Many school web projects go wrong long before any design work begins. This isn’t usually because the agency doesn’t understand how to make websites (or doesn’t have the budget to do so). It’s because the briefing document itself tries to cover too much.
A good brief is more than just a list of things you want your new website to be able to do. It’s about helping the people building your new website understand your school, so they can make smart choices when things arise that weren’t on your original wishlist.
A lot of bad briefs start with a list of ‘stuff we want the new website to do’. Don’t just give a shopping list of things like ‘News, calendar, integration with existing parent portal, photo gallery etc etc.’ Make sure your web design agency knows why you want to redesign your site before they see the specification.
For example: Are parents having trouble finding some of the basic information they need? Is there a member of staff who finds it impossible to easily update the current site? Does the existing site look a bit tired compared with the ‘school up the street’ that just launched their new one? A good problem statement can be far more valuable than several pages of detailed requirements.
Audiences: As is often the case with schools, you likely have three main audiences. Prospective parents and children, current families and governors or Ofsted inspectors. All these groups will want different things from your site. Your brief should show which of these groups is most important to serve well. Try to serve everyone equally and you won’t serve anyone particularly well. For Websites for schools, consider fsedesign.co.uk/websites-for-schools
Things to leave out
Fonts and colours: Even if you have strong feelings about fonts and colours, it’s best to leave them out unless there’s a particular reason related to branding. Any experienced designer will tell you that choosing fonts and colour schemes is quite straightforward. If you list specific fonts or colours, the designers will simply parrot what you’ve said back at you, instead of using their expertise to make recommendations.
Competitor websites: You may have seen some websites you liked but listing them tends to result in your designers wanting to simply copy someone else’s work. Experienced designers never want to do this. They would rather you describe what you like about those websites so they can try to capture the spirit of them in something original.
Finally, remember a good brief shouldn’t be more than two or three pages. If you need more than this, you might not yet be ready to start your redesign!
