5 Things Your Customers Should Know
<img align = "left" title = "" border = "0" alt = "" src = " www.webdesignerdepot.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/clients.jpg " /> Have you ever felt How do you endlessly repeat the same day? Every time I attended a meeting with a new client. Every time I answer the same old question and explain to the client the role of stimulating investment in content. I think this is an incredible disappointment, in the end this led me to the idea of ​​writing a guide for website owners.
However, this is not a criticism of the client. There is so little information that clearly defines its role. Of course there is no shortage of materials on usability, accessibility, internet marketing and copywriting, but few have time to read it all?
The problem is that customers must have a very broad understanding (of course, more than one article can give). I found that understanding a number of key issues by a client can make a huge difference in work efficiency.
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Below is a list of 5 points that I believe will have the greatest impact on the client's site. At least should, if the client understands them and chooses to implement.
I have worked on hundreds of websites over the past 15 years, and every success or failure of a site has always been associated with the quality of customer knowledge.
As web designers, we certainly understand our role in this process. This is what justifies our fees, but ultimately we can only direct our customers in the right direction. But it is their commitment to make decisions that affect the quality of the site, which determines its long-term future.
As web designers, I think we should clearly inform the client about the importance of their role and eliminate the misconception that he can hire a web designer and go into the shadows.
We must not only draw attention to the importance of their role in the project, but also determine its degree.
I believe that the role of the client is the most complex and difficult in web design. Of course, adapting to IE6 is painful, but it pales in comparison to the extent of the issues, most of which need to be resolved by the client.
The client must be:
This is what the client needs to know a fairly wide range of disciplines (from marketing to interface design) in order to make informed decisions. It is hardly surprising that, as web designers, we believe that our customers “simply will not understand this!” They simply expect to understand too much.
Unfortunately, the role of the client is often a mass in the resources of the company. Most of those who are responsible for websites are not managers with an understanding of the essence of the matter. Instead, they manage their websites along with other IT, marketing, or advertising functions.
It is our responsibility to explain the role of the client, and to provide him with an understanding of how much and how to do this work. We cannot assume that they instinctively know this.
The danger is that if you do not clearly define the role of the client, he will eventually determine you for the role.
One of the biggest problems in most web projects is that the client starts making decisions that are best left to the web designer. This not only leads to poor results, but also inevitably causes the web designer a sense of frustration and undervaluation.
This problem may manifest itself in different ways, but ultimately it all comes down to one thing - the client tries to find a solution to his problems himself, rather than relying on the web designer.
Let me give you two examples. The most obvious occurs at the design stage. After viewing your design, the client sends you comments, for example, “make the logo bigger”. This is the solution to their brand awareness problem, which they solve by this. If they expressed a problem instead of a solution, it would allow you to suggest alternative approaches. Instead of making the logo bigger, you could possibly add more space or change your concept.
Another less obvious, but more significant, is for example an invitation to tender. The documents provided are a list of wishes and ideas that the client wants to implement on the site. This way he tries to solve his problems. For example, their problem may lie in the inability to interact with customers, so they propose to make a forum in the tender documentation. Of course, in reality there are many other ways to interact with customers, however, if they do not talk about the problem fully for you, you will never offer a better solution to their problem.
At the beginning of each project, it is necessary to encourage the client to focus directly on the problems, and not on their solution. Whenever a client offers a solution, ask him why or why. This will give you the opportunity to understand the underlying causes.
Unfortunately, by the time when we are engaged in a project at the design level and the project framework has already been established, it becomes difficult to introduce new ideas. This is explained by the fact that the client’s ability to create websites is fundamentally impaired.
Usually a website goes through a constant redesign cycle. After its first start, it is usually left for slow wilt. The content becomes obsolete, the design begins to look old, and technology becomes obsolete. In the end, employees no longer lead clients to the site, which is their duty, and the site’s effectiveness drops. In the end, the leadership intervenes and assigns someone to "deal with the site." This inevitably leads to a replacement with a new version of the site and the cycle repeats.
This problem primarily occurs because there is no real ownership of the website within the organization. Often you are engaged in a client only during the entire duration of the project. After that, the site remains in a state of stagnation.
This reorganization cycle is wasteful for three reasons:
We need to start encouraging our customers to regularly invest in their sites. They need a permanent site manager and a long relationship with their design agency. Together they need to keep up to date with the content, improve the user interface and provide the site with modern technologies in order to keep up with the times. Ultimately, this is more cost-effective than replacing the site every few years.
The ongoing reorganization of content is an area that requires special attention. Unfortunately, it happens on mass resources and is often ignored.
I am constantly amazed at the difference between what the client says and what he does. Take for example the content, the majority of customers fully agree with the fact that Content is king , but few of them are willing to spend money to ensure its quality. This is all the more absurd given the amounts that they spend on the implementation of complex content management systems.
Most of the clients I know believe that there is no need to hire a copywriter to ensure the quality and style of their content. Perhaps this is because they consider themselves to be able to write content on their own, but the format of the text from any other medium is not always suitable for writing content to the site. It presents some unique problems that cannot be assessed.
This is strange because customers are absolutely happy (well ... maybe not quite "happy") to pay for the design. They understand that they cannot do design without professional designers, so why do they think that they can write good content?
Often, when customers make copies of content for the web, it is too detailed and inaccessible. The text, full of slang phrases, largely ignores most site visitors.
However, in many cases, the reality is even worse than text just copied from other materials. In my experience, clients resort to producing a copy of content for the web and copy-paste from various printed materials offline. Usually this leads to content-frankenstein, using a combination of styles, which is often completely inappropriate on the Internet.
This is our role as a web designer to educate our customers about the importance of copywriting and explaining the scope of the task if they want to take it upon themselves. Most clients without experience significantly underestimate this task.
However, this is not a criticism of the client. There is so little information that clearly defines its role. Of course there is no shortage of materials on usability, accessibility, internet marketing and copywriting, but few have time to read it all?
The problem is that customers must have a very broad understanding (of course, more than one article can give). I found that understanding a number of key issues by a client can make a huge difference in work efficiency.
')
Below is a list of 5 points that I believe will have the greatest impact on the client's site. At least should, if the client understands them and chooses to implement.
1. The client is the secret of a successful site.
I have worked on hundreds of websites over the past 15 years, and every success or failure of a site has always been associated with the quality of customer knowledge.
As web designers, we certainly understand our role in this process. This is what justifies our fees, but ultimately we can only direct our customers in the right direction. But it is their commitment to make decisions that affect the quality of the site, which determines its long-term future.
As web designers, I think we should clearly inform the client about the importance of their role and eliminate the misconception that he can hire a web designer and go into the shadows.
We must not only draw attention to the importance of their role in the project, but also determine its degree.
2. Customers have a diverse and complex role.
I believe that the role of the client is the most complex and difficult in web design. Of course, adapting to IE6 is painful, but it pales in comparison to the extent of the issues, most of which need to be resolved by the client.
The client must be:
- Seer - able to create long-term directions on the site
- Evangelist - able to promote the site both within the country and abroad
- Content Keeper - Responsible for ensuring the quality and relevance of content
- Project coordinator - to monitor all aspects of this site, as well as to contact suppliers
- Referee - make final decisions between conflicting priorities
This is what the client needs to know a fairly wide range of disciplines (from marketing to interface design) in order to make informed decisions. It is hardly surprising that, as web designers, we believe that our customers “simply will not understand this!” They simply expect to understand too much.
Unfortunately, the role of the client is often a mass in the resources of the company. Most of those who are responsible for websites are not managers with an understanding of the essence of the matter. Instead, they manage their websites along with other IT, marketing, or advertising functions.
It is our responsibility to explain the role of the client, and to provide him with an understanding of how much and how to do this work. We cannot assume that they instinctively know this.
The danger is that if you do not clearly define the role of the client, he will eventually determine you for the role.
3. Customers identify problems, designers offer solutions.
One of the biggest problems in most web projects is that the client starts making decisions that are best left to the web designer. This not only leads to poor results, but also inevitably causes the web designer a sense of frustration and undervaluation.
This problem may manifest itself in different ways, but ultimately it all comes down to one thing - the client tries to find a solution to his problems himself, rather than relying on the web designer.
Let me give you two examples. The most obvious occurs at the design stage. After viewing your design, the client sends you comments, for example, “make the logo bigger”. This is the solution to their brand awareness problem, which they solve by this. If they expressed a problem instead of a solution, it would allow you to suggest alternative approaches. Instead of making the logo bigger, you could possibly add more space or change your concept.
Another less obvious, but more significant, is for example an invitation to tender. The documents provided are a list of wishes and ideas that the client wants to implement on the site. This way he tries to solve his problems. For example, their problem may lie in the inability to interact with customers, so they propose to make a forum in the tender documentation. Of course, in reality there are many other ways to interact with customers, however, if they do not talk about the problem fully for you, you will never offer a better solution to their problem.
At the beginning of each project, it is necessary to encourage the client to focus directly on the problems, and not on their solution. Whenever a client offers a solution, ask him why or why. This will give you the opportunity to understand the underlying causes.
Unfortunately, by the time when we are engaged in a project at the design level and the project framework has already been established, it becomes difficult to introduce new ideas. This is explained by the fact that the client’s ability to create websites is fundamentally impaired.
4. Sites must evolve
Usually a website goes through a constant redesign cycle. After its first start, it is usually left for slow wilt. The content becomes obsolete, the design begins to look old, and technology becomes obsolete. In the end, employees no longer lead clients to the site, which is their duty, and the site’s effectiveness drops. In the end, the leadership intervenes and assigns someone to "deal with the site." This inevitably leads to a replacement with a new version of the site and the cycle repeats.
This problem primarily occurs because there is no real ownership of the website within the organization. Often you are engaged in a client only during the entire duration of the project. After that, the site remains in a state of stagnation.
This reorganization cycle is wasteful for three reasons:
- This is a useless expenditure of funds, because the old site is replaced, and the investment in it did not bring the proper return.
- This is bad for cash flow, creating large expenses every few years.
- Most of the life of the site is obsolete and not used at full capacity.
We need to start encouraging our customers to regularly invest in their sites. They need a permanent site manager and a long relationship with their design agency. Together they need to keep up to date with the content, improve the user interface and provide the site with modern technologies in order to keep up with the times. Ultimately, this is more cost-effective than replacing the site every few years.
The ongoing reorganization of content is an area that requires special attention. Unfortunately, it happens on mass resources and is often ignored.
5. Content is king - like the law!
I am constantly amazed at the difference between what the client says and what he does. Take for example the content, the majority of customers fully agree with the fact that Content is king , but few of them are willing to spend money to ensure its quality. This is all the more absurd given the amounts that they spend on the implementation of complex content management systems.
Most of the clients I know believe that there is no need to hire a copywriter to ensure the quality and style of their content. Perhaps this is because they consider themselves to be able to write content on their own, but the format of the text from any other medium is not always suitable for writing content to the site. It presents some unique problems that cannot be assessed.
This is strange because customers are absolutely happy (well ... maybe not quite "happy") to pay for the design. They understand that they cannot do design without professional designers, so why do they think that they can write good content?
Often, when customers make copies of content for the web, it is too detailed and inaccessible. The text, full of slang phrases, largely ignores most site visitors.
However, in many cases, the reality is even worse than text just copied from other materials. In my experience, clients resort to producing a copy of content for the web and copy-paste from various printed materials offline. Usually this leads to content-frankenstein, using a combination of styles, which is often completely inappropriate on the Internet.
This is our role as a web designer to educate our customers about the importance of copywriting and explaining the scope of the task if they want to take it upon themselves. Most clients without experience significantly underestimate this task.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/54970/
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