Developing a Website Brief by Hannah Rudman

Hannah Rudman

Developing a website brief to put out to tender

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

Approach with confidence!

You know what youraudience likes!

You know what you like!


It starts with YOU!•Take a step back•Brainstorm •Invite input

•Why have you got a website?•What’s it for?•What does it deliver for our:

community / network / organisation

•Develop a brief


Establish the success criteria

• Business aims and objectives?

• How will website help meet goals?

• Site aims and objectives?

• Success criteria?

• Sales? Increase time, attention, numbers?


Develop an overview

• What your org does, for who

• Existing communications channels (incl. wider web presence)

• Current website arrangements

• Timescale for development

• Max budget


Define your organisation



Design Specification

• Elements of house style included?

• What is the corporate id? Will website compliment or be different? Why?

• Design to appeal to a specific target audience?

• List the content

• Describe how often content will be updated and who/what by (skills? feeds?)


Functionality Specification

• Navigation and structure

• Landing page functions

• Consistent functions on all pages

• Specific functions:

• Search, Rss, video, photos, audio, sharing, social networks, newsletter, sitemap

• (Internally: prioritise essentials and wishlist)



Technical Specification

• OSS CMS

• Optimisation for mobile?

• Systems to integrate - live box office, CRM, stock management

• instantaneous real time? daily?

• What restrictions are required to access databases? what security?

• How often will users access databases?

• In what volumes?

• Misc. (eg. limited access speeds)Tuesday, 2 November 2010

E-commerce/online ticketing

• Products and services

• Payment processes

• Fulfillment details

• How and where T&Cs of purchase are to be displayed

• What systems you use and what language those systems use for data exchange


SEO & stats

• Ensure designer understands SEO

• Include your keywords and tags

• List websites you’d ideally like to link to your website

• Do you have Google analytics? Share account with the developer

• What other reports, logs and stats do you want?



Accessibility & Useability

• Ensure designer understands W3C Web Accessibility Iniative

• Decide which level you would like to comply with

• require that the site is tested by tools such as W3C, Cynthia, NetMechanic

• Say what level of usability testing you will be doing and at what points

• http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-i/guides/how-to-be-accessible/


http://toolkit.getambition.com

http://toolkit.getambition.com

http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-i/guides/how-to-be-accessible/




The deliverables

• Website itself

• Access to CMS and training

• Documentation

• site architecture map

• CMS instructions

• hosting & database information (u/n & p/w)

• Statement/evidence that website has passed accessibility reqs


Ownership & T&Cs• Copyright of the content and any bespoke coding

• T&Cs of the website

• User generated content present on the website?

• http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-i/web/terms-conditions-for-websites-that-include-user-generated-content/

• T&Cs for website developer

• Payment, consultation levels and project management, process for resolving disputes


http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-i/web/terms-conditions-for-websites-that-include-user-generated-content/







Consents & disclaimers

• Specify what notices and disclaimers your website will need to include

• Terms and conditions

• Privacy policy

• http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-i/web/privacy-policies-for-website/

• IP property protection and third party licenses and consents

• Company info


http://resources.getambition.com/3_how-do-i/web/privacy-policies-for-website/




Budget & Timescale

• State maximum budget, or no budget if you want a broad idea of wider market and lots of response

• State timescales of

• Tender process

• interviews, commissioning, notification of non-success

• Full project

• Milestones for delivery, phases


Advertising the brief


Interviewing & appointing

• Shortlist: meet as a team, mark against brief

• At interview:

• It’s personal!

• Do they get you? have they understood the success criteria?

• Proven track record? Similar clients?

• Have they challenged or innovated?

• Value for money?



Working with the designers

• Agree who’s project managing and lines of communication

• Agree who’s hosting? Who’s inputting content?

• Agree milestones, payments, deadlines

• Meet regularly review regularly


Testing & Revision

• What is to be tested?

• Under what conditions? Volumes?

• Over what period and when?

• Clarify

• who pays for revisions as a result of testing

• what roles and responsibilities are


Training & Maintenance & Warranties

• Agree levels of training and documentation, and add to project plan

• Agree maintenance services

• What warranties?

• due skill and care (take references)

• designers own work, granted on perpetual license

• IP consent for materials used on site by designers

• Bug fixing periods



Technology

Developing a Website Brief by Hannah Rudman