You are here

Growth-driven Design for Drupal

This site is for archival purposes only. 

Find out what is happening with the Twin Cities Drupal User Group at https://tcdrupal.org/

Track: 
Design & Theming
Experience Level: 
Intermediate
Session Length: 
30 minutes

Growth-driven Design embodies the philosophy that we need data to inform an optimal site design. But, how do we get that data if we have not launched? Sure, we can gather some sort of data from user research to get us part of the way, but there is no substitute for real, live data on a real, live website.

If we're redesigning an existing site, and the redesign is gradual or evolutionary, sometimes we can get decent data from the old site to inform the new. But, in the context of a radical redesign (most cases), data from the old site generally don't provide sufficiently useful information.

So, how do we operate with a lack of data? We launch early, and gather data. We come up with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and test with real, live traffic. Yes, sometimes the MVP has to be fairly maximal rather than minimal, but the philosophy and idea are important, and it can help curb scope creep and stakeholder feedback, and lighten the user acceptance testing period. Furthermore, it paves the way for future work post-launch, and helps shift minds towards continual optimization based on data rather than "Ok, the site is launched! Now we just have to keep cranking out content and stay current on security updates."

Learning Objectives & Outcomes: 

* Growth-driven Design Principles and Drupal-specific examples.
* Using Google's Design Sprint to get to MVP quickly.
* Brief overview of Google Analytics and various optimization tools, as well as the components that can be optimized through data such as UX, usability and website conversions.