Educating clients to say 'Yes' Posted November 26th, 2008
Recently a few of the creative team members attended the FOWD conference in New York City. One of the featured speakers at the conference, Paul Boag, (who has been working on the web since 1993, is a user experience consultant for Headscape Ltd, a web design agency that he founded in 2002, and produces and hosts the longest running and popular web design podcast at boagworld.com) covered a topic that in my opinion is so very important and relatable to most of us, if not all, in the industry. If we (the designer and the client) can get this right, would save countless time and heartaches. 'Educating clients to say yes'. Below are a few of the notes I was able to capture from his talk. Keeping these things in mind will help, and insure a successful website for you (the client), and most importantly, your users...and we the designers will be happy. :)
1. We have some experience when it comes to the web, especially things such as design and development, and often do know what we're talking about. We can provide you with advice and recommendations and usually there are reasons behind why we advise and recommend the things we do. The items we present are truly what we feel works best given your specific preferences. In short, you hire us to be the expert and we will do just that if you allow us.
2. Focus on users: It's not all about personal preference. Keep your users at the forefront of your decision making (there are more of them then there are of you). Rather then saying 'what do I think' say 'how will users react to this.'
3. Focus on the problem: For example, if you do not like the 'blue' on the screenshot we present to you, and would rather the blue be 'pink'; just telling us to change it doesn't really help. We need to know why you want to change the color? If pink reflects your organization better then blue, then it may be a great decision to make the change. However, if you want to change the color to pink just because you personally like pink better, or you saw a shade of pink on your coworkers newly bought dress and thought the color would look great on the new website, it's probably worth taking a step back and rethinking the decision to make the change. Remember, always keep the best interest in the minds of your users. How will they identify with the new site? How will they use it? What will make them keep coming back to the site?
4. Focus on business: Does the new design meet the call for action? Does it reflect and meet your goals for the new site?
5. Be open minded: When you propose an idea or suggestion for a change, we'll agree, but may give reasons why it may not be a good idea and present alternatives. Additionally we may give quotes or examples from third party experts to justify our decisions.
6. Stay positive: Negativity stops growth and hinders relationships. Maintaining a positive attitude, working together, and focusing on the things mentioned above will ultimately allow for the creation of a successful website for you, your organization, and your users...and a hole-lotta satisfaction on our end! :)
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