Things clients should understand about web design
25 February, 2010
When starting with a web design project, there will always be some customers who have outlandish expectations for their site. They have tight deadlines for the designer and want really difficult tasks to be completed while still paying peanuts. Customers do not want these things because they are being difficult, they want them because they don't know the process of building web pages. By giving the customer some 'schooling' on web design it can make the process less stressful for both the designer and the customer...
With enough time and enough money, almost anything is possible
If you, as the client have an idea for your site that is exciting and fresh, but perhaps too difficult for the web, don't hold back on it. Run it past the designer and chances are that with enough time and money it is possible. Firstly it might actually not even be that expensive to implement or time consuming, depending if the designer has built something like you're idea before. If they have not, then it's almost certainly going to take more time and money than you expect to build it.
Timing and Costing
Looking at a web page, it always seems so simple. Most people think that it's just about putting a pretty picture together. The truth is that when working with the web, people shouldn't just assume that the job is 'easy' and 'fast'. The more complex a page, the longer it will take to build. If a page is complex and loads quickly, the chances that it took even longer to build is most definite.
When starting a project, the customer and designer should work together on discussing what is required and working out a timeline. Each customer always wants it prior to the proposed timeline, but if a designer tells the customer that they are not giving them enough timing, they should re-think the schedule that they are putting the designer on. Most likely the cost of your site will go up because of the tight deadline and sure enough the designer will try and get your web site done, but that leaves you with almost no time for proper thorough testing.
The customer needs to take into consideration that even with the slightest change, it might impact the timeline enormously leaving the designer with even less timing and the site might have to be launched without the extras and that could be included on second phase, which will also increase costing. It's wise to set a deadline that is moderately far out and if the designer gets it done more quickly, to dial back the timeline, saving the customer money because they are charged at a normal rate.
Remember that you get what you pay for.
Website Maintenance
Good, so the clients website is up and running. That does not mean that they do not need to spend more time and money on it. Launching the site is only the end of the initial design phase but surely the beginning, so the client needs to take a deep breath and prepare for what is to come. Most websites are left to become out dated and the design to look old fashioned and the technology becomes obsolete.
Customers need to have an ongoing relationship with their web designer in order to keep the content up-to-date, improving the user interface and ensuring that the technology keeps pace with the changing web. Ultimately paying an administration fee monthly or bio-monthly is more cost effective than replacing the site every few years to update it. If content on a site is out dated, the user visiting the site might not stay long enough on the site to be convinced that the client offers the right product or service that they require.
Websites in different browsers and color
The different types of web browsers that can be used, have grown enormously. Clients should know that websites do not look the same on every computer. It is practically impossible to design a website that looks and operates exactly the same on every computer. A designer with a proper understanding of current technology should know how to design sites that takes advantage of newer concepts and also degrades cleanly on older systems. Knowing the limitations of each browser comes with experience and time dedicated to testing and debugging.
It is also important to know that each monitor displays color differently. This is because every monitor may be calibrated slightly different. Every user viewing a web page has a different monitor, web browser, color scheme, operating system and ambient light and this all affects how the colors look.
Remember the reason for hiring a Web Designer
If the customer decided to hire a designer it's because they need a professional to get their website up and running. Web Designer should be listened to when they give comments and suggestions as this is only to assist the customer constructively in building an excellent web site.
