Complete website content structure makeover
- Preview of the new IHC Merwede website. Launching of the new website is scheduled to take place on May 1st, 2009.
- Current design as of november 2007.
Back in 2000, when Techmace built the first real website for IHC Holland, webdesign was a relative straightforward process of collecting product data and company information and creating a number of HTML files and JPEG's with Notepad and Photoshop. Upload all files to a webaccount and ready, you are connected to the rest of the world. Pure simplicity, in retrospect.
Now, spring 2009, to say things are very different is an understatement. No longer can an extensive and important website as IHC Merwede's one be created by 2 or 3 people. It now takes many experts from a number of disciplines inside and outside the company to build something that appeals to the rest of the world and also supports the business goals. Obviously, such an operation comes with a price tag, and one that can get out of hand easily if not managed very well.
Navigation and structure based on "personas"
One main difference in the webdesign approach of the early web years and today is that you really have to please the visitors of your website. They are busy people with very little time, and if they don't like what they see in let's say the first 10 seconds, most of them are gone. So what do you have to do to make sure most of the visitors of your website don't run away immediately, but stay for a while to find the answer to their question?
First of all, an attractive and clear design will help. For the new IHC Merwede website, SQZI did a wonderful job in redesigning the current website, while keeping original ideas in tact about what should be visible (see both images). This was a requirement from our client. Secondly, step into the shoes and look through the eyes of your website visitors, and by that I mean the visitors that matter to your company. Try to understand what the questions are that drove them to your website. After that, rethink how you can answer those questions as clearly and convincing as possible.
What I said above is very plausible, and you have thought about it yourself as well probably. But to put theory in practice is, as is often the case, a different story. For instance, how do you distance yourself from what you know already about your products and services, and look through someone else's eyes that doesn't know and understand all that?
Because all websites face these same problems, a lot of research has been done (and will be done in the future). We at Techmace worked hard to merge this knowledge into IHC Merwede's new website (scheduled to be online May 1st, 2009). We completely restructured and redesigned all content based on four personas that we defined before. This let to a completely different insight in how to display the available content. We interviewed many subject matter experts so they could respond to the personas approach. In many cases this inspired them to come up with new and better ideas on how to use the website as a communication tool.
We are sure the web experience will please many people and that it will support IHC Merwede in fulfilling its goals. If you would like to know more about how we can help you in rethinking your website, based on personas, please do contact us.
This page was last updated on Thursday, April 9, 2009.