WS - Clear Working Parameters Make For Good Web Designer-Client Relationships

Whenever people ask me to design websites, I buckle my belt and steady myself for what may become a very rough ride.

Odd? Not really.

A few years back, a friend wanted to setup a website. I was a newbie then, a freshman in the website design industry. I was excited and raring to go. They say looking back, you always have 20-20 vision, boy, do I see clearly now! The first problem was, my friend was in an industry I was only vaguely familiar with, he was just starting out in the tourism field, and was himself, not yet fully grounded...he too was a bit of a newbie, but a website was a crucial part of his strategy. Being a friend and a good designer it made sense that he asked me, plus, I needed the cash!

Here was his brief: "I need a nice website".

That's it. There was nothing after that period!

I actually scrolled down the email, just in case I had missed more detail, but there really was nothing else. I called him back asked for details, and all he had for me was, "I want the site to be attractive, and cover tourism". I explained to him that I needed prepared articles, company profiles, catalogues, brochures and other related material to give me a good idea what I could put in the website and also to maintain a standard look and feel across print and web. Long story short: I ended up making things up, just to get the site done in what I thought was "nice" and "attractive".

It took 6 weeks to get the material done because though i made up most of the copy, it still had to be based on fact, and on what my friend offered. You know that feeling you have when you are finished with a tough project? I had that the day i presented my final version of his site. I was done...done..done. Being a Zen-inspired designer, I had made a sparse, simple, but, admittedly attractive site. But 'attractive' is relative, as I discovered then. In reaction to my presentation, my friend went "So you are going to add more images, right?". There is a sinking feeling you get when you realize you still have more work to do on a project you are ready to chuck in the 'done' bin. I had that feeling right then.

THE MORAL AND THE LESSON

Most clients do not realize that design is not a simple cut, copy and paste process. It's turning ideas into concepts, and concepts into pixels, and those pixels into well structured XHTML, CSS and other critical issues. It's not a walk in the park, and its far from doing a quick MS Word page layout! These days, I make sure I not only protect myself with an airtight contract, but also make sure I full educate my client about what is involved in the process. We are a team getting into a relationship, and thus, a common understanding is necessary and critical to success.

So, next time you sit down with a first time client, even if they have worked with other designers elsewhere..make sure you go through all the important steps so you are both...on the same page!