Redesign: several indicators that its time has come
Redesign This single word can make any web designer and developer shudder. The impending danger in the form of constant revisions and improvements of the project, as well as shareholders with their indispensable “opinions”, immerse the site team into the abyss of despair (the more, the more redesign options are considered). But despite these realities, it is necessary to recognize: redesign is an integral part of the life cycle of any online resource.
We will look at a few key indicators that clearly signal that the time for redesign has come. And if it really came, then how solid it should be. The article is a translation and is based on the Clear Indications That Time To Redesign.
SITE STATISTICS INDICATORS FALL
The main indicator that the site needs work is the downward trend in site statistics. Of course, there may be other reasons for this symptom (for example, your product does not meet market requirements). But if these reasons are eliminated (or leveled out), then a steady decline in conversion rates, sales, interactions and total user activity indicates that the current design has become outdated.
Many attribute this to the “satiety” of users of the old design. But in reality, it is an indicator that you have lost contact with your audience. Unfortunately, this is a natural process, in an article about creating a design for a furniture site or store, we said that about 60% of business owners are thinking about a new project or an improvement on an old one.
If you want the redesign to solve your problems with efficiency and impact, analyze the actions of visitors and see where exactly in the sequence of actions the design is unfinished. And then fix these flaws first.
The degree of changes to the design can be limited: by adjusting the sequence of conversions, or by optimizing activities related to the product. It is not necessary to completely change the image of the product, formed for an external audience. Many webmasters emphasize the effect of change and the strength of the redesign, which translates into an increase in project attendance.
YOUR USERS SAY WHAT THE TIME HAS COME
Site statistics is the most obvious indicator that instantly makes you aware that something is wrong. But in order to understand what is wrong, you will have to communicate with your customers.
The survey is a good tool for such purposes, but the usability test is much more effective. If you have a wordpress blog, then the wp-polls plugin will help with voting. The gradual development of the dialogue in personal communication allows you to analyze the dynamic process of interaction between the audience and the site. With a normal survey, this is not possible. If during the test you encounter some stable opinions that shed light on the reasons for the decline of site metrics (and you will come across them), it means that the time has come for a redesign.
Usability tests reveal not only problems, but also a dominant attitude towards your product. It can also be used as a basis for redesign. In some cases, a negative attitude towards the brand can be a sufficiently weighty reason for redesign. However, you will never know about all this if you do not communicate with your customers.
Fidbek from buyers helps to understand what needs to be changed in the site and to what extent. Most often, communication with customers focuses on individual elements of the business process. And it is these elements that should be paid attention to when redesigning. But if the feedback of users was quite extensive and affected many aspects of the site, then it makes sense to use all this information for a more thorough redesign.
TECHNICAL AND UX-DEBT SHEET BECOMES TOO LONG
Reference: Technical debt (tech debt) and UX-debt (User Experience debt) – this is the work in the project that we decide not to do at the moment, because: the deadline is “burning”, the management puts pressure, etc.
In the process of developing a product or website, the company begins to accumulate technical and UX debts. These debts are the work that had to be done at the initial stage of development, but either there was no time for this, or you had to do something simpler and cheaper to start the project on time. With each subsequent iteration, this list of “debts” will inevitably grow until it becomes so long that all these defects can no longer be corrected.
There are many ways to keep the list of these debts growing at a relatively stable level, but at some point it reaches its limit.
If your car constantly breaks down and its repair becomes more expensive than the cost of the car itself, then it is easier to pass it for scrap. Similarly, the site at some point is easier to rewrite than correct all errors. This is a great time to redesign.
