I have been doing web design for about five years now. I started doing web design as a side job in college, and it turned out to be something I continued to do as a fulltime job once I graduated. Through all of this time, I have learned a great deal of lessons. The lessons I learned have been the hard way, but I?d like to share a few of them with you so you can learn some the easy way. The tips I have focus on the client; from determining what they do and don?t like to hammering out the specifications for the web site, I?ll relate to you some of the experiences I?ve had and my best practices.
The best thing that I developed for working with clients is what I call the favorites document. The favorites document is a template I give the client to fill out that has a slot for them to list four of their favorite web sites that are in the same niche as their site. Then, underneath each web site, I have them write a paragraph or two about what makes the site so good to them. This is very helpful because it helps me get some insight into the clients design tastes. Knowing this will help me when I start designing because all know what elements to include.
Just as I capture their favorite websites in the same niche, I also have them provide in the same document a list of the other sites in the same niche and that they do not like. This does the opposite for me, it lets me know the design elements that they do not like. Again, they provide a paragraph or two about why they do not like those sites. These documents are so valuable because even before you have started to design you already know of some of the things that the client really likes and that the client really does not like.
The next item to focus on is navigation. Navigation is particularly important because it will drive how you lay out the site. You?ll want to determine some important aspects such as how many items are on the main level of navigation, if they need drop down or pop out menus, and if they need any hot buttons. It?s important to establish the navigation early and have your client commit. Knowing this will help you decide whether to put the navigation across the top or in a sidebar.
These are just a few tips for you to think about. They certainly are not things that I was thinking about when I first started out as a designer. Now, they are some of the first things that I think about and talk to the client about. These few simple things have drastically reduced the number of revisions I?ve had to do because I already have a good idea of the client?s likes and dislikes.
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