Tags – Working With a Web Designer
If you’re like most business owners, you probably don’t have a lot of time to spend on website design.
Of course, there are many website builders available that are cheap and easy to use.
But if you need something a little more wow – that’s where your web designer comes in – they take care of the design and development process for you, so you can focus on other aspects of your business.
But what can you do to make their life easier?
How can you be sure you’ll get the website you want?
In this blog post, we will discuss some tips that will help your web designer create a better website for you, and get the most enjoyable and productive experience out of it!
1. Finding Chemistry
When looking for a web designer, the simple way to set yourself up for success is to find one that’s right for you – you don’t want to clash over design ideas or regret your decision later on.
Don’t just hire the cheapest web designer you can find, because if you have to make modifications all of the time, it won’t save you money in the long run.
Make a list of the things you want your designer to include in their portfolio, and then cross off everything that they didn’t do.
Do your homework, read up on testimonials, look at sample work from other businesses, and determine whether or not the agency is right for you.
Doing so will help you feel confident in their ability, as well as demonstrate that you haven’t just picked them at random.
It may take a long time to build a website, so you want your project to be handled by someone you enjoy working with.
Consider it like hiring a business partner: you want someone you can trust, who you get along with well and who is willing to share their thoughts and feedback openly with you.
2. Plan, Plan and Plan!
The first step in any project is to create a plan in advance. #”Plan” is quite a loose term though – what you need to do is put together a brief that includes clear ideas of what you do want.
Don’t worry that this is in the early stages, details can be amended later on, but you need to think of some of the basics such as:
- How many pages do you need?
- What features do you want?
- Do you need e-commerce functions?
- Any other extra services?
Here, you’ll also want to think about the colours, fonts and styles you like/dislike and why.
When thinking about this, consider your target audience and if you want to bring your existing branding to your new site.
A good idea is to include some screenshots of websites you do like so that your web designer has a clearer vision of what you want – when you are both on the same page, it makes working together a whole lot easier!
3. Signed and Sealed
Once you and your web designer are both happy, you’ll want to make it official.
This will ensure that you’re both in agreement, and it will protect both parties from future misunderstandings or difficulties.
Make it clear and precise with deadlines, standards, and the project’s goals and objectives.
Although each contract will be completely unique to your project, below are some of the things that you may want to include in your contract:
- Is it a one-off job or will you be paying a monthly fee for site maintenance in the future?
- Project objectives
- Budget calculations
- Payment terms
- Project timeline
- Deliverables – outline exactly what it is you’ll be getting
- Cancellation agreement
Simply, by going through everything with your web designer and signing a contract, nobody will be left with any unexpected surprises later on.
4.Have Trust In Your Web Designer
We get it – your website is like your child: you’ve spent a lot of time, money, and effort on its development.
So it’s very common for individuals to struggle to let go of their website creation and hand over control to someone else.
However, you don’t have to completely let go either; it’s all about being engaged in the project while not stepping in every five minutes and attempting to do your web designer’s job for them.
Of course, you should give feedback and be specific about what you like and dislike, but you should also pay attention to your web designer’s suggestions.
There may be compelling reasons behind their suggestions, so listen to them before forming judgements.
This simply means you can sit back and enjoy the peace of mind that your website is in excellent hands, since your web designer will be able to perform their best work.
After all, they’re the experts; constantly seeking minor modifications will just slow down your project.
5. Hold Your End of the Deal
I know – I just said you can sit back and relax, however you need to pull your weight too.
When it comes to the actual design, yes sit back, but, there are plenty of other ways you can be actively involved in to make your web designer’s life easier – you need to meet deadlines as well, not just your designer.
For instance, if you:
- Complete the copy in time
- Provide branding resources needed for the website
- Dedicate time to review drafts
- Give constructive feedback
- Sign off designs on time
- Be involved with testing
All of this will help your designer out.
Constant communication will help ensure you end up with a website you love, as well as encourage a positive, productive relationship between you both.
6. Fuel the Feedback
Constructive feedback is always encouraged and is the key to effective collaboration.
Many people find giving feedback difficult because they are afraid of how it will be received, but it will make your web designer’s job considerably easier.
To do this:
- Collect your thoughts. Throughout the process, there’ll be a lot of different sketches, mock-ups and designs for you to look at but try to make sure that your feedback is not scattered. For instance, if you keep sending your web designer new changes email after email, this can make them feel overwhelmed and bogged down, and worse, not get a clear idea of what you want. As such, gather your thoughts and have a “feedback” session at each stage.
- Keep it constructive. Don’t just say you don’t like something, tell your designer why you don’t like it, be it certain colours or fonts. It’s important here not to disregard your web designer’s choices, but listen to their reasoning behind decisions too.
- Point out what you like. Saying what you do like is just as useful as criticising what you don’t like. It gives your web designer confidence that they’re on the right path and helps them make better decisions that are in line with your brand.
Closing Thoughts
The tips above will help in developing a smooth and positive working relationship with your web designer, as well as ensuring the end product is a website you’re happy with.
On the whole, you need to be clear in your brand (and your goals), have a signed contract (to avoid any surprises), have trust in your designer (as they’re the expert) and do not be afraid to give and receive feedback – it is your website after all!
To find out more, contact us today.
In the meantime, take a look at our web design service here.
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