Research |
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We all have an idea of what we want from our website,
but the real question is what does your customer want from your website, the two might not be the same.
Providing services or information that the customer
doesn't want is simply a waste of your resources not to mention
money.
The results of only a little research can be very rewarding,
providing you with an insight into how you can most effectively
spend your resources to achieve the maximum return. Questions
like 'can you cope with this new stream of information' can be
answered more realistically. |
Design |
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From the research we
can build design goals and objectives, things like
how
best to deliver information and what format
are key to reaching those objectives and are the foundation
of its effectiveness.
Careful consideration must be given to the balance
between presentation, product branding and the objectives
you have to achieve.
Designing the site so as to still provide a level
of flexibility for change and growth. could save you
the cost of a complete rebuild if your site takes off
in a big way. |
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Functions and services |
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Providing the customer with
the right tools could save your company time and money.
Take the example on the right. This company receives
hundreds of questions each year asking how much will
a wrought iron curtain
pole of x length with x bends and x rings cost and
how many brackets will I need.
By providing a simple
database
driven form and calculator they can have the answer
right there and then based on up to date prices.
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Testing and monitoring |
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We recommend that you
test your website on a small group of customers before
it goes live, this will give you the opportunity to
fine tune any areas that need it and at the same time
gain more information on their expectations of your
companies purpose on the internet.
Website generated statistics can provide you with
some very useful insight into how your visitor is moving
through your site, but this should be coupled with
feedback forms and other methods for analysing the
functionality of the website. |
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Well ? |
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Everyone works to a budget and like wise
your website needs to have a budget too.
You don't have to
go all out the first time, but hopefully the information
above will give you some idea as to what's involved and why.
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