We love redesigns because you already have so much information to work with. In the broader application of the human-centred design approach, redesign for us falls under the fourth principle: iterate. You’ve tried one thing (or maybe a few things) and now it’s time to bring together everything you’ve learned about what’s (not) working to make the next version simpler, more specific and more in tune with what your people need.

But in the smaller world of your website, we start from the top, with principle number 1: Solve the right problem.

There’s this assumption that redesigns are about the look, which makes sense. If something isn’t going right, or could be going better, the first suspect is going to be the part you can see. But the way the website looks is a direct result of who the website is for and what the website should do for them and how it should make them feel. AKA your brand.

A redesign is necessarily guided by a change in your brand.

Is the problem that your website is dated and you no longer like the look? Maybe. But more likely the problem is the visual no longer reflects your message. Or the message no longer reflects what you offer. Or the offer itself has changed. So before we even start thinking about new colours or fancy animations, we need to zero in on the problem your site is no longer solving, or the new problem that’s arisen that your website needs to start solving, and then design for that. The visual is the last step, and in some cases doesn’t even need to change much.

For example we have a client, BoundAries Leather, who creates handmade and bespoke leather items, including kink and fetish gear, for a primarily queer audience. They have a brick-and-mortar leatherwork and cobbling shop (we built their website!) with a broader range of services, and this website was used to separate out the sexier items. They didn’t want a rebrand. They know who their audience is and they know their values and messaging speak to that audience. So what’s the problem? In this case it’s both practical and ideological. They used to sell their products on Etsy, and just used their website and social media to direct customers there. But in the summer of 2024 Etsy cracked down on anything sex-related, and in particular queer-related products. Not cool. BoundAries decided to move away from Etsy both because it no longer aligns with their values, and because they need to be able to sell online, and do it on a platform they own.

Clearly identifying the problem right away means the solution tends to be much quicker to present itself. We kept the feel of the brand the same by sticking with the existing colour palette and updating the type to a slightly more sleek combo. Then we built out a site that organizes all their beautiful products into easy-to-navigate categories and uses WooCommerce to for a lovely and simple checkout experience, even on items that have multiple different options to choose from, including size, leather type, colour and hardware. The end result is a site that not only solves our key problem, but also represents the brand in a way that’s clearer and more compelling than Etsy could ever do.

Let’s look at an example of a different (thought not entirely unrelated) problems that led to different solutions.

Asparagus Magazine is another story of an organization that used an affordable existing platform and shop to make a name for themselves and get their work out there, in this case using Medium as a publishing platform After several years of posting articles via a system designed by and for someone else, the Asparagus team was acutely aware of it’s limitations and very clear on the features they needed to take the magazine into its next chapter.

Here are the key problems:

1. Very limited analytics – could see traffic spikes but couldn’t see where that traffic was coming from or what article it was landing on. Asparagus needs thorough analytics data because they need to know what articles resonate most with their readers, and where those readers are finding the articles.
2. Very limited customization of the visual brand – there was a logo and a signature Bright Green and almost nothing beyond that. The magazine had jumped from online-only to print publishing, and with that jump came a brand design process to help solidify who they are and who they’re speaking to. Medium as platform couldn’t keep up with the changes or accurately translate the new branding elements to the web.
3. Very limited customization of site structure – with an increasing catalogue of articles on a variety of subjects, the need for better organization was becoming increasingly important.

Identifying the key problems is the first step in taking a strategy-first approach. The flow chart looks something like this: Problem (what’s getting in the way of your goals) -> strategy (how to remove those obstacles) -> visuals (what does it look like now that those obstacles are gone)

Unlike in the Boundaries example, the ability to match custom brand elements to the website was identified early on as a key problem to solve, so we knew from the start this website needed to be custom designed. Multiple factors told us we’d need custom code to achieve the magazine’s aims: First, there was a huge volume of data — from articles to columns to contributor bios to custom-commissioned artwork and photography. Second, the primary goal is to have visitors read as many articles as possible, clicking their way through multiple stories and topics. User experience needed to be paramount, which means impeccable organization and categorization, full code accessibility and great page speed.

These factors in turn guided the designs decisions: we designed article cards that are art-forward and provide multiple opportunities for readers to choose their next article (click the byline for more by an author, or click one of the primary category buttons for more on a topic); we built pages that are colourful, consistent and clean; and we created a multi-layered category navigation that’s accessible at all times. Finally, we installed Google Analytics and created custom event trackers so the team had the most complete view possible of how readers use the site.

The real magic of this approach is that is means you’re never pulling answers out of thin air. Have you ever heard the expression “form follows function”? We heard it non-stop in writing school to remind us that if a sentence doesn’t move the story forward, it doesn’t matter how nice it sounds. It’s gotta go. If a visual element doesn’t serve your goals, it’s gotta go, no matter how much you might love it and want to incorporate it (another common, if slightly more ruthless, writing motto is “kill your darlings.” Make of that what you will).

This approach also means we rarely suggest custom work for a first website. You’ll know so much more about your organization, your audience, your goals, how you like to work, after being in operation for a few years. When you do decide you’re ready for custom work, we’ll be able to clearly identify your key problems, and the time and money you spend on that custom work will go further and serve you better.

If you start off with the right problem, it’s much more likely the solutions will fall into place.