- Developing goals for a redesign is the same
as doing any branding project.
Using the results from the research
and working with the client, you're going to develop a set
of goals that will inform and guide your work.
You know what issues the client faced in the past
and understand present-day issues.
Now you want to project into the future
to decide where the client is going.
Will the client's business remain the same?
Do they plan to introduce any new products or services?
Is the current audience the right goal?
Is there a different audience and a chance to expand?
Do they anticipate new threats?
Will the competition change?
This often is time for a little reality check,
and the client may not recognize the issues.
I had a client with a great product,
but the customer service was awful.
Nobody wanted to speak with the employee answering the phone
because he was so mean.
Regardless of the product's quality,
if you can't get past hello, there's trouble.
Since my client didn't have the customer experience,
she couldn't believe the service
was affecting the reputation.
Eventually, the receptionist was moved on
to greener pastures,
and the redesign welcomed a new attitude.
I find it helpful to think bigger with a redesign project.
This is a good time to reset and make sure the goals
are not tiny steps.
The Harvard Business Review publishes a great article
on industry's inability to think bigger, Marketing Myopia.
In the 19th century, railroads were one of
the largest industries in the United States.
At the turn of the 20th century, the future seemed
to be bright and endless for railroad companies.
But today, few people travel long distances by rail.
They fly.
It's faster and easier.
The railroad industries were eclipsed by air travel.
Here's the reality.
The railroad titans believed
they were in the railroad business.
If they thought more broadly,
it was clear that they were in the transportation business.
Railroads expanding into air travel would have led
to all of us flying Union Pacific Air today.
Hearing that you may not be in the business you think
you are isn't the easiest message for a client to hear.
But after you and client have decided where he or she
is going, you can redesign and incorporate modifications
to products or services.
You and your client can now judge your design solutions
against the goals.