Mahony logs on for BT Design@ course

British telecom is to run a Web design management course, called Design@.

The course will operate through BT’s global information website, www.gie.bt.com. London digital design group Mahony Associates has developed and designed the course.

The nine-part tutorial, aimed at clients embarking on Internet strategies and commissioning design groups, will be posted on the business section of the BT website.

The course will cover hot topics, including the development of a suitable Web strategy. It will look at infrastructure and theories of designing for usability.

Mahony Associates’ course provides guidance for clients on writing a consultancy brief and managing relationships with a consultancy. It will also examine how branding, promotion and design effectiveness can be best applied in a fast-changing on-line environment.

“Due to the speed of Internet development, there has been no time for professional standards and techniques to emerge. The result is often poor briefing,” says Mahony Associates managing director Karen Mahony.

“There are simply no existing standards by which to scope and brief out Internet projects. People are learning by feel, and it is costing the industry millions to get it right,” she adds.

Mahony says that in the rush to build websites, intranets and extranets, serious skill shortages are being exposed. “Companies need to take stock before committing to spend,” she says.

GIE is BT’s worldwide club for people with a professional interest in IT and communications, and their impact on business.