Designing a website should not be a project with a deadline, but an ongoing process without end.

That process has the US software platform, Hubspot developed under the name Growth-Driven Design (GDD), as part of an inbound marketing strategy. And it can be used whatever you need to build a brand new website or you would like to maintain your current one. 

If it is just over 6 months since you last visited your website, there is a good reason why it needs a loving hand.

The process is very different from the method web designers usually use when building a website. It is about designing and publishing a website much faster than we are used to - and there can be mistakes! Afterwards, it is continuously developed on the basis of e.g. tests such as split tests and other data.

That is, you launch your website long before it is actually finished.

And then we have to remember…

It will never be finished.

Getting Started with Growth-Driven Design

You need to start with the imperfect version. And so ignore the aesthetically pleasing solution that is often made when using traditional web design. Here an initial plan is made, it is approved and the design is executed with a hope that it will bring online success. 

That's just not always the case.

Instead, with GDD, you need to launch a mini-version of your website with many small elements that you can test, learn and respond to before embarking on the more complex solutions. You can therefore find out what attracts your visitors, what they are interested in, and which pages, features or functions they respond best to. 

So your new website converts like the old one because it retains the most important content.

And then you can learn from your mistakes and keep developing on your mini version, which is constantly becoming more user-friendly and more interesting for your visitors. 

Let's take an example:

You love clarity. Therefore, you will also allow your visitors to constantly see your menu bar regardless of which page they are on. So you expect them to have the best experience with a navigation to other areas.

You test it and make sure the menu bar is always visible.

In your data, you can now see that there is an important item in the menu bar that is never clicked on. The contact option. And that means you do not get the leads in house you dream of. 

Therefore, you are trying something new.

You remove all options in the menu bar other than the contact button on certain subpages so that it appears clear and gives a clear signal that you can help.

And now you get leads!

You now guide your visitors towards the goal you have in mind, and you make it both easy and intuitive for them to respond as you hope.

In short, with traditional design, we would have to redesign the button to make it work. With GDD, we just move it so that it gives the best result. 

This means that instead of spending 4-6 months and lots of money on developing something that might work. Then you only spend a few weeks getting a website up and running that is constantly improving and giving you a greater knowledge of your users.

And it is valuable!

The further work with Growth-Driven Design

In order to experience the full value of GDD in relation to reducing the risk compared to traditional web design and constantly gaining new learning and knowledge, you should also understand the methodology behind it.

It can be divided into 3 areas:

1. Strategy ()
2. launchLaunch (launch pad)
3. Improvement (continuous improvement)
   
   

Strategy The

strategy phase does not differ much from the traditional way of thinking. This is about building a good foundation for the project, so you get insight into who uses your site, how they use it, and what needs and wishes the users have.

You should therefore:

• Uncover the goals of the new website (eg lead generation)
• Find out what your users expect with your website (jobs to be done)
• Identify your users (buyer persona)
• Identify the user journey for each persona based on user stories (customer journey mapping )
• Make a wish list

Especially the wish list is an important tool. It contains all the wishes that are for the website, and therefore it is used from day 1 and several years onwards. This is the one you can return to when you begin your improvement process.

The ideas on the list should be rated from 1-3, where 1 is the idea that can create the most value for the company right now and here. The ideas that create the most value should, of course, be implemented first.

Feel free to use the 80/20 rule. This is about generating the 20% that creates 80% of the value for your users. 

Launch

Usually, a launch means the end of a project. But with GDD, it’s just the opposite. This is where we start…

The idea behind GDD is to get launched as soon as possible, so that data is collected that can be optimized based on. It is done based on the thinking behind 'need to have' instead of 'nice to have'. That's why the site is not perfect either - and it may be difficult to swallow. This is in stark contrast to everything we are used to.

However, the majority of the complexity will of course stem from the prioritization from the wish list, which is also based on the 80/20 rule.

Then all content must be divided into 4 areas:

1. What needs to be rewritten
2. What can be reused or used parts of
3. What can be used as it is
4. What needs to be discarded

Based on the 4 areas, we can form a overview of the size of the new website and quickly start improving where needed. And with the priority from the wish list, a launch pad website can be launched with a focus on messages and content, UX, SEO, etc. soon after.

Improvement

Once the strategy is made and your launch-pad website is up and running, you can begin the continuous improvement process. 

Here it is recommended that a team consisting of 4 people be set up:

1. The strategy, which focuses on what we do, what we have to do, and whether the hours are used in the best possible
2. way, the UX, which is responsible for everything, including also user experience, research, tests and content The
3. developer who implements the individual parts on the website
4. The customer (you), who should always be in close contact with the team

The team should meet once a month to follow up on results from the past month. Then a plan is made for the use of this month's resources based on the wish list. The focus is always on fast execution, and therefore the resources are always spent on something that provides value. 

Can Growth-Driven Design Pay Off?

If you want to save both time and money on getting an improved website that is always constantly evolving towards the more efficient, and you also want to ensure that you use your resources in the places where it creates the most value, then the answer is simple; Yes!

Many people can not afford to launch a new website, which may only perform sporadically, and therefore GDD helps to reduce the many risks associated with it.

Let's take an example:

You are considering inviting to a workshop that gives participants a greater knowledge and you the opportunity for new leads in your business. However, there is a lot of work involved with this - and therefore you have neither the time nor the money to ensure that it does not become a successful effort.

Therefore, you create a point on your website or other piece of content that just tells about the topic you want to review during your workshop. You give some small treats and you make it possible to contact you for further knowledge.

Here, however, the goal is not to create new leads, but to see how your users respond to your content. Is it clicked on? How much time is spent on the site?

It gives a good overview of whether it is worth setting up your workshop. Because is the interest really there?

All ideas are thus tested on a small and fast budget. You build the smallest version and look at the data from here before making the final decision.

That way, it is ensured that you spend your money in the places where they give you the most value. 

GDD is also related to inbound marketing, which many companies are already working on a strategy within.