User needs are integral to all sites with a marketing genesis. It is OK to begin, therefore, with the provider requirements; i.e. the business objective of the site. The user-centered process will provide ample feedback regarding the success or failure of the site.

Examples of provider requirements include:

• Design considerations imposed by budget constraints. It would be nice to have unlimited funds, but after the dotcom boom and fall, what marketing program can expect this level of funding?
• Clear definition of the site's intended users. Do they fall into specific market segments, and how will your organization track and target their response?
• A rationale for the site. Some examples include presenting an authoritative voice, converting leads, obtaining leads, e-commerce, positioning, advertising and branding, and information sharing.
• Page selection--choose the kinds of pages that are most likely to meet user needs. This choice involves site architecture, the user interface, levels of interactivity, etc.
• Metrics for the site. What can be measured? What should be measured? 

Based on the work-up of provider requirements, a matrix of responsibility and resources can be established.

Scenario Building

One of the bulwarks of strategic planning, scenario building, works well in Web site planning because this methodology focuses on user (customer) scenarios. Since the site is built to be used, the universe of scenarios is limited to user experiences. This is a good place to remain focused.

For example, it is often helpful to describe specific individual profiles, and ask how and why they will come to your Web site. This helps determine design prototypes.

Scenarios can be created for many potential users, and in this way various niche markets can be explored.

Key Factors

• A ranking of potential site visitors/users
• Clear understanding of user motivation and purpose
• Awareness of the technical level of each user profile
• User intentions regarding printing, downloading, bookmarking, etc.
• Issues of browser compatibility
• The complexity of the language used on the site

Additional Resources

Human-centred design processes for interactive systems

Certification of usability is a means of providing assurance that a product has achieved a certain level of quality in use. The quality in use of a product depends on the quality of implementation and integration of all of the human-centred processes in the product’s lifecycle. This quality attribute can be achieved in the most reliable fashion through timely assessment of the product and its development processes against appropriate standards. 

See also: Proposed Usability Engineering Assurance Scheme (INUSE Deliverable D5.2.3), by N. Bevan, N. Claridge, J. Earthy and J. Kirakowski (1998).