Getting the Web Design You Want
Even if you don't yet know what you want
As a web designer for the last eight years or so, I have done a lot of different web designs for a large number and wide variety of clients. For most of those clients, the process of developing a design they are happy with and proud of has been relatively smooth. With the exception of a few minor modifications here and there, the client has been happy with what I've come up with. This is not always the case, however, and in some cases (rare as they may be), I end up back at the drawing board starting over.
While there are different reasons for this to occur, one of the most common is a lack of initial direction from the client. Many people getting started with their first website are not really sure what they are looking for and a design must be created based on what I believe works best for the purpose the site is to serve. Sometimes their expectations are met, but in other cases, upon seeing a design in this situation, a client has a better understanding of what's possible and is now prepared to give initial feedback (for a new design). The problem is of course the lost time and delay on the project deadline.
So how can you help make the process more efficient when just getting started? You can come prepared knowing what you are looking for in a design, or at least have an understanding of the direction you wish to see the site built in. I always tell people that any direction is better than no direction. Even if it's simply "I want it boxy and purple".
I've put together some questions to consider that will help prepare you for the design process of your next website project, whether you do it through ITECH Solutions, or another company. These relate to your opinions and needs for the site from a design aspect and do not touch on other things that will need to be known as well (such as whether or not you have pre-existing logos, hosting, etc).
When I have the opportunity, these are questions I ask of any client I am building a design for...
What would a visitor to your website do in a best case scenario(s)?
This is one of the most important questions I can have answered. If you could only answer one question, this would be the one I would want an answer for. You are having a website created for one or more very specific reasons, even if at the moment all you know is that you need one. Once you take that a step further, you will know specifically why. So, what would you have someone do if you could have them do it and if there is more than one thing (there usually is) list them in order. For example...
- Primarily, I want visitors to come to the site and buy X product
- If they do not buy X product, I would want them to signup for the newsletter
- Either way, the next most important thing is that they contact us with questions
This will greatly impact the direction/focus of the site. If you can't think of one thing you really want a visitor to do, you really don't need a website.
Who will be visiting your website?
Everyone right? Well, while it may seem this is the correct answer, even if everyone visited your website, not all of them are going to belong to your target audience. Overall traffic to the site is nowhere near the value as overall sales are - and these two things are not often related. I would rather have a site that has 20 visits and 4 sales a month than a site that has 3,000 visits and no sales per month. Knowing the kind people who will likely be active in your top one to three ideas from the question above will play a big role in shaping the overall look and appeal of the site design.
What DO you like in a website?
This is one of the first questions I ask a client - what websites do you like and why? This really gives me an idea of what you are looking for. The questions isn't asked so that I can copy what you like, but once you start that dialog, for example "I like this site because its logo is here but blends well into the navigation below it", then I have a better understanding of what it is you like about a site and are perhaps looking for in yours.
What DON'T you like in a website?
This is the second question I like to ask, and I relate it to your business - what don't you like about your competitors site, for example. Why, you ask? Well, one of the more obvious reasons is that what you like and what I like may be different, and this lets me know what you would prefer not to see on your site so it can be avoided while I design it.
How much content (text/images) do you expect to have on the site, on average?
Of course, websites should be built to handle a lot of as well as a very small amount of content - they need to be flexible. However, sometimes the answer to this question leans to the extremes, and if they do, then there are more things to take into consideration. Some websites only need to have one sentence on each page. Other sites will need to be scrolled down a lot in order to view the content on each page and if it's known ahead of time then I can take steps to prepare for that in the design.
Most designers I know (including myself) would like as much feedback as possible from their client so they can provide a product that they can be proud of and the client will enjoy and benefit from. We also understand that not everyone has the time or the understanding of how websites function to give us all the information we would like. But, if you keep the questions above in mind and come prepared with answers to some or all of them, you will be in a position to help the designer better understand what you are looking for, even if you are not entirely sure yet yourself.