If you are in the process of getting a website and have gone through all the steps to select the perfect web designer to create your site you need to make sure they know what you want. This is often easier said than done and it is important to remember that unless you are completely clear your web designer may get it wrong which could result in frustration from both sides.
Whether you have a clear idea about the layout of your site or are not that bothered it is vitally important to give your web designer guidance. Many web designers will furnish you with a brief that will ask all the questions that they need answering in order to prepare initial designs for you. However if this is the case remember to give as much information as possible to ensure that everything you want is included at the beginning. The more you go back and make changes the greater the chance the cost will go up.
If you are not given a brief there are a number of things that you can supply the designer with to ensure you get the website you want. Below is a list of our top points of things to include:
1.If you have a logo, make your designer aware and supply them with a copy to incorporate in their design.
2.If you already have company colours or know what colours you want to have, tell your designer so they know what colours to use on your website.
3.Tell your web designer what your target audience is and what you want your website to say about your company.
4.Provide your web designer with at least one example of a website that you like and explain to them what you like about it. It might be necessary to supply more than one, as you may like one for the colours and design aspect and another for the layout. Be as specific as you can so your web designer is clear what you like.
5.If there are any websites that you don't like or things that you don't like appearing on websites, give your web designer examples and explain the reasons.
Going into this much detail might make you feel like you are being picky, but remember you have hired a professional web designer and they will appreciate the information you are supplying. This will make life much easier in the long run as their objective is to make their client happy and if they know what you want it is much easier to achieve this. For example, in the past, some clients have said that they really don't mind what they get and have given no clear instructions. The designer as a result has done what they think would be good only for the client to come back and say, "I don't like that colour" or simply "I don't like it". The web designer will then have to go back to the drawing board but without knowing what the client does like may again do something the client does not like, after all we are all different and all like different things. This is not only frustrating for both parties but also wastes a significant amount of time.
Remember to check what revisions are allowed in designs as your web designer will give you a quote for your website and this will include a certain number of changes. However changes over and above this may be charged for and you should be aware of this, particularly at the design phase, because if there are numerous revisions it is likely you will be charged for it. This leads us back to our advice above, give as much information before work begins and you are less likely to be disappointed and will keep the price at the original quote.
Part Time Web Designer
You know what content you want on the website but have no clue how to present it to the user.
You know what content you want on the website, and you have the layout in your mind, but you don't know how to implement it.
In both cases you will need to explain your thoughts to the web designer. Although most people who read those lines are probably thinking that being in the second situation is better then being in the first situation. However, real life experience shows the opposite to be true. Giving a web designer the complete freedom of action regarding the web design based solely on the website content is usually a smart thing to do. You will find that explaining to the web designer what the nature of your website is, whether it's a product that you want to sell or a hobby item, is much easier then trying to explain to him the temperate of the color schema or an undefined shape that you would like to have in the website header.
Actually for both of the situations, I would suggest you use the same approach, but with a minor modification to each situation. If you know of a website that has all the features you want or need and/or a site that looks the way you want your site to look, be sure to give the site's url to the web designer. Doing so will give him some idea of what you want. You will both be looking at the same thing but will actually look at it from a different angle. Therefore, it may be better to give him more than one website as an example. The more websites you find that can express your feelings and/or needs, the easier it will be for web designers to understand your intention without you having to use a single ?technical? term. Chances are that you won't find a single website that has all of the feature you want. After all, if such a website already exists there would be no place for your new web site to be born. Use several websites to express the different features you want. Spend as much time as necessary until you find just the right websites to provide examples of your needs. Doing research at this stage will definitely save you a lot of time later trying to point the web designer in the right direction.
Although you are the one who needs to express your self to the web designer, you must learn to listen to him as well. When he uses technical terms, ask for their meaning. Do not finish any part of the conversation unless you are absolutely sure that both sides are on the same page. Remember that when a web designer speaks about the temperature of a color, he is not talking about the next day's forecast.
Remember, you hired a professional web designer because you want a professional looking website and you couldn't do it yourself. So, trust the web designer's judgment when they tell you something you want won't work or isn't the best way to accomplish your goals. After all, you are paying them for their expertise. Don't try to tell them how to do their job.
It is OK to require that a web designer gets your approval each step of the way so you can tell them if one of your goals isn't being met. Also, if you really don't like how something looks and want it changed, tell them immediately. Don't wait until everything is done and then decide you don't like it.
A final word about cost
You have agreed on what needs to be done and the web designer has given you a price quote. Simple modifications and bug fixes are usually included in the price. However, other major changes or outright revisions may or may not be included. Make sure the agreement states what is included, what constitutes a revision rather than a fix, and how many changes you can make after delivery without incurring additional costs.
Both Mercedes Aspland & Matthew Bagley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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