9 Tips for Working With Your Web Designer

It’s important to start the project on the right foot, with clear expectations on both sides. The complex venture with your web designer can be a rewarding and enriching experience, providing you put in some effort and time. Making sure you are both on the same page throughout your project will help support compatibility and productivity.

Here are some of the major pointers to help you make the very most of your working experience together:

1. Do your homework

Don’t simply click on the first web design company on Google. Just because they are at the top of Google, doesn’t mean that they are the best or even the right one for your project. Some search results are paid advertisements, so position alone is not evidence of suitability. Look for relevant experience, clear communication and a portfolio that fits your requirements. A large agency may include account management and other specialist support, while a smaller practice may offer a different working arrangement. Compare the actual scope, responsibilities and total cost instead of assuming that either size guarantees better value.

2. Don’t assume that creating a website is an “easy job”.

Assuming a website is an easy job can create a communication barrier from the outset. The process may seem simple in your eyes, but that may be down to the fact that your web designer has spared you the technicalities and endless troubleshooting in previous projects. Stating that “you would do it yourself but don’t have time” or “it won’t take long” can overlook the planning and testing involved. Ask your designer to explain the scope and estimate so you can make an informed decision about the work and budget.

You may have had some experience with online site builders and DIY options (our guide to DIY website costs discusses the trade-offs), but the fact that you are now hiring a website designer shows you that things aren’t as simple as they seem. The work involved may include planning, content structure, responsive layouts, integrations and testing. A professional should explain which responsibilities are included and how the finished site will meet your requirements. Leave it to your designer to explain the difficulty or how long the job will take, don’t rush them into providing a less than perfect service. It should be clear from their online portfolio examples that they are capable of completing your project to an adequate standard.

What may seem like a simple change to your website could equal hours of troubleshooting and support tickets for your web designer.

3. Keep Your End of the Bargain

You will be required to supply the web designer with content for your website. Bear in mind that if the designer doesn’t have what they need when they need it, your project will come to a halt. They will then move on to another project and yours will be shelved until you supply the information discussed in your original brief or meeting. To avoid any delays to your project’s completion date, it would be best practice to supply everything your designer needs upfront. This would include text, images, contact information and design options. If your pictures need to be purchased, this would also be completed at an early stage.

If your web designer has provided an initial web design project questionnaire (ours is linked here) then this will help to start the project on the right foot. This should inform the web designer as to everything that you have envisioned for the project. The more information you provide, the more scope the designer will have to fulfil your expectations.

Supplying content upfront can streamline the project. Ask Dreamkatcha to confirm current pricing and any agreed discount in your written quotation.

4. Be patient with your web designer

From a client’s point of view, you will want your project completed yesterday. You won’t be the first and you won’t be the last. But putting the pressure on your designer to finish the website sooner than they are used to could result in a rushed project with less time for review and testing. If you really need your project completed in a short amount of time then discuss the deadline with your designer as soon as you can. This will give them the best chance of completing on time. If you can get everything ready as soon as you decide to initiate the project, then you will help the process exponentially. Quality work doesn’t come overnight, it takes time to design, develop and test each section of your website.

5. Get involved from beginning to end.

Stay involved by sharing business knowledge, responding to emails and providing feedback at the agreed stages. Your input helps the designer understand priorities and keep the project moving towards its goals.

A good practice is to discuss each stage of the process so that you are both on the same page throughout the project. This will speed up productivity and also help you keep any deadlines discussed, on time. If one of you isn’t regularly contacting the other with feedback, the project can go off the rails and getting it back to where it should be will take extra time. You will get out, what you put in when it comes to graphic and web design projects. After all, it is a collaboration between you and the designer, you want to see something special at the end of the day.

6. Don’t Ask Family & Friends what they think of the designs if they have no reference

Throughout the project, your web designer should send you samples and examples of the work they are preparing for you. From image selection to layouts, fonts and pretty much every design suggestion. It will be tempting to then show your friends, family and colleagues and get their opinions. More opinions are most useful when they relate to the brief and intended audience. Unless the people you are showing the designs to are part of your target audience, or they have experience in fields such as marketing (or something relevant), then this can usually strain your client-web designer relationship. There are often no objective criteria to support the opinions you receive from friends and family and can end up confusing not only your designer but you as well!

7. Don’t Overcomplicate things

Keep suggestions connected to the goals of the project. You bring knowledge of your business and customers, while your designer contributes experience in layout, usability and implementation. Explain the problem you want a suggestion to solve, rather than treating an individual visual change as a fixed requirement. Your designer should explain any technical or design implications and discuss suitable alternatives with you. Ideas can evolve as the project develops, and an approach that seemed promising at the start may need adjusting once content and practical requirements become clearer. Agree important decisions together and record them in one place. This helps both sides understand the reasoning, avoid conflicting instructions and keep attention on the overall experience you want to create.

8. Don’t Micromanage Your Web Designer

To ensure a productive and enjoyable experience for both the web designer and the client, it is important that each of you understands to your respective roles.

As a new business owner or entrepreneur, it is your job to communicate your requirements clearly to your website designer. It’s the job of the web designer to come up with a complete solution that satisfies your initial brief. For example, you may feel that the colour palette is too bland for your particular brand. That is useful feedback. Explain what feels wrong and why, then discuss possible changes with the designer so that individual modifications remain consistent with the wider design. The problem with this level of interaction leaves your designer in the dark as to what the bigger picture is and may interfere with the overall picture envisioned by the designer. Asking for a solution draws on their skill set and experience, where they will probably be able to suggest a better solution.

9. Be decisive

When you receive a set of designs to look over, be strict and decide upfront what you like and don’t like. Being vague at this point can be costly and waste valuable time. What may seem like a simple colour change to you down the road could spell disaster for your web designer, taking hours or even days of unnecessary work. Don’t keep asking for multiple designs as this will lead to a strained working relationship. After the first couple of designs, you should be able to give your designer clear instructions on where to go next so that any modifications after this will be minimal. Agree the number of initial concepts and revision rounds in advance, whether the project involves a website, logo or infographic. If the brief changes, discuss the effect on cost and delivery before requesting further options.

Working together towards a successful website

After you have decided on the right web designer, work hard to establish a good working relationship from the outset. Make sure you are clear and informative, provide all information in a timely manner and stay in touch at every stage of the project.

You have picked this designer from a long list of others, so have confidence that they can provide you with a first-class service. You will have seen from their online portfolio that they are fully capable, so give them some space for creativity and don’t rush them. Responding to emails and phone calls as soon as possible and providing feedback and any necessary files will go a long way to a successful process and achieving your deadline.