Getting Your Designs Approved:12 Simple Rules

Future of Web Design, LondonApril 17th, 2008

Larissa Meek, Sr. Art Director AgencyNet

Hello.

I’m Larissa Meek

Larissa Meek, Sr. Art Director AgencyNet

The Designer

The IDEAL Process

The REAL Process

Why is it such a challenge?

• Design is often subjective

Why is it such a challenge?

• Design is often subjective

• Comps are not interactive

Why is it such a challenge?

• Design is often subjective

• Comps are not interactive

• Innovation can be hard to grasp

Why is it such a challenge?

• Design is often subjective

• Comps are not interactive

• Innovation can be hard to grasp

• Everyone has an opinion because we all use the web

Why is it such a challenge?

1: Make friends with your client.

Most likely, your clients are overworked and under a lot of pressure with a variety of responsibilities.

Be understanding, a positive relationship is key.

1: Make friends with your client.

2: Ask lots of questions.

Get to know your client’s industry and business objectives. Perform a competitive analysis to see what others in the industry are doing.

What does the client want to get out of the site?What is their business all about?

2: Ask lots of questions.

Hot Dogs

• What are hot dogs exactly?

• Why are they called hot dogs?

• Are your hot dogs kosher?

• What makes a hot dog kosher?

• What is the history of Frankfurters?

• How are hot dogs stuffed?

• What is the “outside” made of?

• What’s in vegetarian hot dogs?

Ask Questions

• Why are hot dog buns longer than hot dogs?

• How many ways can you cook a hot dog?

• What’s the best way to cook a hot dog?

• Why are hot dogs associated with baseball games?

• Is there a danger of children choking on them?

• How much sodium is in your hot dogs?

Ask Some MORE Questions

• Can hot dogs be eaten cold?

• What kind of seasoning do you use?

• What’s the best side to accompany a hot dog?

• How many calories are in a hot dog?

• What are the most popular toppings?

• What are the best toppings?

Ask EVEN MOREQuestions

• What do you think of hot dog eating contests?

• Have your hot dogs been used in contests?

• How long have you been making hot dogs?

• Could you arrange for me to talk on the phone with some of the people who make your hot dogs?

• Etc...

You get the idea…

What is the target age range? What are their browser capabilities? What does the user need to take away?

The user needs are often different from the business objectives. User profiles will help support your design choices.

3: Ask MORE questions – Who will be using the site?

© 2008 AgencyNet Interactive. All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.

Wireframes are a vital part of communicating with your client. They make a great conversation starter.

4: Use wireframes but don’t be tied to them.

Wireframes are a vital part of communicating with your client. They make a great conversation starter.

Use wireframes to indicate content priority and general placement. It’s okay if they change when you go to comp.

4: Use wireframes but don’t be tied to them.

• Define content blocks and the overall IA for the site

• Get your clients thinking about functionality and what makes sense for the user

• Make wireframes to scale

• Walk your clients through the wireframes

Provide Comprehensive Notes

B Search

A

A IAB 728x90D

C Featured Content

B

D IAB 300x250

C

E Tag Cloud

E

F Chronological Content

G

G Recent Comments

F

Subtle Changes Are Okay

Before you start the design process, reference other sites, mood boards or present color palettes to get the conversation started.

This will help reduce the number of revisions.

5: Talk about design before you even open up Photoshop.

Understand the Style Guide

Use Site Examples & Color Palettes

6: One design direction will do.

It is not a take-out menu!

Giving the client a variety of design options to choose from might seem like a good idea - but generally it’s not.

6: One design direction will do.

Giving the client a variety of design options to choose from might seem like a good idea - but generally it’s not.

It can cause an “add this to that” mentality resulting in a lack of design consistency and poor usability.

6: One design direction will do.

7: Present in the browser.

Don’t Just Email It!

Viewing comps only on paper or PDF doesn’t give a true sense of how the comps will look in a browser. If at all possible, “walk through” the designs don’t just email them.

Provide notes: Your clients might have to show the designs to others for approval.

7: Present in the browser.

Simple prototypes will help your clients grasp innovative concepts. It’s not always required, but it can help to sell an idea that your client has never seen before.

8: Prototype as needed.

Fireworks allows you to rapidly prototype web site designs. Taking your design mockups from sketches to an interactive prototype can help you test your design, and can help communicate your vision for the site to your client.

Fireworks CS3 is Your Friend

Educate your clients on the importance of providing consolidated feedback. A project can quickly spiral out of control when feedback is given in piece-meal.

9: Ask for consolidated feedback + limited rounds of revisions.

Educate your clients on the importance of providing consolidated feedback. A project can quickly spiral out of control when feedback is given in piece-meal.

Limiting the number of revisions will help the project to stay on track.

9: Ask for consolidated feedback + limited rounds of revisions.

Too Many Cooks in the KitchenToo Many Cooks in the Kitchen

• Help your clients to focus on the user’s needs and not just their own creative “opinions”

Tips to Get the Feedback You Need

• Help your clients to focus on the user’s needs and not just their own creative “opinions”

• Ask for specifics if they say “It just doesn’t feel right”

Tips to Get the Feedback You Need

• Help your clients to focus on the user’s needs and not just their own creative “opinions”

• Ask for specifics if they say “It just doesn’t feel right”

• If they need to get approval from their superiors, ask that they give you all feedback in a consolidated format per round

Tips to Get the Feedback You Need

Don’t fall into the trap of asking your clients what they think is right. Design with the users in mind and have research to back up your decisions.

10. Be confident in your work.

You are the expert!

With time, your client will understand the design process and you will come to find ways to improve the client approval process.

11. Time will tell.

Getting sign-offs is a smoother process after a working relationship has been established.

Web Design is a service industry, thus a top priority is listening to your client’s concerns and feedback. Be sure to recognize and address their concerns with the user in mind.

12. Make the most of a difficult situation.

Stay positive. The client will feel like you are working with them and not against them.

What does the future hold in terms of getting designs approved?

• 18 leading digital agencies are members

• Mission is to advance the digital design profession through knowledge sharing, education, and advocacy and drive much-needed guidelines

• Committed to a proactive approach to establish & propagate best practices

SoDA

The Conclusion• Getting approval on designs is not a

science• Each project is different

• These 12 simple rules aim for the best case scenario

1. Make friends with your client2. Ask lots of questions - about the client's industry3. Ask more questions – know the user4. Use wireframes but don’t be tied to them5. Talk about design before you open Photoshop6. One design direction will do7. Present in the browser8. Prototype as needed9. Ask for consolidated feedback & limit the revisions10. Be confident in your work11. Time will tell12. Make the most of a difficult situation

Thank you!