When Choosing a Web Designer,
Personality Matters.
Published on
September 3, 2009
By
Andy Hippensteele
866.459.4559
http://www.ashimage.com
 As hard as companies
have tried to "productize"
the web design business, there is
still no
avoiding the fact that
this is primarily a
service-oriented
industry. And
while it may be
reasonable to compare
one web site against
another based on
specific technical
criteria, the many
subjective measures of a
project's success are
just as important.
Remember, web design
is a interpersonal
process that depends on
solid and open
communication.
When incompatible
personality traits
collide, the
client-designer
relationship generates
friction, eventually
eroding the channels of
feedback required for
healthy progress.
While there are many
excellent designers to
choose from in Northeast
and Central Ohio, some
freelancers and design
firms just don't know
how to treat their
clients. Here are
a few of the complaints
we've heard about
OTHER designers:
- They
don't
respond to
my phone
calls.
- They
don't return
my e-mails.
- They
don't listen
to my
wishes.
- They
ignore my
feedback.
- They
brush off my
concerns.
- They
take offence
to my
critiques.
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- They
keep
interrupting
me.
- They are
selling me too
hard.
- They
promise but
don't
deliver.
- They
nickel and
dime me.
- They
have a
different
meaning of
"easy".
- They are
impatient
with me.
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How can problems like these be
avoided? My advice starts
during the evaluation and continues
through the project's completion:
- Get
proposals in writing with
not-to-exceed pricing.
- Ask for client
references with
projects similar in
scale.
- Take the
initiative to list
out your high-level
goals, basic tasks,
and preferred
timeline.
- Meet in-person
to see if your
personalities,
values, and ideas
mesh or clash.
- Avoid bombarding
the designer with
phone calls and
e-mails. If
you can, schedule a
regular time to
discuss your
concerns and, if
sending them by
e-mail, itemize
requests simply but
fully.
It's in everyone's
best interest for your
project to
succeed--don't forget,
you and your designer
are on the same team!
- Andy Hippensteele (e-mail me at
designnotes@ashimage.com)
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