I have designed a lot of websites over the years and worked with a lot of different companies in the process. One thing that has come up year after year is a client who has experienced a bad website design process with another firm. I often hear that the firm has been pushy or won’t listen to the client and give them what they want. I’d like to give you a little insite from a designers perspective of where they are coming from and how it should work:
Overall the designer wants to build their portfolio. When they feel that they are designing a subpar design, it can be frustrating to that designer to have something that does not accurately represent what they do. However, the designer should be more concerned with the client having an end product that the client is happy with than anything else. The designer’s personal preference should not get in the way of that. If the designer is not happy with what they have designed, do not get offended that they take their name off of the bottom of the site.
The general process:
1. The client should do their research on the company to be sure they design the way they are wanting. Ask for a portfolio.
2. At least two concepts should be presented to the client for review.
3. A revision process back and forth should be gone over of likes, dislikes, changes, etc. This is where a designer can voice their professional advice on usability, color scheme, etc. In the end, the client does have final say. From our perspective, I can tell you that a lot of sites do not end up the way they started. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but in the end it was always the client’s final decision.
Just be sure not to be this client 🙂 You hired a professional company for a reason so be sure to at least listen to their advice.