There’s a post on Creative Mac that I feel like I come across these situations everyday and if people knew these steps I think projects would be a lot smoother and work a lot better both for me and the client. It is collected from designers and developers of what they feel a client should know before starting a project.
Understand What You Want. If the client knows what they want it will save a lot of time and also save them a lot of money. By planning things out and doing things right the first time the project comes out how it should be. If it’s a shot in the dark with no lines of communication then it always takes longer than intended.
It Costs More and Takes Longer Than You Think. People always tend to want work done yesterday. That seems to always be the case. People want it done well for cheap in a short amount of time. What they don’t realize is designers and developers like myself take a lot of pride in our work. We like to do things right the first time. If you are looking for a good job as any other thing in the world it takes time. Also you get what you pay for in most cases. If you hire someone that does work for very cheap the end result will most likely end up being very cheap.
A Web Site Has Several Pieces. Don’t Cut Corners. If you want something done right you have to do every part from beginning to end. You don’t buy a car without the wheels. You want the complete package and everything working right and efficient. If you pay the extra money up front to make sure everything is done right I can promise you it will save you a lot of time and money later.
Balance Glitz and Guts. This means have a site that looks nice but also have some content on there thats meaningful. There has to be a point in producing the site or there is not point in having the site. The site should also offer something different than what is already out there.
If You Build It, They Won’t Necessarily Come. This is a good point. People tend to think they are the only site out there and people will only come to their site. What they don’t realize is a lot of the time people have already come up with the idea and you are a small fish in a big sea. Just because the site is there doesn’t necessarily mean it will get traffic.
Avoid Bit Decay: The Site Needs Maintenance. The site needs content updates as well as code maintenance. People tend to think they put a site up and that’s it. They just leave it there and over time the site isn’t as great as it used to be.
Treat The Web Team As Professionals. People tend to not treat web designers and developers as professionals. The experience and knowledge of the industry is very important. A lot of the time in forums I see people feel insulted because people pay minimum wage for web design. I’ve learned to just pass on projects like that and I know the clients that appreciate the time and effort will feel like they received a good deal on the work.
I agree with all of these points and I’m glad that Creative Mac created the post. They’re putting their neck out by doing that but opinions are important and it’s good to see they have one.
