Having run my own agency and later worked in both the public and private sector I’d like to offer some simple advice that will enable you to get the best from your chosen web designer. This advice is based on my own experiences and may help you understand the inner workings of an agency.
Take time to think about your specification
You may have a great idea for your website but have you really thought things through. There is a common misconception that any half arsed idea will make you an internet millionaire when the reality is all too different. When spec’ing out your project it is best to think along two lines
- What is the absolute bare minimum information/operation my website needs to perform. and when I say bare minimum I mean ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM. this core set of features will provide the backbone for the project and should be the main focus of your web designers attention. Instead of thinking "oh and it could do this, and that and the other" think "can we take this, that and the other function away without detriment to the project".
- A wish list of desired, but non essential features/functionality. Let your mind go crazy and dream up all of the wild and wonderful things your website could do.
Give a ball park budget
When approaching a design firm, many clients are cagy about their budgets believing that a design firm will always work up to any price quoted. In truth, a basic website can be knocked out in a few hours and it is your budget that will determine the final quality of your project as despite your getting a fixed price for your job, it’s probably been cost out based on an hourly rate.
Think of asking an artist to paint your portrait in only 3 minutes… you can hardly expect the Mona Lisa… the same goes for your web design budget so just expect to get what you pay for.
Get competitive quotes
Whatever you do, don’t just go with your mate who does a bit of web design down the pub. I’m not saying that they’re not good, its just better for you to speak to as many people as possible about your project before spending anything on your project. Think of it as getting to know about the medium.
Ask questions before you appoint a designer
Once you’ve got all of your quotes there will no doubt be ones that look too cheap and ones that are way too expensive. Instead of discounting these, simply call up all parties a few times and talk through their specification and be open in comparing them against the others submitted. It will help you identify who actually knows what they’re doing and who doesn’t and you never know you may get a bargain, or at least ensure that if you are spending a little more than expected, that you’re dealing with a team that is working in your best interest.
Establish some ground rules
Even if your web designer has a contract or at the very least a set of terms and conditions make sure that you set up a series of measurable markers that will let you know how the project is coming along. You could even ask for a schedule of who will be working on your project and when which will help you structure your time around the project.
Keep the committee locked up
Design by committee does nothing but eek away at a design, producing an incrementally watered down version of what should be a powerful marketing tool. You simply can’t please all of the people all of the time and it is committees that destroy web designs. The most important factor committees fail to realise is that your website is not being designed for you! its being designed for your target market… and unless you have significant marketing knowledge then you really shouldn’t have any input. Sounds harsh but you’ll thank me for that golden nugget of advice.
Be prepared to do some work and make sure you keep to your end of the deal
No doubt some if not all of the information required to build a website will need to come from you (they don’t magically make themselves) so be prepared to put aside a few days just to give the designers what they need to do the job. and appreciate that if they’ve been waiting several months for something, that they wont be able to drop everything for you just because you’ve got your arse into gear all of a sudden as any delays you may have caused will have a knock on effect with their working schedule. This is the number 1 reason why projects arrive late! so be warned.
Let them finish before making changes (and then request them in one lump)
The last 5% of work on a website is agonising. Most if not all of the content has been added in and its up to the designer to make the final tweaks to the job to give a professional finish. As a client you will be pulling your hair out by now as things seem to be dragging on… but trust me, its this time that makes all the difference to a project.
I’ve already mentioned the #1 reason for a project being delayed. the second is amendments to the specification and/or content. The worst thing you can do at this point is drip feed changes and or ideas to the designers as all this does is drag out the process and annoy everyone involved. Instead take some time (a few weeks maybe) to look through the website, document changes, typos, bugs and other ideas, getting your staff, family etc to provide their feedback leading to the completion of one final amendment document which should be supplied and a time-frame agreed. Doing this allows the designers to work from a checklist which in turn gives you the ability to ensure that the work is done.
Right now you’ve followed my advice you should be happy with what you’ve spend, who you’ve chosen and what’s been produced.
Happy Hiring!