Hello All, I would like to share some design problems you may encounter with clients as you practice your web design career. We have two types of clients , clients with good knowledge of what to do with their website before it's created and those that just want a website for the sake of it. Both have their issues but if you ask me i would prefer those with good knowledge of what they want, their projects may be a bit challenging but they seem to understand the pain a web designer would have to go through to get their site up and running. Here are some issues with clients coming from years of experience: Some clients would want you to build them a website without providing one single material for it, they would expect you to know their field of business better than them.If you have these type of clients, i believe you would be heading for problems with them as a designer after you finish their project or during the project. Some clients would like to pay $100 - $300 and expect their website to look exactly like websites from world's major companies or organizations while forgetting the fact some of these organizations maintain a full IT department where the lowest person in the team is not paid less than £25,000 per year. Please remind the client to take one step at a time. Some clients would refuse to be trained on how to manage their sites and then would expect free technical support forever. Be ready to bang the phone on them or cease communication entirely. Some clients would quickly change their preference every time they visit another site and would bug your life to make their site change according to their preference on daily basis during and after the design period, in this case, i wonder where being "unique" disappeared to. Please contribute to this so we can learn more. Thanks
nice - another reason for clear communication up front and defining what will be done (work wise) before, during, and what support you offer afterwards... maybe have them sign off once your done and explain any additional updates/fees.
haha, everything you said is soooo true! what usually happens to me: Some clients expect their websites finished the next day after you started, bug you with 100 emails a day thinking you are scamming them, even if you told them the turnaround time already.
Most of these are true in any type of business. Some clients may lead you on with a great opportunity to create an awesome site, and they want a sample of what you can design for them. Thinking its likely that you'll get it you design something knowing that can help sell the job and it will pay off in the end. Then the client turns around and goes to someone else with your design and all your ideas you gave for free. Try not to do this.
You can avoid many of these issues -- or at least have a leg to stand on -- by having a clearly written contract that spells out specifically what you will do and specifically what the client will you. You'll also want to include specific milestones and details about what will happen if those milestones aren't meant. This will help you and the client will know what to expect if they need additional support, or decide to wait an entire year before sending you the materials you need to build their site. Just sayin...
MDS , You are absolutely right, i am facing such a problem right now, As one of my friend ask me to design a website and every time he visit a new website , he wants the same feature in his website , mow i am tired of.
You are right Michelle , but if you are a designer starting out new, being too formal like signing contracts may scare some of your clients but you are definitely right.
@jlabrash - a good Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) may help in keeping a potential client from taking your design elsewhere. Get client to sign after you know you're selected to do the work, and before you begin presenting your design ideas. @Michelle - very good points you bring out about putting a contract into place - you really can't go wrong having one - just in case. And it's good business sense. @mds - even if you are a new designer and business owner - the client would or should appreciate your professionalism in presenting some type of written agreement so that you both know where you stand on what services will be provided before, during, and after the project. And making it clear and agreed upon that any additional services requested beyond what's agreed to in the agreement will require additional fees. Hey, your expertise and time are valuable!
If a client is too scared to sign a contract that puts into writing the specific terms of your agreement, then perhaps it's time to find better clients. As for the contract, it doesn't need to be 10 pages long. It should clearly spell out what you will provide, what the client will provide, the timeline that is to be expected, what happens if the contract is breached and who owns the copyright, among other things. I personally will not build a website for someone who won't read and sign a written contract.