6 Steps for a website redesign. PART 1: Do some user testing
Posted on | February 8, 2010 | No Comments
Want to redesign your website? Fabulous. technology changes so fast, it’s amazing we don’t see web developers walking around in neck braces.
Before you start sourcing web designers and developers, let’s talk nuts and bolts. And yes, I’d recommend hiring BOTH a designer and a developer. They are experts in different, yet overlapping fields. It takes almost genius-level intelligence to do both as one person. The design process is rich and content-driven. And web development technology changes at light speed, is multi-faceted and extremely precise. (We’ll talk more about hiring vendors in another post.)
So where do you start?
First, think about why you came to this decision to redesign. Did your developer leave you high and dry with no access to update files? Is the design outdated? Have you switched markets or audiences? Keep these answers in the back of your brain throughout the whole process. They help to keep your scope in check.
Step ONE: Do some user testing to establish a baseline
Conduct user testing to find out what is and isn’t working on your current site. What you think is obvious might not be so obvious to your users. Use the results to guide the redesign process: new content, new structure, new design elements, new workflows, new wireframes.
User testing entails: figuring out what you want to learn; determining your own organizational goals; writing tasks, scenarios and questions for specific segments of your audience; letting them attempt the tasks; asking questions; gathering and interpreting that data. Hopefully someone can take that data and interpret it visually. That’s a big talent.
You don’t have to test hundreds of people. Six people per task is just fine.
What you get back from user tests:
- video, which is golden because it not only shows you what people are doing, but their body language and physical actions. Sometimes what users say the do is not what they actually do.
- a data about what they did, didn’t or couldn’t do
- and answers to your written questions.
Why should you hire a professional to do this?
Firstly, an outside professional is going to be a monumentally more objective listener than anyone in your organization could be. Your website is your baby. To us, your website is someone else’s baby who we want to clean up and return.
Secondly, professional user testers not only know the best questions to ask, but they know how to extract and interpret data. And as a super bonus, The Web Farm offers visual reports, like revised wireframes and page designs.
Thirdly, professional user testers have years of experience and have most likely dappled in all kinds of websites. They know what’s best. They can make recommendations. It’s their job to know what works.
But if you are going to try to do it yourself, here’s where to start:
After you’ve figured out what your goals are and what you want to measure, create a persona your testers need to assume. So: you are a journalist looking for information about our group/organization/business. Then, write some good questions. Make sure you not only have a few easy yes/no questions, but also some good open-ended questions that aren’t leading. Then you can start asking away.
5 Quick Questions to Ask Users:
1. At first glance, what is this site about?
2. Can you find where you need to go?
3. Can you quickly find where to contact a human being?
4. Are there too many links or buttons? Too few?
5. What can you tell about the people behind the site?
Write as many as you’d like, but don’t overwhelm your users. Questions should be tailored to what you want to learn but open-ended question will reveal surprising insights.
Then:
Doing more user testing after you have a few home page designs hammered out is also a good idea. No sense designing a whole site around something that isn’t quite reaching your goals and audience, right?
COMING SOON:
PART TWO: Use and interpret your analytics
It’s our first After Work Special and we are so stoked!
Posted on | February 5, 2010 | 1 Comment
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2010: Web Analytics 101 at OfficePort Chicago
Come have a drink and learn about web analytics from your friends at The Web Farm. We promise it won’t hurt!
Do you have Google Analytics (or a similar free analytics tool) installed for your website? Learn how to do more than just ogle pageview traffic every day. The instructors at The Web Farm love this stuff and we want to help you learn more.
Learn:
- What exactly IS web analytics anyway?
- What stuff like pageviews, unique pageviews and bounce rate actually mean.
- How to use web analytics to make your website better.
- How to create web analytics reports your boss will care about
- Where to go to learn more and get really dangerous with this stuff
This workshop is for small business owners or non-profit professionals who are new to online marketing, or who eyeing a revamp of their web presence. Come with questions!
Instructors: The Web Farmers – Keidra Chaney, web analytics and social media specialist AND Emily Lonigro, online branding and user testing specialist
Location: OfficePort Chicago, 9 W. Washington, just west of State
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Format: Interactive presentation, thoughtful Q&A and tasty drinks
Cost: $20 per person, FREE WINE!
NOTE: After you register, make payment via PayPal
Tags: afterwork special > officeport > web analytics
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2010: Special Web Analytics Event for Big Ooga Members
Posted on | February 5, 2010 | No Comments
If you’re a member of Chicago networking group Big Ooga, we’ve got something special just for you!
Intro to Web Analytics: What it is, how to get started and what to measure
What is web analytics? It is a way to better understand your website’s visitor behavior by monitoring and analyzing website traffic. It’s a valuable tool for an organization with an online presence. Learn tips and tools how to incorporate web analytics as part of your organization’s online communications, marketing, or fundraising strategy. The instructors at The Web Farm make this in-depth topic not only informative, but fun! We love this stuff!
Learn:
- Technology and fundamental thinking of Web Analytics (in a nutshell)
- How to create measurable goals for your online marketing
- Analytics planning and implementation in your workplace
- Resources for training and education
Instructors : The Web Farmers: Keidra Chaney, web analytics and social media specialist AND Big Ooga Member Emily Lonigro, online branding and user testing specialist.
Location: Big Ooga HQ, 641 S. Wesley, Oak Park 60304
Time: 1-3:30 PM
Format: Private Gathering, Interactive Presentation & Thoughtful Q&A
Maximum: 20 people
Cost: $30 per person, $20 for Big Ooga Members (promocode: BIGOOGA)
Take the chill out of your Sunday afternoon with enlightening information, lite faire & libations. There will be time to mingle and sip.
(After you register, make payment via PayPal)
So what is it that we do, exactly?
Posted on | January 29, 2010 | No Comments
So I was talking about The Web Farm the other day to a friend and the conversation went a little something like this:
Friend: “So the next time I need a website for something, I can come to you guys to design it, right?”
Me: “Well, not exactly…”
Friend: “What do you mean, you’re a web design firm. Right?”
Me: “Actually, no. We’re not.”
Friend: “Well, what exactly do you do, then?”
Excellent question. At The Web Farm, our approach to the web and the online world is a little different. Our professional background is in web design, content and implementation, yes, but there are many tools that are just as important and we want people to learn what they are and how to use them.
We are consultants and instructors that teach the tools of online marketing, branding and strategy: the secret formula that turns a good-looking website into a powerful tool to convey your organization’s message and turn visitors into true supporters of your brand and mission.
The online world is pretty competitive these days. It takes more than an attractive website to get people’s attention – and to keep it. Large companies and organizations like Amazon, Zappos, and others use sophisticated marketing and design tools and spend loads of money to optimize their web presence and stay on top of the online game. We teach you those tools at a fraction of the cost and then hand over the keys.
Some of these tools include:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Web Analytics
- Usability Testing
- Social Media Strategy
So you have no clue what any of this stuff is and why it would be beneficial to you. That’s OK, that’s why The Web Farm is for!
There’s no shortage of creative and talented web designers and programmers out there that can make your website look and run great. Our job is to assist them – and you – in creating a website that not only looks great but also will convey your message/mission to your audience in an effective and irresistible way. How do we do this?
- We offer a range of consulting packages where we can help you with your social media strategy, analytics, search engine optimization, content development and user testing. Take a look >
- We’ll have some after-work and weekend workshops on a variety of topics, to get you up to speed on what you need to know. More of those coming soon >
- We also speak at conferences, too. All across the U.S.
So call The Web Farm when:
- Your company is considering a website redesign but don’t know where to start.
- You have this thing called Google Analytics installed somewhere on your site but have no idea how to use it or what it does.
- You have a great looking website or great content but you want more people to see it/use it.
- You want to get started with social media but aren’t sure how it works or why it would be beneficial at all.
We’re here to help, so contact us if you want to learn more.
Facebook Fan Pages: Make Them Work For You!
Posted on | January 28, 2010 | 1 Comment
A common question I get from organizations about Facebook is “what’s best for us? A Facebook profile, Group or fan page?” The answer has changed recently.
A couple of years ago, the answer would have been “it depends.” When Facebook first introduced fan Pages back in 2007, they left much to be desired in terms of functionality and giving organizations the ability to truly engage with Facebook users. (For example, in the very early stages of Facebook fan Pages, administrators could not send “blast” style messages to fans in-boxes, a feature available in Facebook groups). Pages seemed to serve the role of a promotional platform, rather than an engagement tool.
Profile, Group or Page? The Definitions
In the past year or so, the developers at Facebook have made strides in adapting the functionality of profiles, groups and pages to serve user needs:
Profiles continue to be best for individuals who are looking to personally connect with others.
Groups are ideal for bottom-up social networks around common interests (fan clubs, volunteers, etc.)
Pages have now evolved into a powerful tool for organizations and companies who want to connect with supporters, but who also have very specific marketing goals that require further insight on users.
Facebook Insights: Learn More About Your Fans
The key tool that makes Facebook fan pages so valuable to organizations doing social media marketing is Facebook Insights, which provides page administrators with information on user demographics and activity on Facebook. If you’re a marketing data geek, this is juicy stuff: the average age, gender, and location of your users. Additional information includes page views, photo views, and “interactions” such as comments and “likes.”
If you work for a company looking to truly benefit from Facebook’s ability to connect with users, there is no better tool to use than Facebook Insights. And if you’re a marketer that regularly reports progress on your Facebook traffic and interaction to your company (and if not, you should!) Facebook makes this report-ready data available in a downloadable .csv or a Microsoft Excel (.xml) file. In my experience I’ve found this data extremely useful in reporting company progress with social media marketing efforts to higher-ups, through weekly updates on Facebook activity and fan counts.
To be sure, Facebook Insights is an imperfect tool, and it you are one for drilling down into segmented data (traffic and interaction by age, or location for example) you won’t find it here. Yet.
Facebook developers continue to evolve and improve the effectiveness of Facebook Insights, and I am confident that as more organizations use this tool to aid in their social media marketing goals, we’ll see more improvements in the future. Recently, Facebook Insights added pageview information by individual post – a godsend for anyone with a content-rich Facebook page and want to assess the popularity and impact of posts by content, something administrators could only speculate about before.
Don’t Forget Goals!
A final word about reporting and Facebook Insights. As with all web metrics, Facebook Insights are only as valuable as the marketing goals and objectives you apply them to, so I urge you to really look at your overall marketing goals and strategy and see how these juicy stats can lend insight. If you haven’t established measurable goals for your social media marketing efforts, there’s no better time to go back to the drawing board and start. How do you do this? Well, that’s for another blog post!
Tags: Facebook fan pages > Facebook Insights > social media measurement > social media metrics
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