How do you calculate value for website redesigns?

[Julie Prianos]

I have devised metrics for all other aspects of website redesign projects (efficiency, effort size, impact, cost), but value for the customer is something I am having a hard time calculating.

Website redesign projects seem to solve one more more of the following needs:

- branding

- communication

- ease of use

Customer satisfaction surveys don't seem to do the job. What we seem to find is that the people who enjoy working with us fill out the surveys we send wholeheartedly with tons of uplifting anecdotal evidence and very high ratings in every category. Those who were not pleased with the project or who were ambivalent do not fill out the survey at all.

Has anyone else tried to tackle this problem? 

[Steve]

Sounds like a cost-benefit analysis might be reasonable. If you're talking about an entire institution, you have the student funnel, right?

# Filled out information request

# Attended open house

# Applied

# Accepted

# stayed overnight with current student

# enrolled

# retained/graduated

#/$ giving alumni

You have numbers before and after. Your redesign can affect numbers at some stage of the funnel. Perhaps the institution decides they want to increase overnight stays because those students are more likely to attend. So you redesign with that strategy in mind and measure the impact.

[Paul Dempsey]

Usability testing would be one approach, particularly if you can do a before/after test. Identifying problem issues for users, then fixing them, would definitely be a good way of showing value for a redesign.

Similarly, reviewing Google Analytics could show more success helping users get to the right content.

Finally, showing how a redesign addresses technology changes (responsive design for mobile device viewing, for example) can show value. Looking at analytics for mobile use can help there.