Today on the TechSoup Blog, we discussed the importance of working with your organization's evangelists and allies - specifically in the web-design process, but in marketing efforts too.

What insights about your nonprofit have you gotten from people outside the org?

Have a good week,
Elliot

I think that it is great to work with a larger group at the beginning of a web site redesign to gain agreement on message, what you want to convey, what is most important and who you want to target. This serves you well with buy in as things progress.

But once you have everyone's needs and requirements agreed, then there should be one person, or a very small committee that directs the web development with the authority to make decisions.

Writing and design by committee tends to be awful. You lose punch and creativity when you have several nitpickers. Lightweight teams are more agile and move more quickly too.

Towards launch time, you do want many eyes again for proofreading, testing and making sure everything works intuitively and correctly.

The insight from outsiders that is most valuable, IMO, when it comes to web design, is regarding usability. At any organization I've worked, there has been a period where I give volunteers an opportunity to beta test the site and offer their feedback. I don't just ask, "What do you think?" I ask them to pretend they are someone who wants to volunteer, someone who wants to donate, someone who might need the organization's services, someone coming to a meeting at the organization who has never been there, etc. I also ask them to try the site on a variety of web browsers. They always provide great feedback.

I also ask specific departments to beta test based on their needs regarding their constituencies - the fund-raising folks regarding current and potential donors, the volunteer manager regarding current and potential volunteers, the program manager regarding current and potential clients, etc.

But I've had some web designers be resistant to that feedback - they've often been so married to their design, and it works for them, and they won an award for their last web design.... they just can't wrap their head around that changes are being asked for.

The reality is that, if users can't use it, if the ENTIRE organization doesn't find the web site works for them, the web design needs work.