Website Design & Development Brief

When dealing with a website design and development project, it is critical to writing a detailed brief at the beginning of the project. One, it ensures that you know exactly what you want to achieve. Two, the brief acts as a point of reference for myself, giving me key points to focus on.

ALL ABOUT YOU

1. What is your name and email address?
2. What is your company’s name and the URL of your current website, if you have one.
3. Briefly describe your company, organization or self and the concept, product or service your site will provide or promote.
4. Why do you want to have a new website, or have your current site redesigned?

CUSTOMERS

1. Please describe your potential customers. Pay special attention to their income, interests, gender, age, even the type of computer they use. If your website is a business-to-business site, what sort of companies are you hoping to attract?
2. What problems do your customers/prospects have that your business solves?
3. Why do you believe site visitors should do business with you rather than with a competitor?

THE COMPETITION

1. Have you researched your online competition so you have an idea of what you do and don’t want on your site?
2. Name two or three primary competitive sites and their web addresses. Please comment on the strengths and weaknesses of these sites.
3. Are there features that your online competitor’s presences are lacking?

DESIGN

1. Describe your new site’s desired look and feel by using adjectives and short phrases(e.g.: Easy to look at, edgy, classic, up-to-date, crisp, modern, traditional, understated, etc.)
2. Do you have a current house style/brand guideline that needs to be followed in terms of color, typography, and tone?
3. Do you have a logo? Are you satisfied with how it represents your company?
4. What do you NOT want on your site in terms of general look and feel (e.g. if you can’t stand a particular color, it’s good to know in advance)
5. Name two or three sites NOT in your industry that you like, and their web addresses. Please comment on the aspects of these sites you like.

BUDGET

What is your budget for this project? Your budget determines how much time I can spend on your project. Please provide an upper and lower range if you don’t have an exact figure.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. What is your deadline for completing the site? ‘ASAP’ does not allow me to schedule work in an effective way, so please provide a date.
2. Do you have a sitemap/structure prepared – even if it’s just a sketch?
3. Do you need a content management system? If so please describe the features you would like to see included. (e.g. updatable news, multiple authors, comments, search, archive, forum etc.)
4. Is the content already created for this site? If not, how soon do you anticipate having it ready?

E-COMMERCE

1. Are you planning to do online sales? If so, what is the product, and how many items do you want to sell online?
2. If you’re planning to sell online, are you set up to accept credit cards?

GETTING VISITORS

1. Where/how do people learn about your company/product/service at present?
2. If you were using a search engine, what words or phrases would you use to find your site? Which of these words or phrases is most important? Second? Third?
3. Other than what search engines will produce, what methods do you have in mind to spread the word about your website?
4. Do you have active accounts on any social networks?

AFTER THE LAUNCH

1. How much time will you be able to spend online, responding to inquiries that come in via your website? Once a day? Several hours a day?
2. How do you plan to encourage repeat visitors and referrals? (eg by writing blog articles, cross-promoting with social network accounts, newsletter signups, discounts for registered users etc)

ANYTHING ELSE

It’s always better to have as much information on a project as possible. If there’s anything else you think it could be useful to know, please add it here.