Outside-In Design starts from the visitor's end of the process.
- Who will visit our site?
- What question do they want answered?
- What problem do they want solved?
- What do they need to know next? And next?
Graphic methods work well here, too. Some clients like to start from the visitor question. Others find it easier to start from the question/problem part of the process.
It's important to start from the actual first contact that your organization receives. We want to identify key questions and problems. There are two groups uniquely suited to providing you with helpful information.
Talk to the folks who answer your phones. Ask them who calls. Ask them what questions they have to answer over and over or what problems people are trying to solve.
Talk to other people in your organization who deal directly with the people you think will be your key visitors. Ask them the same questions you ask your phone answering folks.
Make sure you talk to the direct contact people in your organization that relate to your business purpose for the site. If it's customer service, talk to customer service reps. If it's sales and marketing, be sure to talk to the folks in field sales. If it's support for logistics and distribution, talk to the people who talk to the shippers.
The most important thing that Outside-In Design (along with outlining your key processes)will do for you is identify the pages that visitors will see first -- the Entry Pages.
