Start with the change you want
A useful brief describes a problem before it describes a page. Perhaps customers cannot find your services, your team spends too long updating content, or your current website no longer reflects the business. Write that down in plain language. It gives the project a reason to exist.
Choose one primary action you want a visitor to take: enquire, book, buy or explore. Other actions can support it, but a clear priority helps you make decisions about the homepage, navigation and calls to action. “Make it modern” is a direction; “make booking easier” is a problem you can work on.
Describe a real visitor
Think about someone arriving with a question. What do they already know? What do they need to compare? What might stop them from taking the next step? A first-time visitor and a returning customer may need different routes through the same website.
List the information each person needs, then arrange it around their decisions. A service page might need the offer, who it suits, what happens next and a way to get in touch. Start with those needs before deciding how many pages the site should have.
Bring the practical details into view
Collect the content and systems the website will depend on. That includes photography, brand files, product information, booking tools, forms and any existing pages that must be kept. Identify who owns each item and who can approve it.
Be clear about what your team needs to edit after launch. Adding a news story is different from managing a catalogue. The right editing experience follows those everyday tasks. Also note any domain, hosting or third-party access that will need to be arranged.
Define what a good handover looks like
Decide how you will review the finished work. Walk through the main visitor journeys on a phone and a larger screen. Check the enquiry route, links, content and editing workflow, and agree who will handle future updates.
A brief does not need to be a long document. A few considered pages with clear priorities, known constraints and open questions can start a productive conversation. Leave space for the design process to uncover a better answer.
A starting checklist.
- The main business problem and visitor action
- Your audience’s questions and concerns
- Content, integrations and approval owners
- A realistic launch window and editing needs
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