Communicating with a web designer can be the most difficult part
of the hiring process because you and the web designer don't
speak the same language when talking about the details of a
website. This article explains how to get your ideas across to
the web designer you want to hire.
Ok, so you've decided to hire a professional web designer to
build your website. You spent some time looking for the right
person. Eventually you found the right web designer that you
believe will design the most "remarkable", "extraordinary"
website the internet community has yet seen.
So now what? Explaining to the web designer the layout design
you have in your mind can be a very frustrating process. You
will find that putting the "picture" in your mind into words can
be a difficult task. Actually in most cases this is the biggest
hurdle between you and the final outcome. No matter how talented
the web designer is, if you can not communicate with him
properly, in his own professional language, he will not be able
to use his talent to achieve your design.
There are two possible situations you may face:
1. You know what content you want on the website but have no
clue how to present it to the user.
2. You know what content you want on the website, and you have
the layout in your mind, but you don't know how to implement it.
In both cases you will need to explain your thoughts to the web
designer. Although most people who read those lines are probably
thinking that being in the second situation is better then being
in the first situation. However, real life experience shows the
opposite to be true. Giving a web designer the complete freedom
of action regarding the web design based solely on the website
content is usually a smart thing to do. You will find that
explaining to the web designer what the nature of your website
is, whether it's a product that you want to sell or a hobby
item, is much easier then trying to explain to him the temperate
of the color schema or an undefined shape that you would like to
have in the website header.
Actually for both of the situations, I would suggest you use the
same approach, but with a minor modification to each situation.
If you know of a website that has all the features you want or
need and/or a site that looks the way you want your site to
look, be sure to give the site's url to the web designer. Doing
so will give him some idea of want you want. You will both be
looking at the same thing but will actually look at it from a
different angle. Therefore, it may be better to give him more
than one website as an example. The more websites you find that
can express your feelings and/or needs, the easier it will be
for web designers to understand your intention without you
having to use a single "technical" term. Chances are that you
won't find a single website that has all of the feature you
want. After all, if such a website already exists there would be
no place for your new web site to be born. Use several websites
to express the different features you want. Spend as much time
as necessary until you find just the right websites to provide
examples of your needs. Doing research at this stage will
definitely save you a lot of time later trying to point the web
designer in the right direction.
Although you are the one who needs to express your self to the
web designer, you must learn to listen to him as well. When he
uses technical terms, ask for their meaning. Do not finish any
part of the conversation unless you are absolutely sure that
both sides are on the same page. Remember that when a web
designer speaks about the temperature of a color, he is not
talking about the next day's forecast.
Remember, you hired a professional web designer because you want
a professional looking website and you couldn't do it yourself.
So, trust the web designer's judgment when they tell you
something you want won't work or isn't the best way to
accomplish your goals. After all, you are paying them for their
expertise. Don't try to tell them how to do their job.
It is OK to require that a web designer gets your approval each
step of the way so you can tell them if one of your goals isn't
being met. Also, if you really don't like how something looks
and want it changed, tell them immediately. Don't wait until
everything is done and then decide you don't like it.
A final word about cost
You have agreed on what needs to be done and the web designer
has given you a price quote. Simple modifications and bug fixes
are usually included in the price. However, other major changes
or outright revisions may or may not be included. Make sure the
agreement states what is included, what constitutes a revision
rather than a fix, and how many changes you can make after
delivery without incurring additional costs.
About the author:
Warren Baker is an Internet business consultant for
WebDesigners123.
WebDesigners123 connects the
Freelance Web
Designer with Webmasters who need their services.
If you would like to read more of Warren Baker's writings,
visit our
Website
Design Articles page.
