I had a wonderful time speaking for ISAE yesterday and serving on a panel on website redesign projects. After my keynote presentation and a great lunch, we had some excellent Q&A around what leads to a successful website redesign project. Special thanks to Katie Voorhest for inviting me to speak and for being one of the most effective, organized planners I have ever met.

Here are the top 5 takeaways that I want to share based on our discussion.

1. Know your audience. Be sure that your new website is not designed for your internal staff. It should be designed for your constituents. The personal preferences of your CEO or other executives should not dictate your design. Your brand identity and your constituents should drive the design.

2. Avoid “design by committee”. Choose one point person as your project lead. This person should solicit feedback but filter accordingly. However, make sure all decision-makers are in the room during approval meetings.

3. Instead of writing complex RFPs, try starting with interviews. RFPs can sometimes lead to an over-complicated vendor selection process and can also result in inaccurate pricing. Start by talking to qualified web firms and see what their processes are like.

4. Choose a good website design and development firm. This makes a huge difference. Look for a firm that has experience in your industry (or similar types of websites), a deep portfolio of work that you like, and (most importantly) a proven process.

5. Budget for content and photography. Great content and professional photography can make or break a design. Remember, website visitors make snap decisions about the credibility of your organization in less than a second based on your design. Don’t skimp on content and photography.

For further reading, here are the websites I referenced during my presentation with further information on design trends and usability:

A List Apart (design and development trends)
Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox (usability)
Redesigning Your Website (my presentation given at the event)
7 Habits of Highly Effective Websites (my presentation on website best practices)

I would also like to invite everyone to register for this upcoming seminar:

7 Habits of Highly Effective Websites

It will be a great followup and will have very specific examples of website design and usability best practices.

Thanks again to ISAE and all who attended for a great event!