When I wrote about curating web content in my last article the concept of Discovery kept coming up. It’s a vital part of what makes Wholegrain’s projects successful isn’t something we talk about all that often. Given its importance I sat down with our Head of Experience Design Tod Khanian to learn more about the process, how he has evolved the agency’s approach and what it means in the context of the Humane Web.
So what is it?
Neilson Norman summarises it as:
“a preliminary phase in the UX-design process that involves researching the problem space, framing the problem(s) to be solved, and gathering enough evidence and initial direction on what to do next.”
Tod puts it more simply. To him “Discovery is figuring out what the audience and organisational needs are for a website and then translating those needs into how a website looks, how it’s structured and how it works.”
Simplicity and efficacy are watch words where Tod is concerned. In the two years Tod has been at Wholegrain he’s been working to improve the solid foundations he found when he joined the agency. He’s worked with the team to formalise a process that provides balanced, human focussed, actionable outputs that our talented team can use to build successful websites.
Essentially, clients always come with ideas about how a site should work and the goals it should help achieve. The Discovery phase helps flesh out what was contained in the brief and identify anything that might be missing. It provides the data points required to confirm the project parameters. At the end of the process it provides guidance that helps the Studio transform an organisation’s requirements into a beautiful, human friendly website. It provides insights into site maps, taxonomy, structure and also Experience Principles, which we’ll return to later.
Who gets involved?
As you might expect, Tod is the lead on all our Discovery processes. Who else is involved depends on the type, complexity and budget of the project. For simple builds, such as a brochure type site, Tod will lead a precise information gathering phase. In this case you could expect a workshop to define objectives and touch points as well as goals for how the site will support the organisation.
As projects become more complex, more input is required. It may seem counter intuitive but a simplified UX journey could mean a much more complicated back end. Where this is the case our Tech Leads will collaborate with Tod and the client to discuss APIs, integrations and cutting edge site components. The experience our Development teams bring means that the correct solutions are found but also identifies where compromise, either budgetary or technological, may be required.
On the client side, who we speak to depends once again on the budget and type of project. Discovery for smaller projects can often be undertaken with a single knowledgeable stakeholder. For larger projects, multiple workshops may take place, user interviews conducted and industry focussed research projects undertaken.
What does our Discovery process look like?
All together now:
“it depends on the project!”
No two Discovery phases are the same, just as no two websites are the same. Even so our Discovery phases all follow similar lines no matter the budget or size of the project. They are based on confirming the organisational and therefore website objectives. These are agreed at the start of the process. From there the watchwords are collaboration and iteration. We collaborate internally and with client stakeholders to focus on the core goals of the site. We work iteratively to ensure that everyone on the project is comfortable with the progress and agree with the direction and findings.
Larger projects mean longer information gathering phases. Our most in-depth discovery phases can have larger budgets than whole site builds. Where we are involved in multiphase development projects the discovery phase can last months. Stakeholder availability and long term planning can be key. Tod reiterated that Discovery is a vital investment for a successful project.
The more time spent defining site goals and user and project requirements at the beginning of a project nearly always results in a better end product. This is especially important when the project is part of a long relationship between client and Studio.
Most recently this has been true for our work with the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). When redesigning and rebuilding their website the discovery process allowed us to understand the needs of the variety of stakeholders who engage with the organisation. Through the Discovery process we were able to collaborate in a two pronged approach to helping users find the right information more easily. On the Wholegrain side we created an intuitive and simple to use site with a bespoke search UI and improved internal taxonomy. On the UITP side they used the findings to help update and refresh content, allowing for improved findability and relevancy across their content library.
The result? Through our efficient and human centered approach UITP were able“to break down the corporate structure and better highlight the wide variety of knowledge, events and advocacy content available for our users.”
You can read more about the work we carried out with UITP here.
What is the output?
As with any web agency we’re looking for elements that form the foundations of a website:
- Site maps
- Taxonomy
- Page structure
- Key user journeys
- Core components
- Site features
But because we’re not just any agency we look for some additional key insights from the Discovery process. In line with our Humane Web principles we take a more human centred approach. Based on our research, findings and discussions we define a set of Experience Principles for our builds. These aren’t technical or design based. They are a set of statements that provide a framework for the project team to work within.
Some principles come from our beliefs as an ethical and sustainability focussed agency and apply to all our sites:
- The site will be accessible and inclusive – built to AA WCAG 2.2 standards
- The site will be light weight and energy efficient in line with sustainable web design principles
- The site will be intuitive to use and easy to navigate
Others will be project or site specific. For example:
- A new site for Wholegrain should “reflect the joy and positivity our BCorp status represents”.
- A site for Extinction Rebellion should “reflect the urgency of the climate crisis”
These Experience Principles are what allow us to get right to the heart of any project. They allow us to see things in a different way. Sites that initially look like they have the same user experience challenges as any other site in their sector are shown to be anything but. For instance, a flashy, cutting edge design that mimics a competitor in the field might not work for your audience if they are older or less tech savvy.
Whatever the project, these Experience Principles are prompts that our Studio team can refer back to to keep things on track, designers, developers and project managers alike. Equally importantly our clients can use them as anchor points when discussing our work at various project milestones.
Wrapping up
As you can see, the Discovery phase is a hugely integral part of all Wholegrain’s projects. It allows all stakeholders in a project, both internal and external to align and drive things forwards. With Tod on board our process is simple, yet sophisticated and provides technological solutions to human problems.
If your organisation is planning a new site build or wants to improve an existing site, get in touch with Bailey to see how our agency can help.
