The Discovery Phase

Uncovering what is necessary to a successful project before beginning to work on it can save time and money. As Mary Poppins said in the famous Disney movie, “Well begun is half done.” Another favorite and wise phrase, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” Rather than become a fool rushing into a project without prior preparation, take some time to discover what is needed.

While the steps below are laid out in a web project scenario, the rules may be applied to a variety of projects. Keep in mind that the size of the project will determine the amount of discovery time required.

One key to smooth running web project processes is investing the time needed to discover, uncover, and communicate the following among project members:

• Business and user goals
• Design and functionality needs
• Basic navigation and content structure

In the Beginning:

Uncovering business and user goals requires research and interviews with the project’s primary stakeholders. The questions asked include:

• What are the organization’s overall goals for the website?
• What are the user’s goals with the website?
  Goals may include information gathering, form completion, taking action, etc.
• Do the organization’s and user’s goals match up?
• When a user visits the site, what are their goals and what do they hope to accomplish?
• Are there any Brand Standards that must be adhered to?
• What should the overall look and feel of the site be?
  This may include colors, photography, and graphics.

Digging a Little Deeper:

• Establish a navigation structure
• Establish a structure for the pages of the site
• Make a general decision about what information should be included on each page of the site. This can be refined as the project moves forward.
• Uncover functionality needs: the what and the how.

Before the Project Can Begin:

A process must be established. Who will be collecting or creating content? How will content be transferred? What are the project roles? For instance, if images are needed, who will be taking the pictures or hiring the photographer? Who has ultimate signoff authority?

Next Steps…

• Developing website wireframes. Website wireframes lay out the basic structure of the web pages.
• Discovery Brief, a document covering the information uncovered during the discovery phase that establishes the website development plan. Before a project proceeds it’s a good idea to receive signoff from the key stakeholders or the individual(s) established as the signoff authority.