Assessing the Old Site
Most of the web projects I've worked on have been redesigns of previous sites. My first step is always to carefully examine the existing site to see what is or isn't working for the web site's owner.
When I examined the existing site for my current project, I could see that the web site didn't match my group's goals. The content was a bit outdated and the section navigation didn't reflect what we do here. It was hard to find information on our current projects, which was frustrating to people outside our group who used the site as a reference.
After I examined the old site myself, I surveyed other people about what they thought should be in the new website and what they valued in the existing site. I included both people inside my group and people who come to my group for services. The list of suggestions was long, and some of the items were not practical -- but there were also suggestions that a lot of people gave, such as:
- a clear list of our services
- a showcase to highlight projects and new technologies at OSU
- easier navigation
- more online resources
- an RSS feed of our news and events
