Pain Free Design Sign Off

Presenter, Paul Boag, Headscape,writer of The Website Owners Manual

Pain free for the clients – not for you, but if your client is happy, then you are happy. What do clients want to be happy:

• To understand the process
• Reassurance about decisions
• To feel in control
• To be confident in the end result
• To personally like the design

It’s about collaboration, not confrontation

6 Principles of Collaboration

1. Ensure the client understands their role in the project – if they understand their role, they understand the process and feel in control.  Make it clear to the client that it’s their job to find problems and it’s the designer’s job to find solutions.  The challenge of most situations is that the clients come back with solutions (make the logo bigger), not the problem.  If they offer solutions, ask them what problem they hope it solves.

2. Have a strong methodology.  Show them your process – how everything on your end works.  It gives them confidence in you and your work.

3. Include the client early and often.  It makes them feel in control and more engaged with the project.  If they feel like they’ve shaped the final result, they’re more invested in it.

4. Educated the client about the decisions being made.  They need to understand how things work – color theory, why things are done the way they are, etc.  You’re giving them ammunition to defend the work.

5.  Ask for specific types of feedback from the client.  Don’t ask them what they “think” – be specific.  Ask them if it meets their business objectives or how they feel their customers/audience will respond.  Asking them what they think puts them into an uncomfortable situation because they’re not design people.  Ask them questions relating to their comfort zone – audience, business goals, etc.

6. Avoid saying no.  Always say yes, but help them think through the process and the consequences of the decision they’re making.  It puts them in control, and helps them weigh the decision they’re making.

Real world practice

1. Kickoff meeting – The client discusses goals and ideas, and you should make them feel passionate about it.  Give them the freedom to feel included.  Ask if there are any other stakeholders – let’s get everyone together and get them excited about the process.  Be sure to get everyone in from the beginning to brainstorm the challenge.  Make it clear how the process will work.  Emphasize that it’s collaborative and what you need from them in terms of involvement and decisions as far as when and how that will happen.  Ask them for words to describe what they hope it will turn out like.

2. Inspiration – Provide look and feel of designs you are aware of that you think they’re looking for.  Explain why you think these example designs have a look and feel that meets their objectives.

3. Moodboards – Quick and easy, spend about an hour per board.  Equivalent to multiple comps.  Show them how the approaches could work – typography, images, style, etc.  Do a few versions until you’re pretty close to what they’re looking for, but make sure you differentiate between their personal likes and what is effective for the audience.

4. Wireframes – Quick drawing of what it would look like – nothing developed too far along.  Work together with them – pencil on paper – and design along with them.  Discuss the organization and content.  Give them time to think it over.

5. Design Mockup – Present only to the key contact at this stage.  Others who haven’t been part of this process won’t have the background.  Give the contact the ammunition they need to defend it when they show others – for his agency that means a video with a full description of what they went through to get there along with explanations so that’s what they can use to present it to others.  When they offer changes, ask why – get to the problem, not what they think the solution is.

6. Design Testing – Test the site for both design and usability to make sure it works.

7. Iterations – Should only be minimal because of the process.

Quickly Produced on the Web

I’m constantly amazed at how quickly people can produce funny, sometimes high-quality, but always relevant content for the web.  Less than a couple days after the Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at President Bush, here’s just a quick sample of things that have popped up on the web…

Larry Miller, not Carlin on Aging

Back in the late 1980’s I recorded a comedy bit by an up and coming comedian named Larry Miller.  Since then you’ve probably caught him in movies like Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Get Smart, etc.  The comedy bit he performed back then dealt with aging and was a hilarious take on the topic.  I recorded it on audio tape and actually borrowed it for a talent show (it brought down the house).  Today, I was forwarded an email going around that suggesting George Carlin performed it. Further online research showed me several sites crediting this bit to George Carlin.  A few sites that determine fact or fiction among these chain e-mails have correctly suggested that it was performed by Larry Miller, as well as the New York Times.  I pray I don’t get sued (I only post it here to dispel any the myth), but here is the complete bit as performed by Larry Miller…

You know we get older everyday. Do you realize that the only time in our lives we like to get old is when we’re a little kids. Do you understand that? If your less than ten years old, you’re so excited about aging. You think in fractions…I’m four and a half…You’re never 36 and a half.

But you see, your four and a half, goin’ on 5. You see, that’s the key here. See, you’re “goin’ on.” You get into your teens. Now you’re so excited that you jump to the next number. How old are you? …I’m gonna be 16…You could be 12…but, your gonna be 16.

Then comes the greatest day of your life – You become 21. But you see, even the word sounds like a ceremony. You become 21…YES!…But you TURN 30. It makes you sound like bad milk. He turned…so we had to throw him out.

Now what changes? What’s different? You become 21, you turn 30, and then…your pushing 40. Stay over there! See how its all slipping away?

You become 21, you turn 30, your pushing 40, and then…you reach REACH 50. (“Sob”) My dreams are gone!

So then you become 21, you turn 30, your pushing 40, you reach 50…and you MAKE IT to 60. “Whew”…I didn’t think I’d make it.

So…you become 21, you turn 30, your pushing 40, you reach 50, you make it to 60 and by then you built up so much speed…(smack) you hit 70.

After that, it’s pretty much day by day. After that you hit Wednesday. When you get into your 80’s you hit lunch…It turned 4:30. My grandmother won’t even by green bananas.

When you get into your 90’s, you start going backwards…I was JUST 92.

And then folks…it’s an amazing thing…if you can make it over the age of 100, you become a little kid again. I’m 104 and a half.

So watch for these warning signs of aging. They can happen to you at any time. I don’t care how young you think you are.

Number one, you know your getting older when you find yourself buying a Volvo…not because its safe, but because you like the way it looks…Its a good, sensible car.

You know your getting old when you find yourself humming to elevator music. That’s a little frightening.

Here’s one that will sneak up on you. You know your getting old, when you find yourself on your own front lawn yelling a teenagers in cars. “Slow down…PUNK!”

You now you’re getting old, when you find yourself buying records on television. Yeah, laugh now! “Quick honey get the pen, this one has everything I like. It comes with boots and a comb. This one, this is a good one.”

And then the final step in the process folks, it happens to everyone. You’ll know you old then. Can you imagine the day…you’ll be having an argument with a kid of yours…and the kid will turn to you and say, “You just don’t understand.” “Whoa”, honey, wasn’t I cool once? I was pretty hip for a while, wasn’t I? And at that very second, the phone will ring and it will be your parents saying, “HA, HA.”