Web

Third-party Web Projects

The essentials

If you are going to outsource the design work for your website to a third party, you should specify adherence to the Rules for Oxford University Websites within your project brief.

In 2006 the Disability Rights Commission published 'PAS 78: Guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites'. This document is a should do rather than a must do, but is very useful if you want to refer third parties to the standards you expect them to deliver.

You can download the electronic/PDF version of this free via OXLIP. Look up 'British Standards Online' and use your ATHENS authorisation. Then search for PAS 78 as Standard Number.

What is acceptable?

Make sure your team has agreed what will be acceptable when the design work is delivered. Being clear on this from the outset will ensure that you can:

  • develop a comprehensive design brief.
  • check against this brief throughout the design process.
  • give the designer clear instructions.
  • check the delivered designs against your specifications.
  • make sure that designs meet specific requirements, such as templates that work with a particular Content Management System.

Request a portfolio

  • From a short list of prospective designers, ask each one for a portfolio.
  • Also ask for individual contact names for each site in the portfolio.
  • Phone up one or two of the contacts and ask them some prepared questions, such as:
    • did the designer/design house supply templates that are compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines?
    • did the designer listen to your needs?
    • are you pleased with the results?
    • did the designer have experience working with the UK HEI sector?
  • Use this information to draw up a short list of about 3 candidates who can then be sent your design brief.

Other ways to get ready

  • Will your legal department have a contract ready? Perhaps they have had to prepare one for an earlier project? The designer/design agency will most likely have their own contract. How will you handle contract arrangements?
  • Are you tendering or selecting the designer some other way? If you are tendering, do you want to send the design brief to each designer on your shortlist? Or do you want to give them a more generic task, such as coming up with their own redesign of your homepage (to see what they are capable of)? If you are giving them a more generic task with which to start, you may want to give them a shortened version of your full brief.

Preparing a Web Design Brief Document

You should include:

  1. an overview of the project. Some high-level information such as the user groups which are/aren't causing you concern.
  2. some general notes about the tone and look you want create. Remember that if you have carried out end-user testing with wireframes, it's the look that the designer will be producing.
  3. the specifics of your brief. For example: the supplied templates must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 to level AA. The supplied templates must comply with Oxford University's own Web Rules.
  4. information about how the design tender process will work (if you are tendering). For example, the designer should prepare a printed mock-up by a specified date.
  5. the tested wireframes, or if you don't have these, details of page elements (in an Appendix section). You should supply one wireframe for every piece of content that will require special visual treatment. The designer should be asked to design all visual content that you are going to need when you start your website first.

You might want to include information indicating that:

  • the templates should use XHTML 1.0 Strict.
  • the templates should use CSS 2.0 and CSS-Positioning allowing for proper separation of content from styling.
  • details such as "The template should use Apache Server Side Includes (if using SSI) as this is the only includes format  with which our server is compatible".
  • the template should be compatible with a server of this configuration (state configuration).
  • the template should be interoperable with a Content Management System (we have chosen "XX". Give details about "XX").

You might also mention design problems you need them to solve, such as:

  • a large list of items for users to navigate to from the homepage.
  • a navigation solution that is not dependent on client-side scripting or pop-up/pop-out menus.
  • content that needs certain design requirements e.g., there should be a special hover state for links taking users to content such as a PDF document.

Related links