A PROCESS FOR WEB DESIGN SUCCESS Pam Burton, ncsc.org Chris Crawford, justiceserved.com Susan Finkelpearl, freerangestudios.com

Things you need to know… #1: Why are you doing this? Define your goals Common pitfalls: Tackling the wrong things Tackling too much at once

Design Where NCSC was:

Taxonomy Where NCSC was:

Things you need to know… #2: Are your goals the right ones? Validate and revise Common pitfall: Gathering requirements only from internal users

What type of information are you usually looking for when you visit ncsc.org? 6 Audience What NCSC did:

Universal pitfall: They almost never match Common pitfalls: Not knowing where to turn for help Having to keep multiple resources on the same page Vet as many options as possible Things you need to know… #3: Match your resources with your goals (ha!)

Sitemap  Wireframes  Final designs (jpgs)  Internal and external review Content migration & more review Final checks (usability, reporting) Launch Things you need to know… # 4: Define and track project milestones

Top 10 Court Website Awards 11 years running All sites judged, not just nominations 2008 = 4,000 sites considered, 2009 = 3,000 Judgment criteria: Interactive e-services (the more, the better) Ease of navigation Aesthetics and extras

Court Website Superstars Sacramento (CA) Superior Court Loads of e-services, virtual tour and collaboration Singapore Subordinate Courts ISO 9000 rated for quality & serious e- government Several US State Portals (NJ, CO, NY) Statewide traffic ticket payment, e-filing, e-jury

Why is it so hard to design a great website?

All sectors struggle to have great websites.

All sectors struggle to have great websites.

All sectors struggle to have great websites.

We lack funding to improve our site. We don’t have enough staff to maintain the site, let alone redesign it. There are so many problems. Where to start? We’re thinking of a redesign and it feels so daunting. I’m not sure how to demonstrate good ROI. The shortcomings are clear… It’s the process that’s the challenge.

Demonstrate: Better design = More $ To determine goals & ROI: Track incoming calls over several weeks. Look at web analytics. Conduct Audience Research. Use information to develop a prioritized Goals Memo and ROI Estimate. Distribute to leadership. Tips For… Getting people on board.

Arm yourself with user testing (seeing is believing): Focus groups and/or user testing need not be expensive. The mother-in-law test works wonders. Tips For… A user-friendly website.

Get inside the minds of your audience: Online surveys can be delivered to e- newsletter recipients. Online surveys + one-on-one interviews are even better. Tips For… A user-friendly website.

An Audience Matrix Column 1Column 2Column 3Column 4 List Audiences. What do they need? What do you want from them? Sitemap Ideas. Tips For… A user-friendly website.

Follow best design and IA practices. Read Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug Develop a sitemap (Excel & tree) Craft wireframes ( your blue prints) Design 2 homepage looks if possible Don’t Dreamweaver your site. Go with a CMS. Tips For… Rock solid design.

…and then start with small changes. Tips For Not going insane.

Tips For… After changes or re-launch. Tout and build on your success. Remember that Goals & ROI memo? Share your successes with key decision makers. Go back to your analytics. Go back to your audience. Jared Spool says, “Talk to people every 6 weeks!”

Guinea Pig Yukon, Canada.

Guinea Pig Pierce County, Washington.

Guinea Pig Pierce County, Washington.

Guinea Pig New York City Civil Court.