It can be cathartic to vent about a website that\u2019s frustrating to update and use.<\/p>\n
But likely, many people\u2013working with different challenges and constraints\u2013made many decisions that created your website. When a site isn\u2019t working for an organization, it can be tempting to ask: who\u2019s to blame? Can you future-proof your next site?<\/p>\n
Blame the Content Management System (CMS)<\/strong> As successful organizations evolve, most outgrow platforms like Squarespace and Wix. Once click-together ease makes work harder, you\u2019re better served by professional, custom design and development.<\/p>\n Open-source CMSs are built and supported by global communities of users instead of VC-funded proprietary companies. We only work with nonprofits and build sites with the top two open source systems: Drupal and WordPress.<\/p>\n Many clients approach us saying:<\/p>\n \u201cDrupal\u2019s terrible, let\u2019s rebuild in WordPress!\u201d<\/p>\n Or vice-versa. Some kinds of sites do better in one system, and perhaps you\u2019ve got a mismatch.<\/p>\n Or, your site may be outdated. A three-year-old site can be a relic if it hasn\u2019t been kept up-to-date.<\/p>\n And because an open source CMS is like a box of LEGOs, there are many ways to build with it. Perhaps your site was built poorly.<\/p>\n Blame the Developers<\/strong> It\u2019s paramount to look for experts steeped in the Drupal, WordPress, and nonprofit technology communities, who understand accessibility and information design. They\u2019ll be transparent with you about tradeoffs and help you consider them alongside your goals, budget, and timeline.<\/p>\n But even the best developers can build a terrible website. How?<\/p>\n An excellent partner brings their expertise to the table and pushes back against requests that will take a website off-course from goals, accessibility, and sustainability. Sometimes, forces within an organization limit possibilities for success.<\/p>\n Blame Yourselves<\/strong> Other times, a board member or funder is enamored with a technology trend or aesthetic that is at odds with project goals.<\/p>\n When leadership doesn\u2019t value outside expertise to check assumptions, projects get knocked off course.<\/p>\n Often, a good internal steward and development partner can collaborate to find constructive ways to steer a project to excellence, or at least mitigate some of the trouble these tensions can cause.<\/p>\n Who, Actually, Is To Blame?<\/strong> About the Author<\/strong>: Johanna Bates<\/a>\u00a0is the Co-Owner and Principal at DevCollaborative.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It can be cathartic to vent about a website that\u2019s frustrating to update and use. But likely, many people\u2013working with different challenges and constraints\u2013made many decisions that created your website. When a site isn\u2019t working for an organization, it can be tempting to ask: who\u2019s to blame? Can you future-proof your next site?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-posts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nContent editors spend their workdays in their CMS\u2019s editing interfaces. Every quirk is like a paper cut, adding up to a daily trial. Are some systems just junk?<\/p>\n
\nPoor design and development can ruin a site\u2019s usability for editors and audiences. And because open source is LEGO-like, there may be a quick way to build a feature, but another might take longer and hold up better over time.<\/p>\n
\nIn my early career as nonprofit staff, we\u2019d build sub-par sites by structuring them according to our own mental models, instead of our audiences\u2019. I still see this today.<\/p>\n
\nAny good organization is evolving, as is technology. When you haven\u2019t been able to keep pace, it\u2019s time to approach your website in a new way. Partner with an expert who will guide you through planning. Understand that a great website is only ever somewhat complete. Plan for continual user testing and proactive enhancements into the future. This doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t ever need a redesign. But when you do, you\u2019ll have a better sense of what needs addressing and why, without having to blame anyone at all.<\/p>\n