Market/product analysis and planning The audit stage provides the intellectual backbone and clarifies the strategic goals to which the design prototype or redesign must answer. In this stage, I work with you to:

• Define the project scope, requirements, roles and responsibilities and designate an internal contact to ensure effective communication
• Articulate the company’s overall strategy and goals for the project
• Analyze the market and competitors in search of opportunities for differentiation
• Assess the company’s product in question, how to apply the overall strategy and opportunities for product development
• Produce a written strategy document as well as an editorial plan that define the projects goals and scope, incorporate the results of the above analysis and serves as a map to guide the redesign process
• Finalize the project’s budget and schedule

Design exploration, definition and production Throughout the design phase, I work closely with you to take a project from conceptualization to refinement to execution.
In this step, we:

• Explore, create and present alternative concepts
• Choose and refine one concept
• Further develop, review and finalize the concept
• Develop and present a bona fide prototype
• Finalize the prototype and produce templates

Implementation The final stage is designed to ensure that the project is internalized by those that will have to implement it on a regular basis. In this step, I:

• Deliver templates
• Draft a comprehensive manual of style
• Train staff
• Provide a three-month follow on assessment detailing problems areas and how to solve them

Apart from these basic design phases, I encourage news and content-generation companies to take further steps to ensure the success and acceptance of the improved product. These include:

Conducting focus groups This is intended to ferret out problems readers see prior to a product’s launch.

Improving workflow and planning Any major change in content and production invariably will affect workflow. The production chain should be analyzed and improved during this process to increase productivity.

Marketing The editorial and design changes should be accompanied by a promotional campaign directed to the target audience and that reinforces the basic strategy accompanying the redesign.