Working with a web designer, especially for people who are unsure about the details involved, can sometimes be a little difficult. Relationships between experts and clients don’t necessarily always go smoothly at the best of times but, in the case of website design, there are so many individual elements involved that the following tips might be helpful. They provide a little guidance in what a web designer hopes you might take into account when collaborating on a project.
Allow Enough Time
If you are hoping for a quality result, allow enough time for the web designer to consider the various options before him. Forcing him to work to a very tight deadline is not conducive to the best quality work he is likely to be able to produce. Truly innovative and exceptional design takes a lot of thought and concentration. The web designer needs to be able to take into account all the various elements of web design and how they fit together in your particular project. Inevitably, when time is short, the quality of the final result will suffer accordingly.
Work In Progress
Web designers can be somewhat secretive, especially in the early stages of a job. This is understandable when you consider the intricacies of what is involved. However, if you are a hands-on type of person, you will probably want to keep tabs on the work as it follows its course in order to be sure he is sticking to the principles of the design you agreed on in the initial brief. That way you can be sure there would be no misunderstandings about what your requirements are.
Testing The Design
In the event that any kind of dispute arises between you and the web designer, you need to stand firm but also be reasonable. Certainly it is your website that he is designing but, bearing in mind that he might be offering you some good advice, you might suggest a compromise. Since you’re the one that needs to be happy with the result that eventuates, the best way to overcome conflicts with regard to the design is to suggest that a ‘real world’ test be carried out to see what website visitors think of it. That way it will soon become obvious what is the best course of action to take.
Design Sets
Try to avoid asking for a set of designs to be drawn up that you can choose from. The trouble with this approach is that you might like individual elements from each of the different designs that you are presented with. Unfortunately, they don’t always work together. A mishmash of design elements that don’t fit together properly can sometimes turn out to be a disaster.
Asking For Opinions
Once you and the web designer have settled on the final design you are aiming at, you might be tempted to send out the rough copies to people you know and ask for their thoughts. This tends to solicit a wide range of opinions, both positive and negative. Even with the best design in the world, they will certainly not all be positive but might lead you to start thinking negatively, even though up to this point you have been perfectly happy.
Business Objectives
It is crucial that your web designer understands the business objectives of your website. This will affect the look and feel that the designer will want to include. If he doesn’t fully understand your business objectives the site might finish up feeling totally out of place in its environment. He needs to be reminded constantly throughout your discussions that these business objectives are paramount. It is as a result of this understanding that the target audience can be aimed at.
Target Audience
You need to be very precise as to who your target audience really is. Demographics such as age, location, sex, etc. are extremely important considerations that you need to communicate to your web designer. They can have a dramatic impact on the way he designs your site.
Perfection In Design
There is no such thing as the perfectly designed website. There are too many conflicting considerations to take into account. A degree of compromise will always finish up being part of the design. For this reason, it is sensible to keep this in mind, even if both you and your web designer are trying to aim at perfection.
Ongoing Partnership
While some web designers undoubtedly like to keep the website owner at a distance, there is no doubt that ongoing collaboration results in better outcomes. It eliminates the need for constant design revisions.
Problems And Solutions
Both the website owner and the website designer each need to stick to their respective roles in the design process. The owner needs to keep a lookout for design problems, whereas the web designer needs to provide solutions.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t often work out this way. There is a tendency for website owners to employ a web designer and then, during the course of their discussions, try to take on the role of web designing themselves. This is not a good outcome and neither does it do justice to the two parties involved.