Client Website Requirements Gathering

Gathering requirements for client website

For this task, we were given the task of undergoing the first stage of developing a website for a client of our choosing, we had to consider a variety of different factors that would influence how we would design a site for our chosen client.

The client options we were given were:

• UWE Digital Media
• People’s Republic Of Stokes Croft
• Creative Technologies Lab

I chose to design a site for the People’s Republic Of Stokes Croft, as I felt that the concept of the organisation was quite interesting, and since I felt I could relate to the project, having spent the last year living on the borders of the Stokes Croft area.

Once I had chosen the client that I would base my project on, I went about considering the criteria that was required to create a website for the PRSC, as well as the criteria required for creating a good website in general. For the client, we had to consider:

• What does the client actually need?
• What do they need it to do?
• Who is it talking to?
• What are they saying?
• How are they saying it?
• What content is available/needed?
• What functionality is needed?

I went through each of these options individually and tried to answer the question in order to create a kind of ‘specification’ that I would follow when creating my site.

What does the client actually need? 

The client needs a way of promoting the interests of the organisation, that will be informative and easily accessible to everyone, so that they can raise awareness of the issues present within the Stokes Croft area, e.g. neglection of the area in general, increasing gentrification through increasing rents and plans for gated communities, and the efforts by the local council to privatise spaces in the area.

What do they need it to do?

The site should be able to educate people about the amenities and facilities located in Stokes Croft that are available to them, it should also be able to showcase projects that have been carried out by members of the organisation, as well as work carried out by local artists. All of these factors should be accurately represented in order to encourage people to visit the area, and gain support for the issues that they are trying to resolve.

Who is it talking to?

It needs to talk to a wide range of people, particularly but not limited to people who live and work in Bristol. It should talk to people who are local to the area and have lived there for years, as well as people who are new to the area and also new to the city, such as tourists and/or students. One important demographic that it should appeal to is people that aren’t currently a part of the organisation, as one of the main aims of the PRSC is to gain support for their agenda.

What are they saying?

The PRSC states that its goals are to enhance the culture of the Stokes Croft area, whilst maintaining the infrastructure of the properties that have been there for years. They also aim to protect the cultural integrity of the area, by resistance to any more plans to establish business chains in the area, and by supporting independent local businesses that are already present.

How are they saying it?

The People’s Republic Of Stokes Croft are putting forward their ideas through a series of media and actions, for example, the series of projects that they have carried out, such as their plans to buy back ‘Turbo Island’ in Stokes Croft, which has become increasingly plagued by advertising over the last few years. In addition to this, they also carry out work trying to help street drinkers in the area find jobs and get back on their feet. The organisation also holds regular meetings to discuss ideas on how to keep improving the area and how they co-operate with the local council to do so, and additionally holding protests against unfavoured decisions, such as the decision to build a Tesco in the area.

What content is available/needed?

The site should comprise of a range of content that can accurately represent both the organisation and the area itself, including:

• History of local businesses in the area, restaurants, cafes, bars and notable nightclubs (e.g. Lakota, Blue Mountain).
• Notable events in the area such as the 2011 riots and the Boycott Tesco protests.
• Past, present and future projects carried out by the group.
• Map of current and proposed area of Stokes Croft.
• Contact information for people who want to get involved with the organisation.
• Link to external site (e.g PayPal) where people can donate to the organisation.

What functionality is needed?

Some examples of functionality that should be included in the PRSC site are:

• An option to subscribe to the companies mailing list, so people can be kept informed of what’s happening within the organisation.
• Links to social media sites for the organisation, again for regular updates, but also to gain support for the PRSC.
• Calendar system to display planned events such as meetings, discussions groups, protests etc.