Terry Storch links to a great article called The Myth of the Genius Designer. The premise of the article is:
Having a good designer doesn’t eliminate the need for a systematic usability process. Risk reduction and quality improvement both require user testing and other usability methods.
I know some ‘genius designers’ and I have a lot of respect for their work because I’m not a person that is gifted in that way. It is crucial to have a great design in many cases, especially when it comes to your church website, for example. Also, from the article:
The real question is not whether you should use a good designer, but whether using a good designer eliminates the need for a good usability person. It doesn’t.
Very true, beyond a great design, some consideration needs to be given to how it impacts the bigger picture. I had lunch with my pastor yesterday and he shared an idea with me of having a creative team and his vision for this fits in with the article above. We are a church that is seriously on the brink of doing some new, big things, relatively speaking, and adding structure such as this would create some real depth in the creative elements of our church.
Does your church have a creative design team? I would love to hear some details about it. Who are the players on your team? What is their experience and background? What is the best size of the group? How far ahead do you plan? Please share any other details that are relevant, as well.