ATLAS Web Project Planner
Every project is different, and one size does not fit all. Client input is the foundation upon which successful web sites are built. This Project Planner will help you articulate and identify the overall goals of your site redesign, including specific questions regarding message, audience, content, look and feel, and functionality.
Please answer the following questions as best as you can, and naturally skip any questions that don’t relate to your project. When you are finished, you can rename this document to your_department.doc and send it to (we ask that you give us up to two weeks to provide you with a response and proposal).
1. General Information
Your name and title
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Your contact information
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What is your current (or intended) URL?
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Who are the primary contacts from your department/unit and who has final approval on the project? Please list names, titles, email addresses and phone numbers.
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If you’re working within a strict time frame, or have been given a mandatory launch date, list it here:
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2. Current Site
Do you feel your current site promotes a favorable user experience? Why? Why not?
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What specific areas of your current site do you feel are successful? Why are they successful?
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What shortcomings exist with the current site and what three things would you change on the site today, if you could?
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How important is it to maintain your current look and feel, logo, and branding?
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3. Reasons for Redesign
What are the main reasons you are redesigning your site? (outdated site, expanded services, different audience, etc.)
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What are your primary objectives/goals with the site redesign? What are your secondary objectives/goals?
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What is the main problem you hope to solve with the site redesign? How will you measure the success of the solution?
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4. Audience
To the best of your ability, describe the primary and secondary users of your site.
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How often does (or should) a user visit your site, and what do they generally use it for?
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How many people (as far as you can tell) access your site on a daily, weekly or monthly basis? How do you measure usage? Do you forecast usage to increase over the next year and by how much?
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5. Perception
Describe in as few sentences or words as possible the feelings you wish your site to evoke, and the brand attributes you want it to convey
(Sample feelings might include: warmth, friendliness, reassurance, comfort, or excitement. Sample brand attributes might include caring, honesty, humor, professionalism, intelligence, technological savvy, sophistication, reliability, and trustworthiness.)
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Use a few adjectives to describe how the user should perceive the new site. (example: “edgy,” “classic,” “up-to-date,” “crisp,” “modern,” “traditional,” “understated”) Is this different than current image perception?
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How is your department/unit currently perceived offline? Do you wish to carry through the same kind of message through your web site?
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How does your department/unit differentiate itself from other similar departments/units? Do you think your current audience differentiates you from similar departments/units? Please list similar department/unit URLs.
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List any URLs of sites you find compelling. What specifically do you like about these sites?
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Is there anything specific that you DEFINITELY want to see in your site/design?
(e.g. "I want to see a baseball in my logo”)
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Is there anything specific that you DO NOT want to see in your site/design?
(e.g. "I do not want to see a picture of a gnome”)
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6. Content
Have you already created the site’s content? If not, how soon do you anticipate having it ready? (Whatever your estimate, double it: internal content development always takes far longer than you expect.) In most cases, you will be responsible for working with content. Time estimates regarding content delivery will simply help us figure out a schedule for our part of the project.
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What is the basic structure of the content, and how is it organized? Is it a complete overhaul of the current site, or an expansion?
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Describe visual elements or content which should be utilized from your current site or marketing materials (logo, color scheme, navigation, naming conventions, etc.).
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How will the content of this site (along with functionality and navigation) expand or differ from your current site? Do you have an existing sitemap for the outgoing site structure? Do you already have a sitemap or outline for the proposed redesign?
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7. Technology
Does your site plan include community features (such as a discussion forum)? If so, do you have the appropriate personnel to manage such a forum on a daily basis?
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Do you plan to include media-intensive components, such as streaming audio and video? If so, who is responsible for producing that media? How frequently is it updated?
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Will you have database functionality (dynamic content generation, search capabilities, personalization/log-in, etc.)? Do you already have a database in place? Please describe in detail, including specific information regarding existing programs and software.
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Will you require other specific programming needs (personalization, search capability)? Please describe in detail.
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We believe in the doctrine, “one web page serves all.” In order to deliver the best experience to the most users and to build pages that will last, we use modern standards-based methods. As a result, our sites may not look exactly the same in an old, non-compliant browser like Netscape 4 as they do in newer browsers. If this would be a problem for you, let us know:
( ) My site has to look and work exactly the same way in 4.0 browsers as it does in newer browsers. I don’t care if every page weighs three times more than it has to.
( ) I understand that the site may not look quite as good or work as well in an outdated 4.0 browser; that’s okay, just do your stuff.
Are there any other technological requirements regarding the website? (For example: “Our site must comply with W3C guidelines for XHTML and CSS, and Section 508 of the U.S. Federal Rehabilitation Act.”)
P.S. Unless we explicitly state otherwise, we develop with web standards and in conformance with accessibility guidelines
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8. Additional Notes/Comments
Is there anything else we should know about this project?
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Thank you!
Thanks again for your time. Please save this document as your_department.doc and mail it to .
www.atlas.uiuc.edu Page 5 of 5