Brand Discovery: The Essential Step Before Initiating a Web Project with Menta

Why is it crucial to gather requirements and discover the brand before starting a web project?

The success of a web project relies heavily on understanding the specific needs of the client and, of course, having a solid and well-defined brand.

The process of gathering requirements and brand discovery lays the fundamental groundwork for a successful web project. In this article, we will delve into the detailed process followed at Menta, highlighting its significance at each stage.

Requirements Gathering Process Before Initiating a Web Design and Development Project

At Menta, our process consists of 2 phases (ideally, as this may vary depending on each client).

1. In the initial meeting with the prospective client, we ask questions about their company to better understand their requirements and the need for creating or redesigning their website. This is done to assess if we align with their needs, identify if it's a client we want to work with, and crucially, define the project's scope to present a proforma.
2. Once the proforma is accepted, and the advance payment is made, we conduct the first meeting (kick-off meeting) with the client, completing all the necessary information to initiate the project.

Having a template for the questions to gather information is vital. This template should be continually updated, corrected, and modified based on the evolving needs discovered during the process.

Questions from the Requirements Gathering Template

The Menta requirements gathering template is structured into the following categories:

Phase 1

1.1 General Information

1.1.1 Contact Details

1.1.2 Meeting Notes

1.2 Web Requirements

1.2.1 Strategy

1.2.2 E-commerce Section

1.2.3 Current Inputs

1.2.4 CMS and Animations Requirements

1.3 Budget and Time

Phase 2

2.1 Company Description

2.2 Target Market

2.3 Client's Needs

2.4 User's Needs

Now, let's break down each section:

1.1 General Information

1.1.1 Contact Details: It is crucial to have the client's contact details for reference in case of future communication. The details include:

• Client's Name
• Company
• Products or services offered
• Position
• Email
• Phone
• LinkedIn
• Meeting Photo (useful for visually recalling the conversation)

1.1.2 Meeting Notes: Here, we jot down everything the client shares during meetings, capturing specific details that might not fit within the template's questions.

1.2 Web Requirements

1.2.1 Strategy

• What is the goal of creating a website or platform?
• How would you define the success of this project? What needs to happen for it to be a success?
• What information would you like to convey to your customers on your website? (e.g., history, products, client portfolio, customer reviews, photos, videos, contacts, etc.)
• What do you think your customers would be most interested in on your website?
• Do you need to include a process to understand your customers better? (To identify what they are really looking for, understand your users better, or do you believe you already know them?)
• Do you need to include business strategy and copywriting services? To what depth? (From creating and improving a value proposition to just thinking about website text, to advising and reviewing, or nothing, meaning using the text provided)
• Pages that you like for reference (can be from the same industry or not)
• If you have a current website, is there anything you want to maintain in terms of design/content?
• Do you have your own photos or videos?
• Do you consider your audience to be mostly on mobile, desktop, or tablet?

1.2.2 E-commerce Section

• Do you want to have a payment gateway for credit/debit card transactions?
• How many products do you have?
• Do you have your own photos of all the products?
• Any additional requirements?

1.2.3 Current Inputs

Do you have the following inputs:

• Brand manual (logo, colors, typography)
• Domain
• Server
• Current website (to be redesigned)
• Do you have social media accounts, which ones?

1.2.4 CMS and Animations Requirements

• Is there any content planned for regular publishing/updates?
• Is there any specific animation you would like on your website?

1.3 Budget and Time

• Do you have a reference budget for our service?

It is crucial to know if the client has a reference budget for our services. At this stage, we also present our entry-level reference prices, allowing both parties to understand the project's scope and ensuring that subsequent meetings are conducted with the certainty that the client has this budget.

Of course, it wouldn't be beneficial to start with this question before discussing everything mentioned earlier, explaining the work that is done, allowing the client to understand the differential offered, and why the value may be higher than the competition.

This is why this question is left until the end of the first-phase meeting, even before providing any quotations. In fact, if we apply The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns, where it is explained that no quotation should be provided without a prior agreement that the work will be carried out, we should not only know that the client is willing to pay for the value of our services but should already be sure that they will work with us before sending a quotation.

2.1 Company Description

This section delves into more detail about the company to understand the brand, what it wants to project, and how we will achieve the objectives through a tailor-made website.

The questions here include:

• What products or services do you offer? (in more detail)
• What is the brand's story?
• Do you have a slogan?
• Do you have a defined value proposition?
• Which brands inspire you? (either from your product category or another category)
• Who are your top 5 competitors?
• What are the differentiating values or competitive advantages of your brand? (crucial for projecting this on the website) Or How do you differ from the competition?

2.2 Target Market

It is crucial to know the client's client, i.e., for whom the page is really intended. This will allow us to take all actions, both in terms of user experience (UX) and graphic interface design (UI), focused on their target market.

• Who are your current users? (if applicable)
• What is your target market? (can be the same as the current one)
• Demographic characteristics (Age, gender, sexual orientation, family size, family income, profession, educational level, socio-economic status, religion, nationality, cultures, race, generation, etc.)
• Geographic characteristics
• Psychographic characteristics (personality, lifestyle, values)
• User persona(s)

2.3 Client's Needs

Here, the website's functionalities are defined in more detail than before. It should always begin with "the page will allow the company to..." (e.g., the page will allow the company to communicate seriousness and professionalism). General functionalities are defined here with the client. Later, additional functionalities are proposed based on a thorough analysis of the information gathered from this template.

2.4 User's Needs

Here, the users' needs entering the website are defined, starting with "the page will allow the user to..." (e.g., the page will allow the user to find a restaurant near their neighborhood).

Benefits of Conducting a Thorough Requirements Gathering

• Clarity and Direction: Provides a clear vision of the brand, strategic direction, and how the website should align with it.
• Consistency: Ensures consistency across all communication channels.
• Connection: Generates a much stronger connection with the client by precisely understanding their brand and objectives.
• Loyalty: Increases customer loyalty and trust in the brand.
• Competitive Advantage: Allows differentiation from competitors and stands out in the market.

Tips for Effective Requirements Gathering

• Involve All Stakeholders: Ensure the participation of all key actors in the brand discovery process. Once the project begins, a new person entering the project will always want to provide a new perspective. While this may help the project, it can also cause delays.
• Have Material Ready: Have this template ready (whether in Docs, Notion, Word, etc.), and never go to these meetings to improvise questions.
• Clear and Effective Communication: Throughout the process, achieve this by being open with the client, treating the process more like a conversation than a survey, paying careful attention, and noting down key points. The questions in our template are not a safe, meaning many more questions will arise based on the conversation with the client.
• Record the Conversation: Due to the need to maintain a conversational and dialogue-friendly environment, recording this meeting (whether audio or video if it's virtual) is beneficial. This allows focus on the client and not just on taking notes.

Conclusions

A thorough requirements gathering and brand discovery process is an essential investment for the success of any web project. Dedicating time and effort to this process will help create a strong and memorable brand that connects with the target audience and yields tangible results.

‍