The client is not always right or again about the design ...

For some reason, I constantly meet an outdated statement on Habré that "the client is always right." Modern business no longer thinks so, the client is not always right. But the post is not about that (I’m not always right about the client, I’ll write another time, if you are interested in what you can report in the comments), but about a separate problem of the relationship between performers and clients.

In particular, I want to talk about the development of designs and specifically about the design of the site. Everyone knows that the process is thin, and sometimes turns into a living hell.

The post, on the one hand, talks about solving problems when creating designs, and on the other, asks you how to solve it.
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Problem

I am writing this because of one client that we are working with now, and to illustrate the problem the situation is brief: a new client appeared in the summer, ordered a turnkey online store based on 1C-Bitrix, the amount for an ordinary Internet store is good. At the tender stage, we proposed an interesting design idea and drew something in a pencil (the idea appealed immediately and was approved). Then they wrote a technical task (there were no problems, the client was not very familiar with Internet technologies, our project manager helped him with this and explained everything, layouts with layout of elements were attached to TZ), then they gave the programmer TZ (there are no problems here either, the programmer is experienced, there are certificates from Bitrix), in parallel, we started working on the design, and then a huge problem arose: the client didn’t like the catalog page, and the rework started, which continues now (and there are no complaints about the quality, the designer level and did everything qualitatively, there were claims to general ideas: either the background is not like the drawn night city, the icons are not like the generally accepted, understandable illustrations for photos and videos do not like, you need “something else”, then something else ).

As a result of this project: the relationship with the client is tense (we are trying very hard not to spoil them), the designer swears at the three-story mat (not at the client, of course, but so among colleagues), the profits are almost eaten, and the project as a whole turns out , Not really. And what is the saddest thing, such a client is not one, there were more cases. Common situation?

I think everyone involved in the development of websites faced a problem when the client doesn’t like the design, and he wants to remake something. This leads to 3m problems and often at the same time:

1. Broken customer relationship. This is understandable, if the client does not like the design, he is already dissatisfied, often the developers do not want to do everything the client asks (and this is correct, but the client doesn’t like it), often the client doesn’t like the final version anyway, etc. This is very important, because the relationship with the client is the key to a successful business.
2. Increase the cost of the project. Sometimes developers agree to redo something, and this leads first to an increase in cost (read: decrease in net profit), and then it can lead to direct losses in general.
3. The design is awful. After the rework, the designer loses interest in the project and does everything that the client asks, even knowing that it turns out to be a complete G.

Solution to the problem

To solve this problem, you need to understand why this is happening. Of course, I immediately recall an excellent illustration on this topic: “When you go to the dentist, you don’t tell the doctor how to treat you,” but, unfortunately, all the highly intellectual and creative processes are not so easy to solve:

1. On the one hand: the design is made for a client who pays money for him and therefore believes that he has the right to dictate his own terms (the one who pays the money orders the music). On the other hand, the client is not an expert in this field, and his wishes often harm the project.
2. It is also important that the client understands that the developer before the project called the cost, which he calculated by the formula (cost +% profit), and each design refinement increases the cost, and therefore must be paid. But the client does not understand this or wants to understand very rarely.
3. In humans, as a biological species, there are features of perception, and each person perceives everything on the basis of associations, i.e. everything new that we see, we compare at the subconscious level with our past memories. That is why all people will perceive the same subject differently.

As a result, there are often two extremes: designers think that customers do not know anything, and customers think designers do not know how to work. This is a very serious problem that is very difficult to solve.

Here are some solutions to help avoid such situations:

• TK on design. In addition to the usual technical specifications (TZ) on the site should be developed, approved and signed a separate technical specification for the design, which must write the answers to the following questions:
  

   
        a.  What sites do you like and what do not like the client?
        b.  What colors are desirable and what are unacceptable?
        c.  What will be the location of the elements on the main and on the other pages?  (you need to make layouts, PM + designer).
        d.  Etc.  There may be many questions, suggest in the comments.
  
  

• Text design idea. Develop a detailed text idea for the design (1-2 pages A4) and approve it with the client, describe in it what the site will look like in style, describe the design elements, ideally support everything with examples, etc.
• Contract The contract can prescribe: how many and what changes can be made in the design (not the best option, the client will not like it, besides, it will be difficult to formulate from the point of view of the law, everything is too vague, if there was such a practice - please comment) .
• Several variants. Often, the practice of creating 2-3 design options to choose the client. This helps to find the right solution, but significantly increases the cost of production. The client can be offered a choice: either one template for, say, $ 1000, or two for $ 1500.
• Phased work. In order to make as few alterations as possible, all work can be divided into stages, and each one can be asserted, ideally with the signing of acts. Each stage has its own cost and terms.
• Clarification to the client. Before you start, you should explain the role to the client, say that the designer is a designer (he designs, draws and does it correctly, professionally), and the client is a client (he sets the task and can help the idea unobtrusively), and for this there is a ToR on the design so that the client speaks out before the project starts. You can define design evaluation criteria before starting work, for example, better than competitors, no worse than specific sites, etc. (also very slippery and subjective, the client will feel that they want to take control from him and may not agree).
• Keep the correspondence. In the process of numerous alterations, there are often cases when a client begins to forget his words or wants to return to the original ideas (while again forgetting that we started with them), therefore it is very important that the whole process be recorded in writing, ideally - project management system, which is accessible to the client, designer and project manager.
• Customer insight. It’s trivial, but a fact: in order for the client to enjoy everything the first time, you need to understand his business and the person who accepts the result.
• CA. In marketing, there is such a thing as a target audience, so before starting a project a client should be asked who will visit his site and pass this information to the designer. You yourself know that the site of the night club and the online store of children's goods will be drawn perfectly for different people.
• Presentation of the work. Any work (or stage) must be presented to the client, pointing out the strengths of the design, so the client will be more willing to accept it.

Bottom line: I scored 10 effective methods that help, but do not guarantee a solution to this problem.

PS Very soon the course starts in our business school Digitov: Selling the design of an online store . Subscribe to the course now and you can buy it at a discount.

With you was Nikita Semenov from “ SECL GROUP ”