Questions at the start – answers at the end
In such a large state institution, many departments and experts are involved in website development. Coordinating their needs and interests is usually impossible for an in-house team. For us, however, it is a task tailor-made for us. We have extensive experience with robust websites for state institutions, particularly with the complex process of designing them. Thanks to this, we won the tender and embarked on the collaboration.
Our task was to create a project and tender documentation for a new, robust website that would be more functional, clearer and more modern.
“Over the years of use, the website has grown to the point where it has become confusing. People need information that is quickly accessible and clear. And to achieve that, the site needed to be rebuilt from the ground up,” says Zuzana Štíchová, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about the start of our project.
From scratch – that is, from the initial study
Before we embarked on specific designs and sorting through ideas, we needed a thorough analysis. In other words, a preliminary study to answer the questions:
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Who is the website intended for?
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Who searches for what kind of information on it?
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in what situations do people need it most?
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What topics does the content cover, how should it be logically organised, what should be included and what should be omitted?
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Who will manage the website and add content to it?
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Which technologies are involved in the website’s functionality, and what technical specifications must they meet?
A key step in the implementation process was the careful definition of target groups. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website is used by many people, both domestic and international, for a variety of purposes. For work, travel, crisis situations… and the breadth and depth of its content mean that not everyone can find the information they need at the same speed. Following thorough discussion, we jointly identified three main target groups for the future website:
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the travelling public
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journalists
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foreigners travelling to the Czech Republic
An advanced analysis of the existing content ultimately provided the basis for the design of the new layout.
A good mediator is a treasure!
When creating any new website, there are many interests, ideas and possible paths to implementation. Our experience repeatedly shows us that without experienced project management, the goal cannot be achieved. That is why, as an agency, we have set ourselves a main objective – to bring the project to the point where the client is clear about:
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exactly what they want – what the outcome should be
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how much it should cost and how long it should take
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what criteria to use when issuing a tender for implementation
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what technical specifications the website will require
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what work still lies ahead before launch
In our role as mediators, we managed to achieve all this within the promised timeframe and budget, including the complete documentation. This contains the full project deliverables, upon which the Ministry can now build the final website:
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structure
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content
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graphics
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technical specifications, including cyber risks.
“As with other large-scale government contracts, the best solution proved to be dividing the creation of the new website into a preparatory and an implementation phase. We guided the client step by step through the process of analysis, planning how to simplify the website and consolidate similar information in one place, right through to the final documentation,” says AITOM Key Account Manager Martina Filipová.
We are proud of the result of our collaboration and would like to thank all the experts at the Ministry who contributed to this joint project. We look forward to your new website!
Would you also like to help with the preparation of a large-scale web project?