Steps of a redesign

Overview
Goals
Time estimate and team
Content review
Site structure and navigation
Finalize timeline and content
Visual design development
Production and proofing
Launch and maintenance

Focus group research: example

Although this focus group, conducted in 2000, was used to determine the design direction of a series of printed brochures, the methodology remains the same: gather audience members and provide them with samples aimed at that audience. Public Affairs used a variety of samples because the committee had very different ideas about design directions. This research allowed the team to focus on what materials were most effective at engaging the audience, as opposed to the materials that were most effective at engaging the committee.

For a web project, you would keep the questions about colors, photography, typography, and writing, adding questions about effective navigation, site usability, value of content, browser preference, platform preference, and monitor resolution.

Goal

To determine direction of art and copy for a series of brochures aimed at recruiting students for retreat weekends where they would develop certain skills

Participants

• Six students, eighteen to twenty-one years of age, both male and female, from a wide range of backgrounds
• One facilitator to ask questions
• One facilitator to take notes

Materials

• Approximately ten commercial and institutional advertisements and brochures, most aimed at fifteen- to twenty-three-year-olds, some aimed at twenty-three- to twenty-eight-year-olds
• Pizza
• Pen
• Paper

Results

Color

• Orange is nobody's favorite color and is associated with football, but a little orange is OK
• Orange and blue together are identified with academics and admissions, and is considered "sporty"
• Tertiary colors: five out of six students preferred strong or bright colors, while one preferred subtle tints
• Strong saturated colors: five prefered the "strong colors" sample, although they felt the cover needed more contrast

Photography

• All students preferred the action photographs of subjects in their age group
• They liked photos that were blurred or where someone was clearly moving
• Students liked "photo series" or "filmstrip" style of photographs. They liked seeing "the story" and "the action"
• All liked seeing photos of campus and other students
• They preferred diverse groups of students
• They unanimously preferred a large skateboard photo shot from an unusual angle showing movement, and a student from their same group
• Four students mentioned they liked photos behind the text. Two did not comment on this
• Five thought the "sci-fi" postcard was "cool and engaging" and liked the motion, blur, and combo of black-and-white photography and color. One student found it too busy
• Students unanimously agreed that photos of "people sitting around talking" were boring

Lines, columns, text, and layout

• All students liked the lines and boxes, and half liked the circle publications
• When text was presented in full blocks, the title above the text was a determining factor in whether the students would read the text block
• When text was presented in table or column format, they were more apt to scan the text. If it passed the scan, they read it
• One student felt clear headlines were very critical
• Four students found the IC brochure dull or plain
• Two students strongly disliked the lines on the photograph in brochure B
• Students preferred the use of white space in the layout and photos

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