Pundit Jared Spool has a nice article about "The Quiet Death of the Major Re-Launch". He argues that for some sites making gradual changes over time is preferable to making one big radical change. This is true for many sites. But for others, especially if they aren't already well-trafficed sites, the tear-it-down and build it back up approach might be better. Either way, you need to make sure that users can still get to the info they need. For example, breaking URLs in the re-design is a no-no. If you must change the URL, provide a re-direct to the new page.
Posted by Karl
May 20, 2003 03:53 PM