Since a large part of our business is website redesigns, we’re always motivated to pass along info that can help our clients streamline the process. Here, MarketingSherpa discusses the recipe used by Bert DuMars of Newell Rubbermaid (if you’re thinking, “Oh snap, a B2C”, you should know that they also have sizable commercial/industrial lines of business). While a bit of it may be overkill for many of our clients – Bert is responsible for literally dozens of brand websites – most is quite relevant.
Much of his focus is on making the redesign successful the first time, which means that most of the heavy lifting happens before the redesign actually starts:
- Get user feedback from both online surveys and click-stream data; this will illuminate improvements needed in information architecture, navigation, search, content and graphics. (For Rubbermaid, this process begins as much as a full year ahead.)
- Update the brand’s strategy before starting; no need to elaborate on the project elongation that will result from updating the strategy during the redesign.
- Assign one in-house person to oversee the project; having someone coordinate Marketing, IT, the other stakeholders and external support helps the redesign project go so much smoother and faster.
Finally, DuMars suggests resisting the tendency to try to satisfy everyone, vs. simply the great majority; there will always be a group of people who don’t like something about your new site. Also, focus on solving the major problems, vs. small aesthetic issues.
