Category: Designers Working With
Bookmark on: del.icio.us
So far we’ve concentrated on clients - what our clients should know before making contact, a wishful client’s guide to conduct, and a shared range of problems that crop up with the client / designer relationship.
As this series is about designers working with the surrounding industries, it’s important to first lay out how designers work - the process.
Andy’s into research, planning and relationship building where possible
At Clearleft we employ a relatively flexible process that can be scaled up or down depending on the needs of the project. This flexibility is vital as every client and every project is different, so what works for one may not necessarily work for another.
Where time and budget allow we like to start our projects with some initial stakeholder research. This could be anything from a few quick user interviews through to a more structured program of contextual inquiry. This information is then used to create a series of personas, scenarios and user tasks that guide the rest of the process. If we were dealing with an existing site we would normally perform a content inventory, whereas with a new site we would run a competitive analysis so see what the marketplace was doing.
Using this information we would normally arrange a series of planning workshops with the key project stakeholders. We would use these workshops to uncover the required site functionality and content, and then create a content plan, features list and site map. Once the client approves the proposed functionality, we create a series of wireframes that are tested on real users. Once everybody is happy with the overall user experience, the user interface is designed and page templates are developed. These are then integrated into the back-end system, tested and deployed.
We don’t have dedicated project managers so each team member is responsible for their own part of the project. This means that our clients have direct access to the people working on their projects and requirements don’t get lost in translation. We use Basecamp to manage our written communications and make liberal use of Skype and IM throughout the process. We like to build relationships with our clients so face-to-face meetings are good. However with around half of our clients coming from overseas, it’s not always possible or practical. An average project will take around 4 months and we usually have several on at any one time. We are in fairly high demand at the moment as there aren’t many agencies offering the range or depth of service that we do. As such, we usually need a couple of months notice before scheduling new projects.
Andy Budd | Managing Director | Web Designer | Author
Andy Budd::Blogography | CSS Mastery
Ann makes sure needs are met
We typically begin with a face to face meeting with our clients where we discuss their needs and desires. We describe our design & production process to them and try to communicate what they can expect from working with us. We then come back to them with a proposal (fees, scope of work, and a timeline) based on the conversation we had at our first meeting. Once the contract has been signed and the retainer has been paid, we begin work. Since most of our work can be communicated via email (website development, design proofs via email), how often we meet with the client after this point depends on the needs of that client. Some people want to meet once a week, others we might not meet up with again until the product is launched.
We never give out our home phone number, but we are available 9-6 Mon - Fri and always via email. We try to be as prompt in answering clients’ questions and concerns as possible, so that they feel they are being taken care of. How soon we take on a project just depends on our availability at the time. If we have the time we can take a project on immediately, if we are busier, it could be a few weeks before we are able to begin. Regardless, we work with the client to make sure that everyone’s needs are met.
Anna Corpron & Sean Auyeung | Interdisciplinary Design Practice
Sub-Studio | sub-studio design blog
Brian believes in “no uncompensated thinking”
Initial client contact is handled by the firm principal, who then continues with relationship building. Ongoing interfacing is handled by the designers who work on the project, and our coordinator.
As the firm principal, I am not involved in design as much as client strategy and client management, and of course running the firm!
The best contacts come from referrals, without exception. A first meeting generally involves a portfolio review and a capabilities overview.
If we’re asked to bid on a project, we prepare a general proposal for costs, but without any conceptual work (ideas or concepts or specifications). Proposals are kept as general as possible, without any specifics.
If a client wants a detailed specification for a project, or does not have a design brief, we offer to create one for them on a fee basis, in order to then provide them an accurate proposal. The idea is “no uncompensated thinking.”
See this for some eye-opening mantras: New Years Resolutions for Designers (check out Win Without Pitching).
We have many remote clients. We meet face-to-face when appropriate. I’m keenly aware that managing client expectations and leading them well gives me the freedom to suggest that a requested in-person visit may be better suited to a conference call.
If a designers’ phone system doesn’t handle conference calls, it’s simple to set up a conf call at www.freeconferencecall.com.
We don’t share home phone, but occasionally mobile phone numbers.
We’re closed on the weekends, and our clients respect that. We also close from the last business week of the year, and have for 11 years with no negative impact on client relationships.
In general, new projects will take from 3 days to two weeks to work into the schedule, based on existing workload. There are always last-minute projects that require quick turnaround, the key is to charge more of a premium for those type of projects (when possible) to compensate for having to meet the client’s short-term deadlines.
We combine proposals with contracts: legal language with general project specifications.
Business affairs are run from a home office; staff and myself work from a main office in another part of town. Actually I work at a home office and our main office, and anywhere I can open my laptop.
Brian Sooy | Design Consultant
Brian Sooy & Co | Altered Ego Fonts
Chris is informal, flexible and professional
I prefer to start off with a face-to-face meeting with my client if at all possible. We will sit down and just chit-chat to get to know one another and our business(s). I then start an informal and random questionnaire to help me understand their business even more, their goals and their aspirations about the project. Because my company is me, myself and I, I bend over backwards for clients (to an extent) in offering meeting times, calls, etc,. But not a single client I meet with gets anything before a contract is signed and agreed upon. And as far as payment goes, the contract is flexible. Sometimes it’s paid as certain parts are accomplished and others are 50% up front and the remaining when the project is finished.
Chris Tomlinson | Communication Designer | Printer
Gonink | Gonink blog
Dag works under pressure
As the song goes, “Under Pressure” ^_^ Actually, I divide my time. Sometimes I work on site, that is, as an independently contracted work for hire. Other times I’m contracted for a project and will work on site at a client’s studio, or I will work on a project in my home studio then present it to the client at a pre-arranged meeting place (either their office or set up a “power brunch” at a quiet enough spot where we can pull out our work and pow-wow).
Dagmar Jeffrey | Principal Arche-tech
NO!SPEC Brainstorming Team Member | Arche-BLogGER
Daniel rarely has a face to face
I always start out with emails, to make sure everyone is taking the time to clearly put their thoughts and requirements in writing. Quite often e-mail is the only contact I have with clients. Some clients prefer to use the phone, which I’m happy to do if they request it. I rarely have face to face meetings but can do it in the SF bay area, or if a client pays travel expenses. I am waiting for a client in Fiji or Venice who wants to do this :)
For international clients I often use Skype because it allows for discussion, and for sending ideas and revisions to them instantly.
I don’t give out my home phone number, but I do check my office VM at home and return calls.
If I client needs a job done fast I can get it done on almost no notice. I actually love very short deadlines. I had a client come to me on Friday afternoon needing a web design by Monday morning. I gave them three comps, let them select, made revisions and delivered the polished design before 8am Monday.
I use proposals and contracts. Most often clients come to me after seeing the work on my site, so proposals are unnecessary. Usually, instead of a formal proposal, we email back and forth until I know what they need, then I write up a contract to match. The only time I create proposals are if the client is talking to several designers and wants to see what I offer in terms of experience, process, time and cost. In that case, a proposal is a kind of sales pitch.
Daniel Will-Harris | Communication Designer
Will-Harris House | Schmoozeletter
Dan uses a process
We use a 4-d development process:
- Define
- Design
- Develop
- Deploy
Initially I like to meet the client in person (where possible). We then meet throughout the project, as well as email and telephone calls along the way. For after hours contact, although I don’t share my home phone number, if around, I do field calls, but they may or may not be answered or replied to. For contracts and proposals, most jobs I work on require a proposal, followed by a contract.
Dan Sturdivant | Communication Designer | Editor
TexasDesign.com
Distance is not an issue with Roger
Most of my clients come to me through my educational website, www.designtosellonline.com, online events like Microsoft webinars, and word of mouth referrals. Education–like my blog and Design to Sell PDF newsletter–earns a prospect’s trust long before our first conversation.
Training often plays a role in converting prospects into clients. I present an ongoing cycle of teleconferences and webinars. These give distant clients a chance to get to know me in a “safe,” non-threatening, environment, before they bring up the issue of work.
Distance is not an issue. Given the realities of today’s traffic-clogged cities and suburban sprawl, a client’s location five or six miles away is not necessarily an advantage. I would rather work with someone thousands of miles away–by phone and www.gotomeeting.com shared-screen technology, than spend forty-five minutes in traffic, or circling a crowded parking lot in a suburban office park.
Roger C Parker | Designer | Writer | Marketing Consultant
Design To Sell Online | Roger C. Parker Design to Sell Blog | Design to Sell
Scott’s into research
As part of any project, before I design anything, I spend time doing research. I’ll look into the client’s industry, their business, find out who their customers are, who they’re trying to target, who their competition is and what their strengths and weaknesses are, etc. I’ll amass a folder full of notes, images, and relevant documents. From there I’ll start to assemble some initial ideas on what the nature of the problem is and then go about coming up with starting points on a solution to the “problem”. From there I’ll likely start with pencil and paper and begin working on visual ideas or some basic copywriting, all depending on the particular project. I try to avoid getting right into comps on the computer until I have a few solid ideas worth fleshing out so that I don’t waste too much time on the computer. It’s just easier to start with old school methods. There are cases where I may know exactly what I’m going to do and I’ll go right to the computer, but that’s rare.
Scott Boms | Communication Designer
Wishingline DS
Stefan believes in relationship building
Our design process is an ever evolving entity. Generally it starts with the first introductory meeting with the client where we go through a process of discovery to determine the goals and objectives of their project. On occasion we will walk our clients through a branding discussion in order to determine if there are some brand issues that need to be solidified before continuing on with the project at hand. (There’s nothing more aggravating than working with a client whose brand isn’t performing and functioning efficiently.)
Once we have determined that all of the pieces are in place and have a firm understanding of their project scope, our design team will get together to discuss and begin brainstorming in order to get an accurate picture of the breadth and scope from our side of the table.
We then prepare a proposal that reiterates all of the project goals and objectives and an outline for timeline and pricing. Once the proposal is complete, we generally email it to the client, unless we have some other reason to deliver it in person.
We then answer any questions/concerns regarding the proposal, shore up any loose ends and begin designing. Generally here is where we would handle any contractual issues the client may have regarding property rights etc., but most of our clients do not require any formal contract.
After the project has gone through the initial design phase, we will internally critique it, make necessary changes and then make a formal presentation to our client. We prefer to deliver the initial designs in person so we can get immediate feedback and give a full report on the decisions we made. On occasion, we will send the designs via email to a client that may be halfway around the world, but in general, if we can get them to meet with us, we feel we are able to understand their needs, should there be changes to make or new ideas blossom during the meeting.
After meeting with the client, we will then take the discussion and make the necessary changes to make another presentation before the client signs off. Upon client approval, we will send the project to print or, in the case of web design, launch the site.
Once all bills associated with the project have arrived, we will bill the client per our initial estimate. From that point on, we are maintaining contact with them to find out how well the project has been received by their audience as well as to follow up regarding any other needs they may have.
Our primary concern is to build relationships. The more face time we have with a client, the more comfortable they become with us, the more trust they have in our process and the more likely they are to become a long term client.
Because we are a small firm, we rarely need to do much project management. Occasionally I will walk around the office to see how critical projects are going, making sure they are on task, but our designers are very reliable and very aware of the timelines. (We have never missed one in our 20 years.)
We believe that in building relationships with our clients, that they are like good friends. They should have access to us any time they may need us. So, we want them to call us after hours, on the weekends, etc. That dedication to the relationship is what proves to your client that you are serious.
We generally allow projects to come in at any point, no matter how tight the deadline, however, we do try to maintain that the more lead time we have, the better the final product will be. Our clients have been very good about honoring that rule. Why would they want to sacrifice better design?
Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz
Summary
Last year, Michael Bierut (Design Observer) penned a wonderful article, This is My Process.
The basics: Listen carefully, research, use firsthand experience where possible, wait for an idea to come, figure out strategic justification for the idea, then add other ideas if necessary. And lastly, depend on the client’s trust.
Michael stated in the beginning, “What would happen, I wonder, if I actually told the truth about what happens in a design process?” But if you compare, his stripped down design process is the same as what others are saying, only without the promise of magic.
A given, when aiming to capture a client’s trust, throwing an element of magic into the process wouldn’t sell all that well. Or would it?
Sans magic, but filled with needed information, next up is Neil Tortorella’s The Power of Process. It’s where he details a designers process, all the way to phase three. Enjoy.
until the next
Designers WW,
cat
Leave Your Comments