FAQs

1. I need to commission a design company to build our online presence - how do I go about writing a brief?

Writing a brief when commissioning work is invariably key to the eventual success of the project. It is vital that you communicate clearly your objectives and expectations - this gives the designers much more information and guidance when responding and a good brief will act as a continuous point of reference for both parties.

Before you attempt the first draft, try and involve others in your organisation to help you brainstorm. If you can, set aside a morning/afternoon to do this. People like to be included in the decision-making process and it important that no-one's views are marginalised or that key details are overlooked.

Firstly, clarify your organisation's business objectives. The development of a new website is an opportunity to deliver an integrated *corporate* and web strategy – this means tapping into the heart of what your organisation means to you and being able to deliver this in the most effective way possible. Detail how the website will fit into your organisation’s strategy. Pay particular attention to your corporate guidelines and business objectives – think about how they can be integrated in an innovative way.

Look around at your competitors or others in your sector. Which organisations do you consider to have successful online strategies? Evaluate their success or otherwise by critiquing them according to factors like design, navigation, content, purpose and strategy.

Identify your target audience. Develop user scenarios - this will provide you with valuable information when you come to draft the technical specification. Do you need a content management system? What does it need to do for you? What are your specific data requirements? What sort of information do you need for monitoring and evaluation purposes? Will your funders need to draw data from your website/backend?

Consider how the project will be managed and identify individual responsibilities. Achieve concensus on decision making and sign-off. Establish a basic timescale and set a budget for the work. Often this is governed by how much your funders have allocated to the project, but if not, ask other people in your sector how much they paid and what they got for it. There is nothing to stop you phoning up companies on the basis of liking a URL and asking a few useful questions.

If you'd like more help with writing a brief, Redmoth run workshops to assist organisations in the process. Alternatively, you can download *Developing a Web Brief*.

developing a brief | accessibility | IP | marketing
hosting | user scenarios | costs | site structure

Read more about the commissioning process >>

www.designcouncil.org