Is your Website a 3-Ring Binder or a Glossy Brochure?

Writing a specification or approving a substitution request requires detailed and specific information about the products.

Most "specified product" websites today would be classified as a glossy brochure as there is not sufficlent easy-to-access or even able-to-find detailed information.

Attractive generic pictures of staff and website complex navigation do not help the specification process. Can a Website be too SImple?

Many manufacturers are saddled with websites that do not work well for the product specifier, mainly due to internal corporate politics, priorities and a novice, at best, understanding of the commercial construction space, especially specifications.

30 years ago 3-ring binders and Sweets catalogues were the primary sources of product information. Today websites have replaced the printed materials.

Your marketing department and webdesigner can use existing examples of what is needed to specifiy or approve a substitution request,

Many years ago Construction Specification Institute (CSI) published manufacturer's data and mailed it to members - SpecData. This links to a writing guide of how to do your SpecData sheets.

Another example is the 4specs 20+ year old WebFormat proposal. Here is the WebFormat product information page.

Contact me if you have any questions or suggestions.

Colin

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Colin Gilboy
Publisher - 4specs
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