The method and misunderstanding of the website revision process

Author: Roland Smart
original link:http://www.adaptivepath.com/ideas/newsletter/archives/121708/index.php
Translator: UCD translation GROUP, LANX
Roland Smart Copyright (Article Copyright by Roland Smart)

Over the past few months, there have been successive an article comments about the site's revision, such as "good", "bad", "ugly" and the like. Because we have been involved in several web site revisions in adaptive path, I am particularly concerned about these articles. As a marketing staff, I sometimes work with customers to make a revision of a website, so I pay special attention to those who guide the revision of the notice, preparation and follow-up methods. Sending information ahead of time to those who may be affected, while opening a channel to receive feedback, is considered an important task before the revision, but in fact it often has little effect. Because the release of the revision to deal with a variety of things, the pressure is huge, so that users test and release plans will always be overlooked. In the early stages of project planning, the plans and strategies issued are often overlooked or underestimated. I want to make an in-depth analysis of the release strategy to remind you of the importance of the plan. Here, I list 3 ways to help you plan your next release.

The value of a reasonable revision

Many people do not like to change, therefore, the revision must be a risky thing . You will see that money and time are wasted in the process of performing a revision but are not effective (not to mention the problems encountered during the period), and you will find that it makes sense to invest in the plan before you implement it. As the saying goes, "Maito". In other words, it is more important to plan ahead than to improve on the ex post facto.

Make a reasonable plan and carry it out to the end, and this little cushion makes the whole result completely different. You try to create the best version of the program and expect it to be released with no aliasing. (If the results are not as expected) your entire team's sense of achievement will be affected, as their results will be destroyed by the unpredictable criticism flood. Criticism is expected, and how you respond to them determines whether your team is ultimately recognized. The important point is that you have to consider the revision in the long run, you need to plan how to deal with what might happen, and put extra effort into responding to the wave of the user's first reaction. If everything goes well, then you can open the champagne to celebrate!

In the end, the effect of the revision will be reflected in the business performance. Many companies compared to the revision before and after the user churn/conversion rate to track with the revision of the user churn and conversion situation.

3 (methods to achieve the goal)

The degree of readiness depends on the importance of the revision. Large-scale revisions often send the wrong message to the site community because it is difficult to get feedback from users at any time. They are rarely revised on the basis of the original interactive design of the site, which can lead to the collapse of existing structures and often lead to bigger problems. In other words, I want to take lightweight measures where possible, because it allows you to make the revision step-by-step so you can keep a close relationship with your site community.

Here are 3 typical ways for you to refer to in your revision:

• Slow Heat : This is similar to the "early detection, diligent improvement" approach, including finding clues from a variety of indications so that you can track down key issues.
  The effect of public opinion: Because you can communicate with the user on the basis of a series of conversations, so help to establish a communication relationship with the user. This approach works best in traditional media, where contributors often need long-term interviews to collect data in order to write a lengthy story. If you have a good reason, you can also use this method to get the exclusive information. Obviously, you can get exclusive information through a lot of your own channels, as long as you keep the promise between you and your users.
  Implementation: The revision can be in the way of time to reverse a little bit, before this clear notice of your site users. Even if the revision is very small, you have to advance notice in case they overreact. Promote the success of the revision, whitewash the not-so-good part.
• test Method : This method can be combined with the "slow-heat method", or the first implementation, and often to allow existing users to participate in.
  Public opinion Effect: The advantage of this approach is to get your site's volunteer users involved in a timely manner so that feedback can be generated in this link. The good news is that voluntary users tend to be more receptive to web site revisions, which means they get more positive feedback. At the same time, because it is beta, even if there is a shortage of people will not think it is a big problem (but there are exceptions, because different sites, for what is the test version of the interpretation is also different). If they don't overreact to the beta, you can migrate users to the revamped Web site on a large scale. In this way, it is not easy to poke a big basket.
  Implementation: You should consider getting some useful feedback from your site's volunteer users as they try to test the beta version. It can help you collect the most useful feedback, including countermeasures and/or explanations. When you do a website, it is important to have such a loyal think-tank.
• Online : A lot of people see it as a release, but I think it's just a dramatic representation of the release. Although this is not a secret, this practice requires you to not disclose information in the revision to accumulate explosive power. So that after the line can be very effective to trigger comments, accelerate the mutiny. This approach is especially useful for websites that provide individual services or content, and your user community can accept this change. Although this method has not been used in the release of the revision or the new website, it is only used in the publication of Aurora Concept video.
  The effect of public opinion: it's easier to scoop up exclusive news in this situation, especially if you have a good relationship with the media. Blocking messages may be necessary, but beware of "leaks" that can damage your relationship with the media. Obviously, the greater the visibility of services, the better the effect of this approach.
  Implementation: The Countdown method works well in this case, but you must be prepared to face bad outcomes without having to do any market research or product testing. There is a certain risk to this method, but if you plan well, he can really get rid of some obstacles. Recall that the release of Firefox 3 had paralyzed their services, but it still created a world record, ushering in a victory.

3 Don't (and some caveats)

I have cited a number of examples of companies with active communities who are always affected by a revamped page or website. Earlier this year, adaptive path took part in the revision of a website ───myspace with an active community. When a site has a community, you can always find that the site will provide community users with some trial opportunities at the time of the revision. While listening to the views of these users, there are a number of issues that must be noted:

• Keep in mind that these users are voluntary users who do not represent all users of the site.
• In fact, because these users are always enthusiastic about participating, they tend to provide more positive feedback.
• Publish the feedback so that all users who participate or are not involved in the trial will be able to see it.
• Take some form of assurance that all feedback can be confirmed and given a reasonable answer.
• Collect common questions and respond in a concise and straightforward manner to reflect the consistency of your site's brand image.
• Be patient until there are fewer new problems.

But be careful! You may have listened to all the feedback and found that there was no balance between them and that the process of revision was repeated. Perhaps Facebook has solved all these problems and even conducted large-scale tests to make sure the results are realistic. Let's assume that the revision is beneficial for all community users. But it's still hard to avoid the problem that when users log on to the Facebook page one day, they find that everything has changed.

Sometimes, the revision itself can do nothing about it. So how do we deal with this?

• do not change too fast : To avoid a sudden change from small scale to large-scale revision of the whole station. It is not enough to have a hint bar at the top of the page to recruit users for the beta version. Give users plenty of time to make them aware of the revision process. Some people log on to the site every day, while others only log in once a month or less. This means that it may take a while for them to learn about this information.
• don't wait for questioning to come out and explain what you're doing : Remember to let your users know what you're doing for the first time. I recommend that this information be posted as a countdown. It's not necessarily the countdown to the literal, although that's fine. I mean there is a plan for the information to ensure that it is made available through the website's own publishing channels or other media.
• Don't be exhaustive : Deploy the resources you have at hand, make sure they are used where they are most likely to be, and do so once the decision is made. Smaller changes are less likely to cause a sensation, so don't always focus on those small places.

In the process of revision there are many methods and misunderstandings, I hope that you have already thought of. Typically, one of the most important factors to consider is how the end user ──── their experience and how you can make them the best experience.