Web Architecture Article Reviews: Project Definition

When studying information architecture for the Web, it’s important to understand the larger context of the web development process. Authors Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler of Web Redesign 2.0: Workflow That Works, propose the following steps as an end-to-end “core process” for redesigning existing websites, as well as one that applies to the creation of new sites.

DEFINE THE PROJECT
DEVELOP THE SITE STRUCTURE
DESIGN VISUAL INTERFACE
BUILD AND INTEGRATE
LAUNCH AND BEYOND

Goto and Cotler's book Web Redesign 2.0: Workflow That Works may be purchased on Amazon.

To better understand this process, as a class we conducted a case study. We sat down with our fellow entrepreneur classmate Patrice, and gathered information about her business. Here are the notes taken during our initial meeting, as we execute Step 1: Define the Project.

Name of business- Made By Totty
Totty was her grandmothers nickname
Grandmother's favorite color was purple; wants to incorporate that into the design
Business consist of homemade soaps
No logo yet
The ideal URL "Totty" is taken so a URL must be established for future website
Has seen that women seem to worry more about their bathing products; perhaps would like to target men as well
Ideal target area for promotion- spas
Unlike other soaps out on the market- her soap maintains its shape and smell vs. the leading name brands
Makes the soaps herself; has purchased all ingredients and tools
Has been giving out free samples and using feedback to make changes to her products
Needs a disclaimer on packages
Needs packaging design
Some soaps include: exfoliants, floral
Would like to launch for sales in the Christmas season- December 1, 2011
Got tired of her own dry skin so decided to make her own and it grew from there
Customization program is to expensive but in the near future would love to move her company in the direction of product customization
Famouscookies.com- likes the look and feel of the website. Not so much the color but the functionality, the interface is definitely a plus