Why a Discovery Phase is so Important to your Website Project

Every successful project begins with a Discovery phase. This is the part of the project that includes research, analysis, exploration and planning. The goal here is to grasp the bigger picture, define business goals, establish project scope, acknowledge constraints and define success.

The Secrets of Organizing Your Higher Ed Site, Part 3 of 5: Clean

This is the third part in a five-part series. You should read the first part first and the second part second.

In this series, we're discussing just how to promote a more positive user experience and overall design through better website content organization.

 

The Secrets of Organizing Your Higher Ed Site, Part 2 of 5: Explore

This is the second part in a five-part series. You should read the first part first.

In this series, we're discussing just how to promote a more positive user experience and overall design through better website content organization.

 

The Secrets of Organizing Your Higher Ed Site, Part 1 of 5: Inventory

In the modern information age, we’re all experiencing information, or cognitive overload. The sheer volume of information we’re exposed to and the frequency with which it arises can be an issue, but researchers tend to agree that it’s not the volume of information; it’s how it’s organized that’s the problem.

What You Need to Know About Information Architecture

One of the biggest mistakes we see people make when it comes to their websites is not prioritizing information architecture. While the design aspects of a website are fun, glamorous, and ultimately vital to the success of your site, it’s important that you don’t jump straight to the design and forgo the important process of building a solid information architecture and understanding the purpose behind your site and its content.

What is information architecture (IA)?

Free Resource: Content Audit Template

The goal of a content audit is to understand the current state of your website content, i.e. what content is relevant, what can be merged with other content and what can be safely removed. You can then analyze the information and organize the content based upon  your users feedback, industry trends and site analytics. Theoretically, it seems a very simple process, but in practice, conducting a site audit can be a messy exercise if you don't have a plan in place. Some reasons to conduct content audits include: