You can use this worksheet to capture your vision for the project and help us understand your needs.
You can have a go at this yourself first, or contact us to book a time to complete it together.
Instructions
Please provide a concise response for those questions you feel are relevant to your project. Complete this as a group if you can to collect ideas from the whole team.
You may be thinking of using our specialist services only for a specific part of your project. We would still like to understand the wider project and the context in which we will be working.
Once you have clearly described your project please send the answers to us by email at (pretty much any format will do). We will have a look and get back to you with our ideas for the right solution for you.
Download this project worksheet as an RTF document (64 KB). You can open and edit it in your favourite word processing application such as Microsoft Word.Project and objectives
1. What is the name of your company? What products and services do you provide? Where are you based?
2. Are you planning on creating a completely new website or online service, or are you looking to improve an existing site?
If an existing site please include current web address
3. What are we creating? Please describe the concept, product or service your website does or will provide.
e.g. general company information, online product sales, social networking service
4. List the top business objectives for your website. What are your main reasons for running this project?
e.g. improve sales, increase customer satisfaction, reduce time spent looking for information
5. What results do you expect? How will you know that the new website is a success?
e.g. “20% increase in sales”, “70% of surveyed users expressing satisfaction”, “30% reduction in time staff spends on looking for information”
Project team and budget
6. Who are the main contacts for this project? Who has final approval? What’s the best way of working with this team?
Please list names, email addresses and phone numbers for key contacts. Do you prefer working in person, over the phone, or by email?
7. When do you expect the project to start and when does it need to be completed? Are there specific reasons for these dates? Do you feel the timeframe is realistic?
e.g. tradeshow, product launch, end of quarter or financial year
8. Which aspects of your project would you like us to help you with?
e.g. web design, focus groups and user research, usability testing, end-to-end delivery
9. Budget will affect much time we can devote to your project. What is your expected budget for this project?
Current site, if you have one
10. What aspects of your current site work well? Why do you think that is? Do you have any statistics on this?
11. What aspects of your current site are unsuccessful? Why do you think that is?
12. Do you update your current site using a content management system? Which one? Are you happy with the system?
Your audience
13. Who are we creating the website for? Who are the different types of visitors to your website?
e.g. first home buyers looking for mortgages
14. Who are the people in your team that know users the best?
e.g. customer service staff, sales team
15. Why will your audience use this kind of website?
e.g. find company information, complete online transactions
16. What can people do on your site?
e.g. find the most suitable mortgage, compare mortgage products from different banks
17. Why will people choose your website over the competition’s?
e.g. biggest choice of mortgages, easy to use, useful calculators, friendly advice etc.
Content and design
To help us understand the content, style and personality for the new site have a think about the following questions.
18. What do you think is the main information existing or potential customers will be looking for on your website?
e.g. who’s behind the company, information about your credibility, contact information
19. How you would like users to perceive the new site? How do you want them to feel about your company?
e.g. modern, professional, friendly, edgy, fun etc.
20. Which websites should we use as design inspiration for your new website? Why? Any specific aspects of these sites you’d like to highlight?
21. Please list websites of your competitors. What works? What doesn’t?
Include websites that inspire you
22. Is your team familiar in creating online content and writing for the web? Have you used online content management systems before? Is there any specific functionality you know you’ll need?
e.g. company and product news, multiple authors, product stock control, support for online payments, user moderation, etc.
Phew, that’s it. If you got this far you have done a great job in painting a picture of what your project is all about and we should have no dramas in coming up with the right solution for you! All you need to do is email us the answers and we will get back to you.
This worksheet is based on Clearleft’s Client Ideas Sheet so big thanks to Andy Budd and the Clearleft team for their hard work and ideas!