WORKING GUIDE / WEBSITE DECISIONS
Does your website need a fresh start?
Sometimes one broken step needs attention. Sometimes the whole structure gets in the way. Use the customer journey to decide what to change.
01 / Walk through a real customer task.
Choose a service a customer might need. Starting on your homepage, find its explanation, evidence and next step on a phone. Record where information is missing or the route becomes confusing. Repeat with someone who is unfamiliar with the business.
02 / Separate content problems from system limits.
Unclear copy, an overlooked enquiry button or a missing proof point may be fixed within the existing system. Repeated layout failures, inaccessible navigation or a CMS that prevents essential content changes may justify broader work.
03 / Inventory what should survive.
List useful URLs, service information, search entry pages, downloads and integrations. If you have search and analytics data, use it to understand which pages bring relevant visits. A new design should account for those assets before anything is removed.
04 / Choose the smallest sufficient scope.
Targeted improvement fits a small number of isolated problems. A structural redesign fits unclear navigation and page relationships on a workable foundation. A rebuild fits an underlying platform that cannot support the agreed requirements. The choice should follow evidence, not the age of the design alone.
05 / Define acceptance before the build.
Describe what a customer must be able to do, which pages and languages are included, where enquiries must arrive and what happens on failure. Include mobile checks, keyboard access and URL migration. A visual sign-off alone cannot verify the entire journey.
Bring these to the first conversation.
Your website address, three customer questions, the most frustrating part of the current site and any available search data. That is enough to begin a useful review; a finished redesign brief is not required.
Start with one useful change.