Redesign as Conversation

Cornell University is redesigning its web site. Their well thought out strategy includes turning the process into an open conversation between those undertaking the task and the University community through a Redesign Blog. It’s not without humor.

Q “Visually, Cornell’s architecture, better and worse, and its setting are distinctive, so please drop those boring and fungible student photos.”
A Please excuse our use of actual Cornell University students in this design. We are in the process of trying to find some USC students.

The blog is not only a great way to get feedback for a site with a significant internal user group but also a great way to share some of the challenges the team faces with their constituency. I could imagine a redesign blog being useful for such a project whenever a site’s user group feels a strong sense of ownership.