{"id":86383,"date":"2024-04-01T07:52:20","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T14:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/?post_type=insights&p=86383"},"modified":"2025-04-21T13:02:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T20:02:33","slug":"website-redesign-data-driven-design","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/insights\/website-redesign-data-driven-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying Data-Driven Before, During, And After A Website Redesign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Imagine you want to renovate your house. Excited, you draw up your own designs, knock it to the ground, and build completely based on your own preferences and gut instincts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless you are an engineer, architect, interior designer, plumber, electrician (and more) all in one, you\u2019ll probably end up with something that doesn\u2019t function in the way you hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, redesigning a website from scratch requires a team of experts and advanced preparation. If you move forward without considering your goals, you’ll likely end up disappointed. At the end of the day, it can feel good to have a makeover, but you don\u2019t want to build a site on assumptions and gut feelings rather than real insights. That will just leave you back at square one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alternative? Discover how optimization can work hand-in-hand with a website redesign process to achieve the results you\u2019re after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to pursue a data-driven website redesign<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of occasions when a site redesign is necessary, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. When you rebrand:<\/strong> Rebranding your company will require a website redesign to match your new logo, colors, and messaging. For example, Patagonia\u2019s rebrand put its content and purpose-driven initiatives at the forefront, which required a complete site redesign to reflect this change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. When your target market changes: <\/strong>If you\u2019ve noticed a change in your best customers or want to attract a new market segment, a website redesign can help you appeal to those people. For example, Airbnb redesigned their website when they realized the priorities of their customers had changed. Travelers wanted \u201chomes around the world\u201d rather than just a place to stay while away. Airbnb created an entirely new brand and website to reflect this change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. When your tech stack is holding you back: <\/strong>Technology is changing all the time, and it\u2019s easy to go from forward-thinking to behind the times in a matter of months. If your tech stack is holding you back, it might be time for a website redesign that incorporates new software and the latest offerings. For example, 1-800-Flowers is one of the earliest ecommerce brands in the US. When new technologies emerged, the brand redesigned their site to add voice tech and chatbots to make the shopping experience easier.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If that sounds like you, and your company has its heart set on a website redesign, make sure you do it the right way, saving yourself time and money by optimizing throughout the whole process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What is data-driven website redesign?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A data-driven website redesign is a 5-stage process that keeps your organization user-centered as you build a refreshed digital experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It takes intuition out of the equation. A data-driven website design process is like doing math: one plus one equals two. An intuitively designed website is like coaching football: this play could work. In other words, data-driven design is based on observable facts that are validated, but intuitive design is based on ideas and past experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Data-driven design relies on real-life observations of how visitors to your website are navigating through the pages and how successfully they complete your goal actions. The process is informed by insight pulled from qualitative and quantitative data, including the actual clicks and movements of your site\u2019s visitors and feedback from your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The 5-stages of the process are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Discovery<\/strong>: Leveraging institutional knowledge and primary research, get to know your customer, company, and current site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Strategy<\/strong>: Distill learnings into a cohesive strategy, list of goals, and minimum experience standards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Wireframe Design<\/strong>: Craft grayscale wireframes<\/a> to deliver an elevated user experience<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Testing:<\/strong> Vet designs with your target audiences to understand what they like and what gets them to take action. Adjust designs accordingly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Branded Design: <\/strong>Apply your branding to design files and pass to your developer for implementation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"data-driven<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Bonus Step:<\/strong> Once you implement the branded design, there is one additional step that you can\u2019t skip: optimization. After you redesign your website, continue to your sixth step of the process and make sure you’re consistently measuring and improving the digital experience. We\u2019ll get into that more later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What are the benefits of a data-driven website redesign?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Data-driven website redesigns take the guesswork out of the optimization process. Rather than relying on what the team leader or project manager thinks is best, a data-driven strategy relies on carefully derived measurements of what\u2019s actually happening on the site and feedback from customers to inform the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      By leveraging a data-driven approach, you can expect benefits like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • Objectively and quickly determined opportunities for change<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Easily determined priorities according to potential impact<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Less waste of resources on changes that won\u2019t work<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Higher ROI because you have success rates at a lower cost<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        A data-driven redesign isn\u2019t going to fix business problems, but it is certainly part of a high-performing, systematic way of getting better results from your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n