Opinion
successful web design and explore the
benefits that it can bring for designers
and developers.
THE RISE OF STRATEGY
The role of a web design agency has come
to include so much more than just the
delivery of an impressive website.
As the industry continues to evolve and
companies increasingly shift their focus
to providing a full digital experience, the
many moving parts of a company’s digital
footprint must be considered and
addressed together in order to achieve
the best results.
A complete strategy-definition phase
will consider factors including UX
optimisation, social-media strategy and
SEO, as well as stakeholder needs and
wants, digital roadmapping, attitude to
risk and roll-out planning. This will build
a strateg y that covers much more ground
than the client’s new website.
While the inclusion of discovery as a
phase in digital projects is nothing new,
providing discovery as a standalone
service is. From a startup that needs
detailed strategy in order to secure
funding to an international business that
needs to involve a high number of
stakeholders in its conception and
planning phase, a self-contained
discovery process can be hugely helpful.
Approaching a project in this manner
gives designers and developers the
strongest possible platform from which
to build a website and provides them a
complete understanding of their client’s
needs and wants.
When designers and developers are
involved in defining a client’s strategy,
they are able to build a strong and
informed understanding of its business
objectives, pain points and success
criteria, as well as create accurate cost
breakdowns and timelines for the project.
Being more directly involved in strategy
also ensures team members who have
conventionally been involved in only their
own phases of a project have ample
opportunity to contribute throughout.
This is in stark contrast to the
alternative: starting a website build based
solely on an initial brief and passing it
developers to deliver rounded results and
a clear return on investment.HOW CAN YOU SAY NO?
The collaborative definition of business
strategy is being increasingly recognised
by designers and developers as an
effective – and very often essential –
starting point from which to deliver a
complete and successful digital experience
for clients.
Projects that begin with strategy
definition are tailored carefully to the
client’s objectives, audiences and KPIs,
giving designers and developers the
strongest possible platform from which
to deliver an optimised and successful
digital experience for end users.
The benefits of this approach are clear
to see for designers, developers and client
teams alike.
The real question, then, is how can
anybody say no?along from the design team to the
development team without ever defining
a clear strategy.
Projects that begin with clear strategy
often bring far better return on
investment; team members are
encouraged to avoid short-termism and
create an optimised roll-out plan that
takes into account a range of variables.
Attention to detail is vital.
Finally, it is very easy to overlook the
fact that designers and developers enjoy
working more closely with clients! This
can bring better results in and of itself.
From a client point of view, priorities
are shif ting from shor t to medium term,
and a relationship that revolves around
clear strategy definition serves medium-
and long-term progression.
Businesses are no longer just
approaching agencies for individual
projects. They are looking for a
comprehensive digital presence and this
requires an understanding of the business’s
strategic intent and digital goals.
To put it simply, projects based on a
collaboratively defined strategy provide
the best chance for designers andPROFILE
Gelb is managing director of JBi Digital, a digital
experience agency. It has provided digital services for
brands including Rolls Royce, Channel 4 and ITV.
w: http://www.jbidigital.co.uk