Please, please, include your clients in the design process.
I made my first website with Angelfire in 1999. Twenty years later, I’ve made a few more and there are a few things I’m certain of regarding design…
- Everyone loves seeing green checkmarks.
- Whatever you designed last night, you’ll hate in the morning.
- You should, as much as possible, include your clients in the design process.
My favorite part of that process is almost always the kickoff meeting with a new client. I’ll sit there across from them with my requisite moleskin notebook while their project starts to come alive. I always ask the same questions…
Who’s your audience? What colors do you like? Font choice? What problem are you solving?
Together we witness the thing they’re passionate about take shape. I love this part because before our meeting, their project was just an idea— an intangible that they couldn’t quite picture yet. After we part, the shared anticipation is palpable and that energy fuels me through the first major design burst.
The next part is sometimes less great. I’ll often hear the same requests I’ve been fielding for two decades — usually regarding things “popping more” or “being above the fold” — basically this. But I’m here to talk about that first meeting, where things are still pure and filled with promise.
I’m here to talk about how to help your clients make design decisions early (and why you need to document them).
Here’s the system I’ve been using:
- Start with the audience.
It’s important for your client to understand that they are almost never the audience. Their opinion (and yours) comes second. Who is the audience? What do they care about? What do they need to take action? Framing the rest of the conversation from that perspective will help with egos and save a bunch of trouble down the line. - Talk aesthetics — this part should be fun.
Design is subjective and you need to know their perspective on the matter. It’s healthy to throw in a “how will that appeal to your audience?” if you think you’re getting off track but in my experience, it’s a good plan to let them go nuts with their ideas here. If they can’t articulate their vision, draw from what’s around you — use logos / store fronts / signs / known brands, apps, and websites to help them communicate preferences. - Clearly articulate the problem they want to solve.
My best design work has always been focused on the problem and not the features. That might sound obvious but it’s so easy to start talking about screens and forget to talk about the problem the project solves. I always have at least a general idea of what they’re looking to hire me for, but it’s important that the client hears you articulate their vision through the lens of the problem statement. They need to know you get it.
Empowering clients with choice and an active role in the design process goes a step further towards their project becoming realized, and helps you keep things on course.
