[thelist] why redesign

There is an interesting thread on the chi list about the negative user
impact that comes from a redesign. I was recommended this article on
Jupiter's site (http://www.jup.com/, available for free if you register)
Web Site Relaunch
 Control Risks and Preempt User Discontent
 June 1999 - Preston Dodd, Ken Allard

and have included the executive summery below. the full report is full of
tidbits, and I recommend the read.

I'd like to ask this large and experienced group: what are the dangers of a
redesign/re-architecture/re-launch? I remember when my company did a
redesign: we lost traffic for about two months, now it is much higher than
before, but I wonder if we could have minimized the damage. Now we are
amidst a re-architecture, and looking at an accompaniying redesign,  and I
am very nervervous. Would love to learn form others mistakes, rather than
making my own....



Web Site Relaunch
 Control Risks and Preempt User Discontent
 June 1999 - Preston Dodd, Ken Allard

Executive Summary

Web site developers currently underestimate site relaunch risks-which range
from alienating loyal visitors to causing permanent site desertion. Of sites
Jupiter surveyed, 50 percent fail to inform users before introducing
changes. The implications of a relaunch can be highly negative, with nearly
one in four regular users of a preferred site exploring alternatives in the
category and one in 10 using the incumbent site less frequently because of
the relaunch. However, as aging Web application platforms become obsolete
and competition increases, sites will be forced to continually evolve
through relaunches and the addition of new features. Before doing so, sites
must gather customer feedback and prepare users for upcoming changes by
promoting new features. In competitive categories-such as commerce, portals,
and general news-in which consumers have wide choice and little
differentiation exists, sites must allow for more time and promote more
aggressively than in other categories. Additionally, organizations must make
top-down resource commitments before undertaking a relaunch-two-thirds of
sites surveyed make minimal or no staff changes to accommodate a new
project. Jupiter recommends that a site relaunch be viewed as a separate
development project, with freelancers hired to maintain the current site
while the majority of existing staff is assigned to relaunch development.

Do developers risk losing consumers when they relaunch a site, or do
consumers simply expect that it will happen occasionally? How often is a
typical site relaunched? What are the leading drivers of site relaunches? If
there are risks, will relaunches decrease in frequency in the next few
years? What are the most appropriate mechanisms to prepare site visitors for
impending changes?



In a recent Jupiter Consumer Survey, 44 percent of respondents indicated
that they react negatively to changes in site layout, functionality, and
look-and-feel, with 24 percent of total respondents exploring alternative
sites as a direct result of the relaunch. Promoting the proposed features
before a relaunch reduces user discontent, decreases relaunch-related
customer support demands, and reinforces user loyalty.




Outlook: Aging Infrastructure and Rising Competition Will Increase
Relaunches. With 46 percent of Web applications over 16 months old, rising
traffic will force major Web application redevelopment. Additionally, the
increased competitiveness of off-line companies fighting for a share of the
rising online population will lead them-and, in turn, their online
competition-to relaunch their sites for competitive advantage.

Landscape: Consider the Costs of Frequent Changes to Consistent Site Utility
and Brand Messaging. Sites are undertaking major relaunches unnecessarily
and too frequently. On average, sites surveyed change navigation and
look-and-feel every 10 months. Such continual changes ignore the importance
of site utility and may prevent consistent site brand messaging.

Avoid Unannounced Relaunches. Of 38 sites Jupiter surveyed, 50 percent fail
to inform users before they relaunch. This surprisingly high number
indicates that many developers do not perceive a relaunch to be a disruptive
event, nor do they associate its undertaking with risks to consumer loyalty.

Create a Separate Development Team to Lead Relaunch Efforts. Sites currently
understaff their relaunch efforts; over two-thirds of surveyed sites make
minimal or no staff changes to accommodate the new project. Jupiter
recommends hiring freelancers to maintain the current site while
transitioning a majority of existing staff to new project development tasks.