SMS leverages User-Centred Design
SMS Reference #: CS00060
Client Problem
Our client was seeking to redefine its online presence to showcase the brand’s unique proposition and to continue sustainable growth into the future.
They have been a print publisher for nearly 50 years and an online publisher for seven years and have a significant opportunity to expand beyond the constraints of its traditional print focus.
SMS were engaged to provide recommendations on information architecture, Web 2.0 functionality and interfaces to provide a vision for the new website. This vision was essentially to assist the client to position the website as a major channel for their business and increase and retain their members in the future.
SMS Approach
SMS leverages User-Centred Design as a proven problem-solving process that aligns the client's business drivers with a solid understanding of the needs, expectations, capabilities and attitudes of the target audiences.
The SMS information architecture approach is based on the international best-practice Garrett Model. This approach examined user and business needs and drivers to provide recommendations that take both into account.
Activities included:
- User-research – to understand users, to mitigate change management issues and draw on existing research
- Focus groups and workshops - designed and facilitated research workshops, ensuring a cross section of the client’s website audience were represented
- Storyboarding - card sorting, storyboarding activities to represent the user-experience in a logical and visual way
Recommendation
SMS delivered an innovative, practical solution to address the client’s business problem. The key deliverables provided to the client were a detailed interactive prototype and an Information Architecture (IA) report. Some key areas covered in the report were:
- business and user drivers behind evolving the client website to a more interactive site;
- a proposed information architecture, page structure and navigation model;
- the needs of users and their Web 2.0 roles; and
- high level recommendations to assist with next stages.
The review highlighted that for the client to achieve their strategic goals it is critical to examine changing audience roles and expectations, and the organisational changes required to effectively move towards a ‘next-generation’ relationship with their online users. A number of factors were identified that determine the scope and types of improvements that should be made to the client’s site.
A key conclusion of this review is that nurturing of, and active engagement with, current and potential client communities is central to the achievement of the client stated aims for the future website as its core commercial channel. Central to the achievement of this vision was a clear understanding of the potential, pitfalls and emerging protocols of Web 2.0 technologies and practices.
The Information Architecture built on and streamlined the current strengths of the client’s online presence while laying out a solid foundation for a Web 2.0-enabled user community.
Outcome
The client now has a significant opportunity to expand beyond the constraints of its traditional print focus. The client can achieve the strategic goals and meet the needs of current and emerging online audiences.
SMS recommendations were clearly articulated and explained with the client’s Board describing the SMS Information Architecture report as one of the best they had seen.