With a small amount of thought and effort, the pitfall of this being a mistake can be easily avoided. As with any relationship, a certain amount of give and take should be expected. As I mentioned in my previous article, this trend is actually more of a new type of clientele than anything else. This type or mindset of clientele that is emerging in the market today are those who want to be involved with the web design process, the results, and future design changes and improvements. I believe this change in customer behavior is directly related to the current economic challenges facing many small businesses today. Both business owners and company representatives are looking to the future with regards to their internet marketing need. They are intelligently looking for all possible means to minimize undue spending. For this marriage to work, we as web designers and developers need to take our clients’ wishes seriously and provide solutions and options that facilitate a win-win situation.
For this relationship to emerge as a marriage and not as a mistake, it is necessary to take certain steps from the very beginning of the project. This must happen even before the design process begins. As designers and developers, it is our responsibility to guide and direct the client in terms of website functionality, page layout, flow, basic design principles, and how it should all come together eventually. The other side of that relationship, the client, needs to be encouraged by the designer/developer, to state their needs, wants, wishes, and whatever else comes to mind, as close to the beginning of this process as possible. If these two parts of the equation can be put together, the results of the final sum can be quite spectacular.
Because this is unknown and new terrain for the client, it is the responsibility of the designer or developer to take the client by the hand and guide them through a process that the developer or designer must know very well. Using questionnaires, the customer will unknowingly make decisions simply by answering those questions. In this designer’s experience, no matter how short or long the questionnaire is, depending on the current workload of the clientele, it will largely determine how soon the completed questionnaire is returned, if ever. More on this in the next article.
In this designer’s experience, if mention of the questionnaire is presented early in the process, even at the bidding or pre-bid stages, the result can be twofold. I found that the client shows some relief that he or she is not going to have to think about the design criteria in their head. The second positive aspect of this is that it shows the client that the designer has given serious thought to this process by asking these questions. It is imperative that the client is aware that this is not just an exercise. The client needs to understand that the effort and quality put into answering these questions are directly related to the result of their site. These questionnaires are very useful during many stages of the design and construction process when we as designers need to make certain decisions and the client may not be available.
As in any marriage, change is essential. It is imperative that the designer makes his client understand that his website is alive. For so many clients, new to the website design and development industry, they are under the false impression and misconception that, like print media, once your website is built, that’s it, it’s done. This is a very simple hurdle to overcome, and it needs to be addressed early in the relationship. Once the client realizes that their website is like a living entity that breathes and needs to be changed very often, like a baby, these misconceptions tend to fade in the client and they can finally understand the concept of constant change. . I find it essential to reassure the client that whatever decisions are made regarding content, color, photos, layout, theme, or basically anything, can and in some cases should be changed from time to time or on an ongoing basis. . Once the client understands that this change is not only acceptable but essential, there is an element of calm and comfort that the client receives knowing that if she makes any mistakes, they can be quickly and easily corrected.
As you can see, there are responsibilities on both sides of the equation when it comes to designing or developing an effective and successful website. Whether it’s an informational, entertaining, interactive, or even e-commerce site, open communication between the two parties is essential. Our clients need to understand that we need their input to create the site they expect, and it’s up to us as designers and developers to get that point across to the client. I must go back to what I said earlier, for many of our clients this is uncharted territory, territory that we have been through many times and perhaps take for granted or simply forget. As designers and developers, we need to remember what it was like when we were designing and developing some of our first sites. The trepidation, the fear, the plane, the uncertainty of whether what we were doing was correct or not. These are the same feelings that our customers have. Unfortunately, for many of them, they won’t have the chance to get better at this over time, like we have. Most of our clients have a website created, they go through this process once. Therefore, it is our responsibility to make this possible not only as pleasurable experiences, but also as an enlightening and enriching experience.
Finally, if all these things come together, as they should, just like in a marriage, the offspring should come out. A quality website that is functional, attractive to both the eye and the search engine, and especially something that the customer will be proud to have attached with the name of their company or organization. The client is happy with the result of his site and has also been educated to take care of that site to the extent that the client wants. The final child of this marriage must be a client who is not only willing but obliged to share his name and services with other colleagues and acquaintances. If this offspring emerges from the spines of your canvases, then you can be sure that it has been a job well done.
Thanks and come back for my next article, “Choosing a Site Style, XHTML vs CSS.”
