You might be thinking about having a website designed, developing a database driven website or having a custom application developed.
The vision is the easy part; the next step is explaining to your designer and developer what you want.
In order to clearly communicate your needs to a developer you will need to roughly map out why you need it, how it operates and who will benefit from this application.
To help you map this out I have some guides below:
1.Why you need it. This seems obvious but sometimes this can get overlooked. A directory website can be a great service to provide through your website but you need to make sure its necessary and that it will help your users – you also need to make sure you can make a return on your investment. For example, if you have access to providing a national network of suppliers for a service that currently is not being compiled elsewhere then this is a service that can really help users. Providing a central point for consumers to gather a supplier without having to trawl through many websites. The directory website might be a place where suppliers will pay to list their service hence a way for you to generate a return on your investment. If you are developing a custom application, the why may lie in just reducing admin functions and making your staff more time effective.
2. How it works. The hard part. This is where we need to understand the processes behind the website. For example, if it a membership based system, what levels of membership will there be? What do the different levels of membership entitle you to? What information is displayed on the different membership profiles? Once someone searches for a service what is the next step? To really map these things out we meet face to face with our clients, however to get your inspiration flowing a good idea is to visit other websites with a similar structure and follow the processes they have. Note what you like or don’t like.
3.Who benefits? This is the critical part. If your target audience doesn’t benefit from all of your hard work then the site isn’t going to convert for you. Make sure you are providing a service that addresses a particular need and that you are targeting the right groups
If you would like to have a chat about your ideas for a database driven website, directory website or having a custom application developed, connect with us today!
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