Many businesses I work with have a view that creating a website design brief is the responsibility of the agency or developer, while the agencies and developers believe it is down to the business. So, who is right?
As in all these cases it is probably a mixture of both. There can be no doubt it is the responsibility of the business owner to communicate their requirements, their goals, their current situation and future plans. This is self-evident, the developer is unlikely to have any real knowledge of your business, how it operates, or your marketplace. Add to this that most web development is carried out by people who know how to programme or design websites –why would you assume that they have sufficient (if any) marketing or sales skills. Yet many businesses abdicate responsibility, for perhaps the most important marketing tool their company will produce, into the hands people that little experience of marketing but a big incentive to lead you down a path that indicates how a website can be the answer to all your marketing problems.
For the Business, creating a website design brief can create a problem. There seems to be a huge barrier of technology and jargon to break through to be able to even speak the same language as the web development world. In addition, it is very difficult for anyone without extensive experience to make any kind of value judgement about what is going to achieve business objectives.
My experience is that the majority of web developers really want to do the best job they can for their clients. They have the skills and knowledge to build websites that could work for their clients’ businesses. However, there are web developers who mistake the functionality and design values that they put into a site, for good marketing practice. It is always a lot easier to get a job through a client if it looks visually stunning and has lots of bells and whistles. The business should be asking “Does this meet our aims?” not “does’t that look fantastic?”
Often I get approached by companies that have spent lots of money on a website that simply is not working for them. When I ask “What is your website for, why did you get a website?” Very few offer any kind of clear response, the most common being: “Because we needed a website,” or “Because our competitors had one.” I also hear: “To generate sales/leads/enquiries etc.“, which is at least focused on business, but is nowhere near specific enough to be called an objective.
If it is not common for businesses to even understand what the website is for, or why they are getting one developed, how can it be possible for them to make a judgement on what will work for them. This is where the relationship with your developer is of primary importance. They should take your brief – break it down into the objectives you want to achieve – then feedback a realistic methodology to achieve those aims.
I often commission websites on behalf of clients and my strategy is to provide a brief to several designers/developers (some who I have worked with in the past, and other who are new to me) and ask for their response. In the first instance I ask for a written proposal based on how they will meet the objectives of the brief. The one rule is that they present no graphics to support their pitch. This means that they have to think about the marketing aspect and my (and my client’s) view of what they present is not coloured by pretty pictures.
Remember that the website brief is prepared for someone outside your business who doesn’t necessarily know anything about your business or industry. Even if they claim to have vast experience in your industry.
The purpose of the brief is to clearly define your requirements;
- A profile of your business, its image, brand and products or other offerings including future plans
- The objectives of the site – clearly laid out and defined with measurable outcomes.
- The target market – who will be the users of the site, what will be their requirements?
- Functionality requirements. Payment systems, social networking, newsletter sign-up, etc.
- The scale and scope of the development project including responsibilities, size of site etc.
- What are the project constraints, budget, timescale etc.
- How success or failure will be measured?
Regard this initial document as a wish list and then discuss what is possible with your designer/developer. They should guide you as to what is possible within your budget and how technology and functionality might help achieve your aims. When finalised the document will be what the developer works to and effectively forms part of your contract with them.
Throughout the process you should always remember that it is your business, if you have defined clearly what you want, why you needs it, and provided all the information the developer requires including realistic expectations, budgets and timescales then if it isn’t delivered to the brief then you have every justification in blaming the web developer.
Furthermore, take responsibility for the project and also recognise that the development is a partnership, not something to be simply handed over, with no further involvement until it is delivered – and you decide you don’t like it anymore.
For more information on website development visit Chiltern Marcoms a Chesham based on-line marketing specialist.
