Planning a Web Project
Planning a Web Project
In this article:
Structure
Planning the structure of the site is an important step before content development begins. You should create an overview of all the information that will appear on the site. The more thorough and complete the outline, the more successful you will be in creating the structure and navigation models for the site.
The overview of the content can be a simple outline or it can be a more complex diagram created with a graphics program. At the very beginning of the process you may prefer to work with Post-Its or index cards which will allow you to lay out the content and move it around easily.
A common approach is to collect all the content you currently want to deliver via the Web, organize it into a hierarchy and call the content plan done. That approach provides a good starting point, but be sure to extend the process to identify holes and missing pieces that your users need.
After you've outlined the content that should be hosted on the site, check with your customers. Ask what kind of information would bring them to the site and what they would expect to find there. If the project schedule and budget do not allow for a user survey, put yourself in the user's shoes and analyze the content from the user's perspective. Keep in mind that the organization's conceptual understanding of the information may not be the same as your readers'.
The following table shows two sets of categories for similar information. In some cases, the distinction is subtle, but it is more than just semantics. Thinking about your content in terms of what your users are looking for will impact the way the content is developed.
| Typical categories from the writer's perspective | Typical categories from the reader's perspective |
|---|---|
| About our organization | Contact information |
| Press releases | Industry news |
| Alphabetical list of products | List of products by specialty |
| Product features | Product uses |
| Prices | Cost comparison with competitive products |
| Our clients | Our products in the field |
It is a good idea to check competitors' websites if they exist. A competitive analysis is a good way to find holes in your content. But, don't feel you have to do everything they do. There is lots of bad design and content available on the Web. Copying it doesn't help your users.
Lastly, be brutally honest about cutting out content your users do not care about. Your credibility as an information resource will suffer if users feel your site is geared too much toward marketing. Avoiding the marketing spin can be particularly difficult. You may feel pressure from sales and marketing departments to "educate" people that come to the site. Unless a clear goal of the site is to educate people about the company, limit that kind of content.