Breaking the Cycle of Website Redesigns
Website redesigns are expensive, time-consuming, and hugely popular. Why? Because unlike website optimization, they’re tangible and exciting. You clearly see the end result. In my observation, companies redesign their website’s quite frequently, typically following a predictable pattern:
The Website Redesign Cycle
- Company creates website
- Company grows tired of website, and realizes it doesn’t meet all of their needs
- Company redesigns website, addresses some of the weaknesses, but damages features that worked perfectly, annoying customers accustomed to the old site
- Repeat (endlessly)
Website Redesign = Admission of Failure
The sad fact is, when a complete website overhaul is necessary, someone has been asleep at the wheel. Someone hasn’t been extracting actionable information from analytics reports. Someone wasn’t testing pages, headers, and buttons. If someone was, small, gradual changes could have precluded a redesign in the first place.
Who Are You Redesigning For?
If you aren’t designing with your customers in mind, the project is bound to fail. You can’t design for your CEO, because he’s not using your website. But don’t customers get sick of the same website? Not really. Come to think of it, most people don’t like change at all. The truth is, your company cares more about the look of your site than your customer ever will. Customers don’t know that your site hasn’t been redesigned in a year, as long as they can complete their objective.
Evolve, Don’t Re-Invent
Drastic is dangerous. By evolving your site, little by little, based on true customer feedback and testing, you’ll slowly but surely build a truly remarkable website. No, it’s not as exciting as a redesign, but it works.
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September 28th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I have to say this well stated. My company does just that for businesses. We charge a flat monthly rate so the site can build with the client. We track the page to see the activity on what works and what doesn’t. The best way to build a site is bit by bit. Google loves this because it’s starting show a track record of quality information.
Great Job!!!
September 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am
The ecommerce world is short on online business strategists. No pure design/development firm (unfortunately) wants to reduce scope by suggesting incremental changes. The services market is full of bad advisers with shortsighted objectives.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:27 am
I think you’re missing a pretty big drawback of evolution.
As you suggest, evolution can’t go back to the drawing board, only improve what’s already there. So nothing’s ever perfect, as though it were designed right the first time. Take for example, the giraffe. As it’s neck extended, it’s vagus nerve coming from the brain still had to travel the entire length of the neck just to loop round the aorta (first major blood vessel leaving the heart) and come right back up again to the larynx, making it about 15 feet long. This is only possible because natural selection has no foresight; no goal in mind. If evolution could “go back to the drawing board” every so often, and “design” these features again, we’d have a much more efficient, streamlined giraffe. If only that were the case. I’d love to be redesigned with the “must walk upright” specification laid down beforehand. Humanity’s endless back pain complaints are because this simply isn’t the case.
Redesigning can certainly be a good thing, but only if you learn from the mistakes of your previous designs, rather than just being bored with them.
Well, there we go. Evolution, internet marketing and evidence against an designer god all in one comment!