Planning in a bubble? Web design requires more than that!

17 Jul, 2012

If you think the vision for your site can be developed in isolation, without considering a broader context, then you’re mistaken. Confused? Don’t be, we have the guidelines that will help you out.

Understanding the context

A context is always present no matter what you’re developing. New functionality is there within the context of its parent site while the site itself exists within the broader context of your organization and its strategies. So basically you have three layers of context where each one affects the one below it. These are:

Organizational Objectives – What is your organization trying to achieve?
Website Objectives – What is the reason for the website and what objectives does it fulfill?
Web Project Objectives – How will the project achieve the objectives of the website?

When you understand these layers, it helps in decisions you make regarding functionality and priorities in any individual project. Significant thought should be given to the broader context.

Context and consultation

One way of understanding the broader context of your website is to talk to stakeholders. This is because the role of the website is to help these stakeholders attain their business objectives; hence their participation will help shape the website’s vision. Stakeholders interact with the target audience everyday and can provide valuable insights. They can also tell you problems about the website that you can fix.

Talk to various stakeholders across the organization and you’ll know how the website can help achieve business objectives. Political benefits can also be achieved by interacting with stakeholders because you would have their approval and your project won’t face unnecessary delays. What can you achieve by speaking with stakeholders at the planning stage? Two important things:

You can identify any objections upfront
You make them feel good and engaged by letting them express their concerns and requirements

Sorry to burst your bubble but this is how websites are planned. Understand the border context and move towards successful projects. Need help on your next website project? Contact 4M Designers for expert advice now!

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