September 21, 2011

The very first step of a great redesign is ridiculously simple. It’s to dream — dream big even — and then (here’s the key) capture your ideas and organize them.

To do this, you’ll need a place to record not just these thoughts, but other plans as you get further into the redesign. This is completely a matter of personal style. What matters is that it works for you; it’s much easier to stay organized if you like your tools. Some options are:

• An app — maybe one that you can get on both your mobile and computer;
• A three-ring binder;
• A Moleskine;
• 3×5 cards in a box.

My choice? Honestly I’m an office supply groupie. I’d take all of the above if it worked. But it’s good to consolidate plans into one place as much as possible. So my core “notebook” is Google Docs, supplemented by Evernote for to do lists and a pad of paper (for notes to transcribe into Google Docs).

With “notebook” in hand, it’s time to record your answers to two questions.

Question 1: What are the main audiences for your site?

Websites are all about people — specifically the people who use your site. While it’s technically true that anyone in the world can visit your site, it really isn’t for everyone. In fact, if you try to make it for everyone, it won’t work well for anyone.

It’s just a matter of figuring out which groups of people on the Web matter most to you, and then focusing on meeting their needs. For congregations, an audience breakdown usually looks something like this:

Primary audiences

1. Seekers — people who are considering or looking for a congregational home
2. Visitors — people interested in coming to your church, although it may be for non-church events.
3. Members and friends
4. Congregational leaders
5. Staff

Secondary audiences

1. Denominational leadership
2. Local congregational leaders from other denominations and faiths
3. Congregational leaders from your denomination (national or international)
4. Prospective staff

Another way you can analyze your audiences is on a continuum of familiarity. For my church, one end of the continuum is active leaders born and raised in the congregation. At the other end is people who have never heard of Unitarian Universalism.

For each of your primary audiences, write another list — this time what you think they most need from your site and and how well your current site meets this need.

The list won’t be definitive. It’s just an early exploration, preparing you to get feedback from a variety of users over the next couple of months.

Question 2: What are some goals of the redesign?

Don’t forget: now is time to be open to possibility. Later things will be more focused and limited by realities, but not yet.

Relax and let you mind wander around web possibilities. Think of your very favorite websites. Do any give you ideas relevant to your site? If so, write them down.

Go through the list of needs you just wrote down in answer to the first question and see what leaps out at you. Make special note of those.

If, like me, you come into this redesign with a few key things already on your mind, write those down as well.

If your list is long, pick three or four that mean the most to you.

My list:

1. Build a content management system for the whole site.
2. Create areas of the site where the Board and committees can centralize their documentation.
3. Make the site work better on smart phones and other small mobiles. Maybe even develop what’s called a responsive design.

An Aside: Are there are any obstacles in your way?

If there are, it’s good to look at them right away. Whether real or imagined, in the words of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, they can be gumption traps.

Usually the best way out of these redesign traps is to plan, organizing discreet tasks into understandable groups in a logical sequence. Naming the various jobs and barriers is a release, since it’s no longer an amorphous blob hanging over you. And that’s of course what these steps are all about.

In case that’s not enough to get you past whatever is in the way, my bet is it’s one of the following issues, and here are some specific ideas for addressing each of them.

• “I won’t have enough time.” When I say things like this to one friend of mine, without fail he says it’s not a matter of time but priorities. Of course, he’s right. Look at what is making you say this, and remember this will only be a few hours a week. Do all of the other things on your plate truly have to be higher priority than redesign? Think about it. They may honestly be. Only you can say.
• “I don’t know the first thing about web development or design.” Let me reiterate: these are not critical skills for managing this project. It’s great if you have some of them, but if not, there are lots of first-rate tools non-techies can use. Plus in a few weeks we’ll cover finding people with these skills — when we get to building a team.
• “Our current webmaster doesn’t think we need a redesign, and she takes it personally when I try to suggest such things to her.” This sounds as if conflict is brewing around the website. If so, take heart. You’re far from alone. Behind the scenes I run into various types of web-related conflict with surprising frequency. I can’t tell you how important it is for the health of your congregation, not just its website, to deal with such issues. The wonderful people at Congregational Resource Guide recently interviewed me about dealing with conflict over websites. The video is due to air in a few days and I’ll put a link here as soon as it’s online.

Have I overlooked a gumption trap? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Maybe I can help you past it. Please let me know in the comments.

Next week will be more hands-on — a first foray into some of the coolest tech tools out there — analytics apps. Until then, I hope you come up with fabulous ideas for your congregation’s redesign.

Posted in: Church Websites, Redesign