A website discovery workbook to deliver clarity on your next website

Where can I run the workshop?

Our website discovery workbook workshop is designed to be run remotely using video calls and screen sharing. We've run dozens of discovery workshops this way, and it works a treat. But it also works perfectly in real life too. It's really up to you, the client and your team.

Who should lead the workshop?

The workshop can be lead by an individual or team – preferably someone who isn't afraid of asking or shying away from difficult questions.

Where possible, we'd recommend three different types of people running the session:

1. Business and strategy brains

to help draw out those all important goals and mediate between the technical and non-technical.

2. UX/UI Designer

To bring their expertise on what makes a successful user experience.

3. Developer

Developer to bring the technical knowledge and solutions needed to deliver the project.

However, this isn't always possible and it's not uncommon for these three roles to be covered by one person.

From my clients' side, who should I invite to the workshop?

Ideally, you'll need to bring along key stakeholders and/or decision-makers from the organisation you're working with.

Here's some examples:

1. Someone with high-level knowledge

Culture is often based on the history of the founder and the way they act – so having a founder present to share in their own words is beneficial.

2. Decision-maker

Digital discovery sessions can sometimes involve big changes from to meet their users needs. Having someone in the session who can verify how realistic those changes could be made is beneficial.

3. Someone on the ground

These are the people who are directly effected by the result of the project, e.g. a marketing manager.

This isn't always possible, so for smaller teams and organisations, these roles may be covered by one person.

How long will the workshop last?

That's up to you – but there’s a lot to cover, so, we would factor in 6 to 7 hours. This should give you enough time to discuss all the points in detail. However, if it's specifically complex problem we're trying to solve, then it may run into a second day.

How should I plan the workshop day?

Using the workbook, a typical workshop day will look like this:

1. Welcome + Intros
2. The Organisation
3. The Offering
   
4. The Audience
5. The Competitors
6. The Brand
7. Lunch 🍔
8. The Content
9. The Technical Requirements
10. The Marketing
11. Finishing Up

When we're leading the website discovery workshop, the day usually starts at 10:00am with a break for lunch around 1:00pm – and aiming to be finished by 5:00pm.

What do I need to bring?

Just open and willing people and something to take notes with. If you’re running your session remotely, use your preferred video calling software and we’d recommend an app called Notion for taking notes, it’s mega! If you can, record your session, this way you can can keep the discussion flowing and go back if you miss anything in your notes.

What happens after the workshop?

That's totally up to you. However, what would recommend is as soon as possible after the workshop (while it's still fresh) that you send to the client:

• Key findings and observations document
  
• Recommendations
• Next Steps
• A link to the workshop recording

The next steps depend on how you work, but off the back of the website discovery workshop, a logical progression would be to move on to the following:

1. Scope of Work
2. Sitemaps
3. Wireframes / Prototypes
4. UI/UX Design
5. Development