionalInformation?Ifyouhaveanyadditionaldocumentsthatmaybeofusetotheprovider,pleaseaddthemhere as appendices. Alternatively, mention each one and put them in an online/offlinefolder you can share with the provider. This could include user manuals, functionalspecifications,designs,orevenmemosande-mails.

THE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT BRIEF

Documents

Transcript of THE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT BRIEF