My client (offering specialised counselling) was having problems knowing what they actually wanted from their site. So I switched tack and asked their information officer what her main challenges were. She explained that most calls are requesting a counsellor in their area but unfortunately many areas have few or no counsellors nearby. So she ends up giving a few telephone numbers of those offering telephone counselling.
It was only then I applied this to the website creating a map page of the UK with markers for each counsellor. Clicking on a marker expands to show photo, name, contact details and the type of support offered eg telephone or face to face.
Crucially I then created a LHS block that was headed
“No one nearby? try phone support”
and listed four counsellors and their phone numbers taken at random from the database - this changes each time the page is visited.
I doubt if I would have been able to add this useful feature if I had just asked "what do you want on your website?". To me this illustrates the importance of stepping back from getting a brief for the website and finding out more about what their clients/customers and staff use the organisation for.
With a PR background I sometimes say “Imagine I was able to get ALL your target audience in this room now keen to hear what you have to say to them - but they will nly be here for the next 3 mins - what do you want them to know about you and what you offer.”
see also http://gazebo.commonplaces.com/2009/07/the-deaf-ear-of-inexperience/
