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How I Created Ockham Design

Defining The Site

Duration: 2 hours

The first step was to define the purpose of my web site. I did this by asking four simple questions.

Yes, it did take me two hours to answer four questions. Simple doesn't mean easy.

I needed to think through the purpose of the site and what I wanted to accomplish. I did brainstorming to answer questions which would help me clarify the purpose of the site. I wanted to figure out if I could accomplish my goals more effectively with some other method.

Why do I need a web site?

For the longest time, the answer was that I didn't need a web site.

Most businesses don't need full websites because a single webpage is enough. Could I accomplish what I wanted with just a a single page?

The answer is:  I need a full web site to network more efficiently.

I had been using my web knowledge as a networking tool for years. My problem is that explaining basic web concepts to every new contact was incredibly time consuming.

When I meet people at seminars or at networking groups, I only have 3-5 minutes to introduce myself and to get them interested in remembering me as a useful resource.

I spent too much time answering web questions and not enough time getting the other person to talk about themselves, their products or services.

Having a web site, I can say, I answer those questions on my site, here's my card. So tell me about what you do?

How will the Ockham Design site save money?

Ockham Design will save me money by saving me time.

I no longer have to write long emails to new contacts answering web questions. The answers are on the web site.

I'll use the site as an effective means of distribution for applications, documents and tools to the people I work with.

How will the Ockham Design site make money?

I've been referring design and development work to others for years. I want to systemize the process.

I'll use Ockham Design as a referral tool for my network. My goal is to use the site to answer questions and to refer clients to other designers to get their problems solved. If the client decides to work with one of the referrals, Ockham Design gets a referral bonus.

The goal is to only handle the initial project and subsequent projects will be direct client to network.

The client will want to use me as a go-between in order to be sure that everything goes smoothly the first time. The service providers in my network will want me as a go-between to I can manage any scope creep or issues so they can evaluate working with the client one-on-one in the long term.

Who is the intended target audience for this web site?

I have two audiences for this site.

My primary audience are the people with whom I currently network--real estate agents, lawyers, doctors, network marketers, life coaches, executives, etc. I want this site to contain information that is worth their time to bookmark and use the site an ongoing resource. When the decide to build a site, I want them to go to my network first to find the right person.

My secondary audience are the designers in my network, their designer peers and their clients.

I want to be the resource for their potential clients. If a potential clients need to be educated on the cost and effort it takes to create a website, Ockham Design is where I want them to be referred.

My objective is to improve communication and increase transparency between the client and the designer.

Next: Competitive Research