All jokes aside, client needs won’t always sync with your schedule. And we’ll guess that you don’t want to answer panicked emails during dinner. So, what’s the solution?

Providing clients with resources can help. You can create content that can be accessed whenever they have a question. It’s handy and saves everyone time.

Clients will also learn to help themselves. They’ll feel more confident when working with their website.

Does that sound like paradise? Keep reading for ideas on helping clients – even when you’re not around.

Help Clients Resolve Common Issues

Do you find yourself answering the same questions again and again? That’s because clients often run into similar roadblocks.

You may notice this when building multiple websites with the same content management system (CMS). Or when using the same themes and plugins. Patterns emerge. You’ll discover the pain points clients face.

It’s worth keeping track of these issues. From there, you can write documentation that clients can reference.

You can start small. Even a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page can do the trick. That’s fine if demand is low and the questions are simple.

If your needs change, you might consider building a dedicated support site. For example, a knowledgebase that lets clients browse various topics. It’s something you can add to as needed.

Hint: Be sure to use a system that is easy to maintain. That way, you’ll be more likely to keep your documentation updated.

Use Video to Demonstrate Tasks

Video is a powerful tool. A well-made presentation can take the guesswork out of a tutorial. Users can see exactly how to perform a given task.

Thankfully, it’s easier than ever to create video tutorials. A wide range of tools are available. And you don’t need to spend a fortune to get started.

At a minimum, you’ll need a microphone and a screen capture app. That will allow you to narrate as you perform tasks on the screen. You’re all set if your device already has a microphone. And there are free screen capture apps available.

What about quality? Well, it depends on your audience. You certainly don’t need a pro-level production for a quick tutorial. You should be fine as long as the audio and video are clear.

You may want to kick things up a notch if you plan to make them publicly available. Anything you want to promote should look professional. In that case, you might want to invest in attractive video templates.

Otherwise, a 30-second video can often outshine a text-based tutorial. Clients will appreciate your effort and likely learn more in the process.

The Potential of AI in Customer Support

Companies are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into all sorts of tools. Customer support is no exception. So, how does that impact web designers?

We’re already seeing AI deployed in chatbot applications. That allows users to ask questions in plain language. The bot provides an answer.

That part isn’t new. Similar tools have been around for years. However, they haven’t always been very accurate. The user experience has also been less-than-stellar.

AI has the potential to produce better results. A model trained on your documentation could give more accurate answers. It might transform a chatbot from a dreaded interaction to a positive one.

It’s worth noting that these solutions depend on the quality of your documentation. The more thorough your content, the higher the quality of the results.

We might also use AI within a CMS like WordPress. The tool could provide support based on what the user is doing. Users could resolve issues without having to leave their site. It might be a game-changer.

We’re in the early days of AI. Thus, it will be interesting to see how it evolves regarding support.

Add an Extra Hand to Better Serve Clients

Modern websites can do more than ever. And client expectations have increased as well. That means more support requests.

The reality is that we can’t be there to respond at all hours of the day. So, providing helpful resources is one way to resolve common issues.

The self-serve ideas above could reduce the time you spend helping clients. That’s time you can dedicate to more profitable areas of your business.

You’ll also avoid the stress of dealing with these issues after hours. An extra evening or two of relaxation is worth the investment.

Take time to review your support workflow. Then, create content to help clients help themselves. You’ll be glad you did!

The post How to Help Your Web Design Clients Without Being There appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

A client may be pleased with themselves and happy to get their own way. But at what cost? The ensuing results aren’t always pretty. Crowded layouts, inaccessible design elements, and a general sloppiness can seriously harm the user experience (UX).

For example, consider a client who meddles in the design details of their eCommerce website. Leaving UX decisions regarding product layouts, calls-to-action, and hero areas to a non-designer could be disastrous for sales. And yet, any potential fallout may land squarely on your shoulders. Fair? I think not.

Therefore, it’s up to us to prevent such silliness from happening in the first place. Let’s explore some ways to keep clients at a safe distance from UX.

Define the Stakes

User experience is a critical factor for every website. Yet, clients aren’t always fully aware of what’s at stake. As is often the case, it’s up to web designers to provide some background.

It’s worth taking the time to talk about the importance of accessibility and ease of use. How the design of each element within a page needs to be measured against these factors. Oh, and the massive roles that performance and mobile compatibility play as well.

Then there’s the matter of personal preference. Clients often (and unwittingly) put their own opinions above the needs of the average user. Sometimes, implementing their preference is a detriment to everyone else.

The importance of UX and its contributing factors should be brought up from the very start. When clients are informed, they’ll be more likely to follow your lead.

Welcome Feedback, but Set Boundaries

How does a client go from providing useful feedback to taking over a designer’s job? It’s often subtle and can happen quicker than you think.

To be sure, some people insist on having control of a given situation. They may be just as likely to stand over the plumber fixing their leaky pipes as they are to pester a web designer.

In other cases, the mere fact that a client is paying good money for your services gives them a certain sense of entitlement. And although they may be well-meaning, it can lead to overstepping boundaries.

The dilemma is that getting a client’s feedback is necessary for a successful outcome. But it can also be fertile ground for such a takeover. So, how do you prevent it from happening?

The key is in setting clear guidelines. For example, defining goals for a particular item and asking for feedback based on those parameters.

Consider the hero area of a home page. Let’s say you’ve built something beautiful and need client approval. You might approach them by saying something like:

“I’ve set up the hero area, please take a look! Here is what we were hoping to achieve:

• Introduce branding elements, including the logo, colors and fonts;
• Encourage users to subscribe to the mailing list;
• Mention the 20% off discount for new subscribers;
• Keep the entire area accessible, easy-to-read and concise;

What do you think?”

The example above isn’t all-encompassing. But it puts the stated goals into a client’s mind. This helps you to narrow the scope of their feedback and (hopefully) avoid anything that distracts from the desired outcome.

Put UX Back Into the Hands of Experts

Don’t get me wrong – clients should absolutely be involved in the design process. It’s their brand, after all. And things usually turn out best with their input.

But the heavy lifting of UX should be done by experts like you. Your job is to turn a client’s vision into something that is highly usable. It’s about establishing a brand while helping users get to where they want to go.

If all goes well, they’ll take the path to conversion – whether that means sales, contact, or a subscription. That’s simply too important to leave to client whims.

Instead, educate and work with your clients in an effort to drive home UX best practices. Provide them with parameters to work within. The result will be a website that benefits its owner and users alike.

The post How to Stop Design Clients Making Too Many UX Decisions appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Sometimes you can make a bad client into a passable one, but, unless you’re getting compensated extremely well, it’s rarely worth the effort.

An unreasonable, demanding, emotionally disturbed client already has those qualities before you even meet them. It’s not personal – they’d most likely be that way with any designer.

If you want to have a challenging yet rewarding, insanity-free working relationship, you must start with a good client.

Fair enough, you say. But how am I supposed to tell which clients are good and which ones aren’t before I work with them?

In my experience, there’s an easy way to determine which clients are worth the trouble and which ones you should just skip over, and it has to do with their budget. Not the specific amount, per se, but their attitude towards budgeting in general.

There’s a profoundly important difference between a reasonable client who doesn’t have much of a budget, and a client who’s just, well, cheap.

The former you should, by all means, seek out and work with – the little guys need good design too! Clients who can’t pay you what you feel your standard rate should be can usually help you out in other ways that will lead to much more lucrative opportunities later. Let me explain what I mean.

Something For Nothing

When working for less than your standard rate (and again, there’s nothing wrong with that, especially in today’s economy), you should always negotiate for something else in exchange for your “discount.”

And you should treat it like a discount. Your client is receiving your services at a lower rate, and they need to be aware that, as such, there are certain deliverables that won’t be available to them.

If your client can’t pay the initial price you quote them for the work, the second price must carry a reduced amount of work. The initial price you quoted them has value in the client’s mind.

If you are willing to “bend” on that price – if you, say, do a job worth several thousand dollars for a few hundred – what happens is that you reduce your perceived value to the client. The client will know then that you weren’t serious about your standard rate, and they may try to take advantage of you and get more work for even less money.

Always be firm about how much you cost. When clients know that you value your work and don’t compromise your own worth by wavering on your prices, they will value your work as well. Just as you wouldn’t expect to get an oil change and new brakes for the price of a car wash, your potential clients must know that there is a limit to how much service you can provide on a budget.

If a client is worth working for, they’ll accept that your higher-priced services are out of their range, and will be willing to discuss other, non-monetary options as part of your compensation. What kind of options? Well, I’ll tell you.

If you’re dealing with a reasonable client, you’ll be able to negotiate for three main forms of non-monetary compensation. You can negotiate for just one, or all three, but using this technique will help you quickly weed out those clients who don’t value you or your work.

The three main elements that can be included in your compensation are:

1. Referrals

Not “exposure” – that’s a vague word which can mean almost anything. But actual, genuine referrals from your client personally to people who can and will hire you. A list of warm leads directly from a paying client is worth its weight in gold, and can sometimes be more valuable than a single paying job.

It’s not too much to ask, and if you’ve got a good client, they should be more than happy to provide at least a few. If not, run far away. That client is not worth the trouble because they aren’t going to get any more reasonable.

If someone can’t be bothered to come up with two or three referrals among their friends or colleagues, what makes you think they’re going to trust your design decisions or resist unnecessary scope creep?

2. Creative Freedom

You can and should use your lack of financial compensation as leverage to secure more creative freedom on a project than you would have otherwise.

This doesn’t mean go berserk with the composition or give them something completely inappropriate. But a client who’s receiving a discounted form of your services can absolutely be expected to hand you the reins and allow you the freedom to make the decisions you feel are best for the project.

3. A Guarantee of Future Paid Work

Whether it’s at your current rate or at a more standard one, your client can offer to provide you with more work in lieu of more money upfront.

Perhaps something more challenging that has a bigger budget, or something recurring that you can deliver on a regular basis. Be creative, and think of all the ways you can provide value to your client.

A good, satisfied client will be happy to give you first priority for future work, if you let them know that you would like it to be part of your compensation. Again, this is not too much to ask for, and any client who thinks it is is a bad client. Period. Runaway.

Never Slave Away for Peanuts

Always make sure to discuss these options with your clients to make sure you’re never just slaving away for peanuts. It goes without saying that, if you expect to receive these kinds of extras, you should do your very best work and provide as much value to your client as possible for the price they’re paying.

No client is going to refer a bad designer to their friends, nor should they be expected to. But if you’re awesome, and you do awesome work, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t expect to be fairly compensated, even if the client is on a budget.

I think that the most important thing a designer can learn is how to be discerning, and how exactly to go about negotiating extras.

There’s an art to it, which many designers, sadly, have not yet mastered. The key is to project confidence and subtly make your clients aware that you have other options without coming off as arrogant, rude, or condescending.

By gently but firmly negotiating extras in your compensation package, you’ll make even the most budget-conscious clients respect you and desire to work with someone of your performance level.

And the “cheap” clients who won’t budge? Leave ’em – they’re impossible conversions!

The post How to Work With Both Good & Bad Design Clients appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

Yet, it’s not always viewed that way. Some clients will nickel and dime their way through a project, not wanting to spend the funds required to accomplish their goals.

Even worse is when an organization has a website with outstanding potential, but lets it languish. The site’s content and underlying software age out, while previous momentum is lost. It happens again and again, company after company.

You may ask, what is it that these clients are missing? It may just be the most important thing they need to know.

A Website Is Not a One-Off Purchase

As a young designer, I used to look forward to finishing off a project as if I’d never have to deal with it again. The website, as far as I was concerned, was “done”. Experience has shown me how wrong I was.

In order to stay relevant, websites need to continually evolve. Content must change to reflect what a business is currently doing – not what they did when the site was first built. Technology needs to be upgraded in order to improve functionality and the user experience.

This applies to virtually every type of website. Although, a case can be made that it’s more of a life-or-death situation for an eCommerce or community-based site than the standard five-page brochure variety.

But so often, clients don’t seem to see their websites as an ever-evolving product. Instead, they view it as something they buy once and use forever. And while there may be some relatively small maintenance and hosting fees, it’s a matter of merely keeping things running smoothly. Growth isn’t necessarily considered.

They’re missing the bigger picture.

How Designers Can Help to Inform and Change Attitudes

Part of the issue may stem from how we as web designers communicate. In my own case, I’ve tended to focus on the task at hand when building a website.

First, it’s all about getting the project requirements. Then it’s on to guiding clients through the design and build processes. These are often major challenges that require a lot of attention in order to get things right.

All of this means that talk of the future can get lost in the shuffle. We may not really discuss the need for evolving content and technology until we’re faced with an issue.

For clients, it’s easy to see why this could bring about a misunderstanding. They’re seeing a website that they’ve invested in that, for one reason or another, isn’t keeping up with the times. It might be content, design or functionality-related – or any combination thereof.

This can lead to confusion. Why is the website now outdated? Shouldn’t it be built to last? These are things web designers may inherently understand, but aren’t necessarily obvious to clients.

Part of our job is to educate our clients on the realities of having a website. To stay relevant, a website requires more than just routine maintenance. There has to be both an understanding of and strategy to keep things fresh and vital.

Keeping It Real

So, what should our clients know about owning a website? Here are a few concepts that will help them better understand what comes along with the territory.

Software and Code Must Be Maintained

Much of what we build these days relies on third-party software. For example, utilizing a CMS and plugins are a very common practice. We might also include a lot of our own custom code as well.

All of these items require updates. It might be a matter of updating your WordPress installation as usual. However, it may also go well beyond that level of maintenance.

Changes to programming languages such as PHP may require rewriting significant portions of code to stay functional. That comes with a cost of both time and money.

And speaking of money, any commercial software licenses also need to be kept up. Letting them lapse could lead to future problems.

Sometimes, a Change Is Needed

The software that seemed like a perfect fit in the beginning may not last. In the case of third-party apps, they might disappear into thin air without notice. That means finding a suitable alternative and making a switch.

A website that uses a CMS and is more than a year old will probably experience this scenario. A theme or plugin breaks, and updates are nowhere to be found. All of the sudden, you’re back to the drawing board.

It’s frustrating for everyone involved. But it’s also out of our control. While we may try to build with tools we think will be around for the long haul, there’s no guarantee. Clients will need to understand that reality.

The Web Moves Quickly

It’s probably safe to assume that most people know that technology evolves at break-neck speed. Anyone who has purchased an expensive smartphone has probably figured that out, as it becomes outdated mere months after release.

Websites aren’t much different. Just think of how your favorite CMS might have changed within the last six months to a year. Then think about how it has evolved in the past five years. The differences are likely very noticeable.

As such, user tastes and expectations change right along with technology. Thus, an organization must be ready to adapt as needed.

Helping Clients to Stay Informed

In the end, this is one more reason why the designer-client relationship is so important. Our experience and knowledge of the industry is something that needs to be shared with those we work with.

If we can better prepare clients for the responsibilities that go along with owning a website, we can tackle these challenges together.

The post The Most Important Thing Your Clients Should Know About Their Website appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

One recent debate involves the WordPress Site Editor. The feature allows us to design and build an entire website within the browser.

Some find this to be a great leap forward. But others are concerned that it gives site owners too much control. They worry that there aren’t enough protections to keep a client from accidentally breaking the layout. I believe that there are valid points on each side.

But this discussion also got me thinking about how we train clients. Is the Site Editor (or any tool, for that matter) relevant to them? Do they need to know every aspect of how their website works? And where do we draw the line about what’s important?

Let’s explore the challenges in educating clients about their websites. Along the way, I’ll share my thoughts on why knowing it all isn’t all that great.

The Risk of Overwhelming Your Clients

Modern websites are becoming more complex. And it’s not just the high-end enterprise variety. Even an old-school “brochure” site can have several moving parts.

We can thank the proliferation of content management systems (CMS) for that. These apps allow for greater flexibility. But that also means more code. Themes, plugins, and custom creations each add another layer to the mix.

This makes educating clients more challenging. Limited time and resources may force us to leave out certain items. Thus, we can’t easily provide a complete explanation of every feature.

Perhaps this sounds like bad news. But that’s not necessarily the case. By focusing on the essentials, we’re helping clients understand what’s most relevant.

Take automobiles, for example. Cars come with all manner of complex systems. But do we know how each one works? To do so, we might have to spend weeks (or months) in a specialized course. And our heads would likely be swimming in superfluous facts and figures.

If the goal is to empower clients to perform specific tasks, it’s OK to skip past the things that don’t impact them.

What’s Important? Look at a Client’s Workflow

The areas of focus for client training aren’t always obvious. Some tasks, like logging in, are universal. But there will also be unique aspects as well.

Much depends on what your client wants to accomplish. Maybe they will be publishing articles or regularly adding events to a calendar. They might focus on processing eCommerce orders.

This information is vital. It helps guide us in how to effectively implement features. And it also gives us an idea of a client’s workflow. From there, we can design a training program that fits their needs.

It starts with the initial conversations you have with them. As you learn the project’s details, you’ll be able to ask questions about how they plan to interact with their site.

In addition, you’ll also have an idea of what can safely be left out. For instance, consider a client who won’t need to touch their home page layout. There’s no reason to spend precious time demonstrating a feature they won’t use.

Are Some Features Better Left Hidden?

Hiding or choosing to ignore certain features can sound suspicious. Some may see it as trickery. But that’s not the goal here.

To expand on that idea, let’s revisit the WordPress Site Editor. It’s a design tool intended to make for easier template changes. Thus, it’s not likely to be part of a client’s day-to-day workflow.

You might still mention that the feature exists. And you could even give a quick summary of its purpose. In that case, a friendly warning about the potential dangers should also be offered. But a deep dive into how it works is probably not necessary.

In my experience, clients tend to be focused on their to-do lists. Website tasks are often only a part of their responsibilities. Therefore, the more efficient we can be in training, the better it is for all parties.

And this doesn’t preclude us from exploring features later. As a client evolves, there could be an opportunity to dig into something you previously ignored. But initially, the features covered should be based on need.

Clients Don’t Need To Know It All

When you think about it, most of us buy products without understanding their every facet. Cars, mobile devices, and all manner of appliances come to mind.

The ability to operate these items is what matters. Do we need to know exactly how our microwave oven heats a meal? It may make for great party conversation. However, knowing how to use it is probably more important.

Websites are no different. We build them to suit our client’s needs. And we help them learn what they need to know to achieve their goals.

The most relevant information, therefore, is the best use of everyone’s time. Everything else is secondary.

The post Do Clients Need To Know How Their Website Works? appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

You have experienced scope creep, and whether you run into it in your personal or professional life, we all fall victim to it at one time or another.

When left unattended, scope creep in web design, as in any business, causes stress and costs time and money. The solution? Learn how to identify and attend to potential scope creep situations immediately. You will improve communication with clients, keep your web design projects on track, and may also turn a potential project management problem into a new business opportunity.

What is Scope Creep?

Scope creep is a project management term applicable to just about any undertaking in work or life. It results when the magnitude of a project exceeds or creeps past the boundaries of its original goals and objectives. It has a few aliases, including mission creep and requirement creep.

Characteristics of Scope Creep in Web Design

Scope creep takes on many different appearances depending on the nature of your business and projects. For web designers, clients often want to add additional features to their original request as they learn about them from colleagues or when they visit other websites. Some of the common forms of scope creep include:

• Fresh images on each site visit
• Unlimited image slideshows
• Page counters
• Web copy and content
• Additional pages
• Blogging services
• Social media account set up and management
• Periodic updates
• SEO services

These are things that many clients may assume are included in designing or redesigning a website. While these features and services can certainly be offered to your clients, be very careful about casually adding them as the project progresses.

Instead, identify each one in the early discussions with your clients. If they want these services included, add them to your contract or project agreement.

Be very specific; if you offer periodic site updates, how often is “periodic”? Most importantly, list them as individual items on the quote and charge for them.

The Causes of Scope Creep

While scope creep may appear in various forms according to the business and project, these three causes of scope creep are common to all businesses and industries, including web design.

1. Poor communication between designer and client. A client may not be able to clearly tell you what they want because they simply don’t understand what you can do for them. Use probing questions to determine the priorities and goals for their website, what their budget is, and when they want it completed. Help them figure it out by showing them your portfolio (or at least a few other sites you have designed), providing them with a range of rates, and giving them an idea of how long a simple or more elaborate website design would take to complete.
2. Lack of organization during project completion. Scope creep can magnify a disorganized web design project as it eats up additional time and resources. Knowing exactly what is to be completed, by whom and when keeps designers and clients on track.
3. Lack of a detailed contract or agreement. If nothing has been identified and agreed to in a written contract or agreement, it is much easier for your client to slide in a few extra project requirements. It is much easier for you to communicate fees for extra work if you can point out that the work is outside of the agreed-upon deliverables.

Impact of Scope Creep on Web Design Projects

Scope creep has many negative results. An increased workload can lead to stress for the design team and a decrease in the quality of work.

The added work either pulls you away from work for other clients or forces you to pay wages to a subcontractor to complete the extra tasks. In some cases, it means going back to make changes to work already completed.

Unless addressed by the designer, scope creep means spending more time doing more work but not making more money, thereby reducing profits.

It is also more difficult to meet project deadlines, and the added stress can lead to strained relationships with clients and between members of the development and design team. At its worst, scope creep results in project incompletion and failure.

How to Avoid Scope Creep

Clear communication, organization, and planning at each phase of the project can greatly reduce the negative impact of scope creep on your next web design project.

• Set clear expectations with your client before the project even begins. Expectations of deliverables, timelines, and financial arrangements should be clearly defined before starting work.
• Get it in writing in a formal contract or project agreement. Include as much detail as you can here. Items may include design, development, number of pages, number of revisions, and any web copy or graphic design work.
• Identify and agree to a specific completion date for the project. This is critical as you can refer back to it if your client wants to add more to the project, particularly if they are on a tight schedule and have been advertising the launch date of a new business or redesigned website.
• Define, assign and schedule deliverables. Use a PERT chart or Work Breakdown Structure. The United States Navy originally created PERT charts in the 1950s to deal with the organization of large-scale projects. A WBS chart format provides a high-level overview of project tasks and deliverables. They are useful in creating visual representations of your web design project and help identify each task for completion.
• Set a scope creep allowance. Plan on a few extras to creep into your project and allow for these in your budget and timeline. Pay careful attention, though, as often it is a collection of small requests from web design clients that can add up to a painful scope creep experience.

Scope Creep or Business Opportunity?

Scope creep isn’t always a bad thing. Expanding the scope of a project means more work, but it can also mean a further business opportunity. Again, communicate clearly with your client. Let them know if you can accommodate their requests and how fulfilling them will impact the budget and project deadline.

Say something along the lines of “Sounds interesting. I’d love to help. Now, if you can give me a few more details, I’d be happy to work out a revised budget and timeline.”

Don’t forget to factor in the effect that this new work will have on your other clients and projects, particularly if you are a small design shop.

Take some time to evaluate your last design project. Did your client have requests that you simply completed as part of the original contract?

If so, what effect did this have on the project deadline and your profit? Once you become familiar with identifying typical scope creep scenarios, it will become easier to manage them, turn them into business opportunities, or avoid them altogether.

You might also want to check out some other reasons why projects fail.

The post How to Handle Scope Creep in Web Design appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

We spend a lot of time discussing the topic and sharpening our skills. But we can’t do it alone. Our clients must buy in as well. They’ll need to understand the benefits of accessibility and why it’s important. Not to mention what they could lose by ignoring the issue.

With that, we’ve put together a guide with ways clients can help. Let’s get started!

Embrace Simple Form and Function

It’s hard to blame anyone for wanting complex design and functionality features. Common additions like special effects, animation, and JavaScript UIs are compelling. But they’re not always accessible.

Avoiding these bells and whistles isn’t easy. Both designers and clients tend to like shiny things. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. However, it pays to proceed with caution.

Education is part of what designers do. And accessibility is an area where we have expertise. Therefore, we should share what we know with clients.

Among the biggest takeaways: a website should not sacrifice usability for the sake of aesthetics. Ideally, a balance can be achieved. And simplicity is the way to get there.

But simplicity doesn’t have to be boring. Rather, it’s about ensuring that the basics are covered.

In practice, this means text that is easy to read. A color palette that provides acceptable contrast ratios. And the site should be navigable by keyboard.

Once those items are established, other goodies can be added. So long as they don’t make the website harder to use.

Providing Accessible Content

Guiding your clients toward accessibility is only the first step. Once they buy into the concept, the real work begins.

One challenge is obtaining content in accessible formats. The importance of this is often overlooked. Even if the website’s layout is accessible, that doesn’t guarantee the content will be.

Accessible content includes:

Easy-To-Understand Text

Text content should be simple and to the point. For consumer-oriented and business-to-business websites, the simpler, the better. The main idea is that visitors shouldn’t need a college degree to comprehend a site’s content.

If a client provides long and complicated text, we should work with them to simplify.

Accessible File Formats

Websites are more than text and images. Formats such as PDFs and Word documents are also common.

It’s debatable whether these formats are even necessary. A PDF file full of text could just as well be converted into HTML. However, there are items like printable forms where a downloadable format makes sense.

All documents should have accessibility features enabled. For example, clients may send you files that were scanned. That can be problematic, as they don’t include selectable text. The result is that they won’t be read by screen readers. Plus, they may not be legible.

The ideal solution is to ask your client to track down the original, non-scanned version of the file. This would allow it to be converted to, say, a PDF while keeping the content accessible. Otherwise, it may be a matter of using OCR to detect the document’s text.

Develop Processes To Ensure Accessibility

Keeping a website accessible requires developing good habits. For clients who will be maintaining their site, they’ll need to create a process. This is an area where designers can help.

While focusing on accessible content (as outlined above) is important, there are other aspects to discuss. Alt attributes on images, for example, can easily get lost in the shuffle. They must be added to a client’s workflow to become a habit.

Meanwhile, designers tend to cringe when clients make changes to typography. Nobody wants to see their carefully-crafted type settings disrupted. However, avoiding the topic is not a solid plan.

It’s better to assume that some typographic elements will be changed down the line. Knowing this, clients should understand the rules of the road. Fonts should be readable, with acceptable sizing and color contrast.

There are also potential downsides when installing plugins. On platforms such as WordPress, there’s a temptation to hit that “Install” button to see what a plugin can do. But some items might negatively impact accessibility – not to mention the website itself.

There are other ways to help encourage accessible habits. For one, providing an accessibility checklist is recommended. It offers clients a handy reference that they can go back to again and again.

Engaged Clients Can Make a Difference

The use of accessible design and development techniques is paramount. Still, it’s also important to think about the role a client can play. Their contributions can make a difference in just how accessible their website is.

In the end, it’s about sharing knowledge. When people know better, they tend to do better.

So, take the time to educate clients on best practices. This will empower them to make better decisions regarding accessibility.

The post How to Educate Your Clients About the Importance of Website Accessibility appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

This seems especially true when compared to other professions. After all, some people send gift baskets to their accountants and lawyers. Web designers? We get another round of revisions!

Now, I don’t think clients are obliged to send us a cake after their site launches. Nor do we need a bag of swag to feel appreciated. But perhaps web designers don’t receive enough recognition, either.

Why is that? I think there are a few factors at play. Let’s examine what keeps web designers from getting their due.

Web Designers Work Behind the Scenes

Web designers don’t typically work in public spaces. And even if we did, most people wouldn’t notice. They may see us as just another person with a laptop.

Instead, we tend to hide away in home offices and back rooms. That’s usually a good thing. Design and code are detail-oriented jobs. Thus, working in front of an audience could have a negative impact.

But that also means that we’re out of sight. Clients can’t see the time and effort we put into their projects. And they’re likely unaware of how many obstacles we must overcome to get their website working as promised.

Plus, there’s often very little face-to-face interaction. Meetings are still a part of the job. But they have increasingly moved to online platforms. That leaves few chances to get to know each other on a personal level.

When you can’t see someone at work, it becomes harder to appreciate what they do.

There’s Little Understanding of What Web Designers Do

Web design is a total mystery to some people. They’re not quite sure what’s involved in the design and build processes. That can lead to some false narratives.

It’s something I’ve experienced since the 1990s. I’ve met people who think that anyone can be a web designer. To them, it’s simply a matter of using readymade tools and filling in the blanks.

True, that could be a path taken by some designers. But it also misses the sheer depth of the field. Websites can be incredibly complex applications. They can go well beyond the capabilities of a page builder or niche theme.

And it requires a good bit of knowledge to achieve great results. Some of us have formal educations and college degrees. Others are self-taught. Either way, a combination of skills and experience is vital to success.

Admittedly, the industry also shares some blame here. When non-designers see ads for DIY website services like Wix or Squarespace, they may get the wrong impression. Even WordPress, in its quest to make design easier, can add to that reputation.

All told, there’s a lack of understanding of what web designers do. Some of that falls on us. But there’s also a gap in technical knowledge. Therefore, it’s hard to blame anyone for not knowing the intricacies involved.

Failure Attracts More Attention Than Achievement

Our society loves to point out failure. This is particularly prevalent in online culture. We’re often quick to call out someone’s “epic fail” rather than celebrate their achievements.

For example, do we give Amazon’s engineers a virtual high-five when their site doesn’t crash on Black Friday? Not likely. We’ll probably point out a page that doesn’t load correctly or some other minor quibble.

The public is simply sharing their frustrations. A feature they want to use isn’t working as expected. And social media is the perfect place to vent those feelings.

In some ways, I think web design is a natural extension of this behavior. Clients tend to contact us when something needs to change. Their website is either broken or in need of a new feature. Or perhaps they want to edit a piece of content.

When things are running smoothly, we’re less likely to get feedback. That’s how communication tends to work.

What Does Appreciation Look Like?

We’ve established that web designers often work behind the scenes. And that many people are unfamiliar with what we do. Oh, and they’re also good at pointing out the negatives.

Therefore, we probably shouldn’t expect these things to change. Web designers can’t afford a big ad campaign to sing our praises. So, that begs the question: what does appreciation look like?

Maybe I need to think smaller. Hearing (or reading) the words “thank you” or “good job” are prime examples.

It can be easy to toss them aside as a common courtesy. And it can be difficult to fully absorb their context – especially in email. But a few kind words can go a long way.

Appreciation doesn’t always take the form of a grand gesture. It can also be understated. Either way, we should be thankful when we are on the receiving end. Even if it’s not as often as we’d like.

The reality is that not every career is widely understood or revered. I mean, who are we to compare ourselves with lawyers???

On second thought, maybe being in the shadows is a good thing.

The post Why Web Designers Are Often Underappreciated appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

It doesn’t matter what the unethical thing is or your reason for not wanting to do it – it’s always a pain to deal with and handle in a professional and courteous manner.

Luckily, there is a reliable process many freelancers can use to stop these types of clients from getting out of control, and often prevent ethical issues from coming up in the first place.

Opting Out

First, it’s important to remember that the best option in situations like these is to simply have more options and avoid these types of projects altogether. Clients who are shady are almost always more trouble than they’re worth, and if the unethical activity can be traced back to you in any way, you’ll find yourself with more trouble on your hands than you ever wanted.

If you have other potential clients you can work with, you can simply fire these bad apples and send them (politely) on their way things start to get moldy. But how do you determine who’s on the level before you take on a project?

Spotting The Red Flags

Many times, you can use your natural intuition to determine whether or not a client will present ethical dilemmas before you begin working with them. It can be as simple as a “vibe” – just a weird feeling you get when talking to them, or the dodgy way in which they answer your questions.

I’ve turned down work from clients before who just had an oddness about them that I couldn’t explain. I didn’t know why they made me uncomfortable; simply that they did, and I wanted nothing to do with their project. In more than one case, I found out later that they were, in fact, up to no good. Freelancer: 1, disaster: 0.

Other times, it can be the type of work a client asks you to do that sets off the alarm bells. Reputation management, radical brand redesigns, or conflict de-escalation with third parties like angry customers or threatening competitors, while not unethical by themselves, can be signs that your client might want to handle these problems in ways that aren’t entirely above board.

Use your judgment and listen to your gut when deciding which projects to take on. It might seem silly to turn away a client just from a feeling, but it can save you potentially years of headaches and legal problems. Plus, word to the wise: it’s often these kinds of clients who provide the biggest issues when it comes to payment as well.

Remember You’re The Expert

Sometimes, a request for something unethical can truly come out of nowhere. Everything is going fine, then suddenly your client springs a rotten request on you that you’re not sure how to handle.

In these situations, it’s likely that your client is less likely to be a crook, and more likely to simply be misguided on the direction they should be taking with the project. They see what’s working for their competitors, and they decide it’s not worth tampering with what’s clearly a winning formula. In other words, they have the right general idea, but need some help executing it in an original way.

It’s important to remind these types of clients – and yourself – that you were hired to apply your professional expertise to solve their business problems. Don’t be afraid to challenge your client’s assumptions as to what will be truly effective and why.

Point them to results you’ve achieved in the past that will show them that there are many ways to approach the dilemma that won’t violate anyone else’s intellectual property rights. Don’t just send them a new round of comps or revisions – take the time to explain what works, what doesn’t, and what will help them avoid a lawsuit.

Saying ‘I Told You So’

Ah, yes. Gloating. It’s not just for school children anymore. If you’ve done everything you can to convince a client to do the right thing, and they still refuse to see reason, it’s essential to be able to release yourself from liability if and when something goes horribly wrong. Here’s where having a record of all communication comes in handy.

Even if most of your exchange with the client happens in person and over the phone, always make transcribed copies of your recommendations, requests, and warnings, and ask the client to sign off or verify them via email.

Keep records of all the advice you provide and send a copy to your client, even if they end up completely ignoring you. That way, when their idea fails miserably, you can whip out your notes and show them that you warned them. Besides being satisfying to get a little revenge on a stubborn client, it makes it impossible for the client to hold you responsible for their poor behavior.

Hopefully, this will convince them that it’s always better to do things the right way rather than treading on someone else’s rights, but if not, at least you can walk away with a clean conscience and warn other freelancers you know to avoid that client at all costs.

The post How to Handle Ethical Disagreements With Your Design Clients appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

It’s also not a good thing for your eyes. If there’s no focal point, the food can overwhelm you, and you’ll find yourself lost in a vortex of scary, calorie-filled nightmares.

You’re not going to process your eating experience; you’re simply going to start at the least offensive corner and chow down until it’s all gone and your stomach’s about to burst.

That’s why, when you go out to nicer restaurants, the chef portions out your food in small amounts, so that you can take your time and absorb not just the actual eating but also the sensory experience – the sights, the smells, even the sounds. Yes, people. Food is complicated.

Today, I’m going to talk about simplifying your designs using the very same principles a chef uses to ensure that you have the most pleasant eating experience possible.

And just like you’re much more likely to return to a restaurant that serves you an experience rather than a mess, your users will be more likely to do the same when your designs are clean, strong, and simplified.

Focus In

We humans are programmed to make things complex. In the field of cultural anthropology, there’s overwhelming evidence of this fact, as societies around the world have progressed over the millennia from simple (think ‘hunter-gatherer’ type societies) to complex (modern “post-industrial” countries).

It’s in our DNA to want to add on rather than take away, which can make the average designer’s job pretty difficult.

From your end as a designer, it’s generally quite hard to be objective about which information or design elements are “necessary” versus which are not. Getting a second opinion can help sometimes, but if the person you’re asking is not a seasoned designer, they might not have the experience to tell you what’s not working and why.

When I’m working on a project that’s gotten too out of hand, I usually stop and take out the notes I took at the beginning of my process.

The mind maps, diagrams, and lists that illustrate precisely what my main focus was supposed to be for the project. It’s inevitable that you’ll lose sight of your main focus at least once during the design process.

That’s okay, as long as you refer to your notes and refresh your memory. Designing around your main focus helps you to be more discerning about the content you include in your design, as it makes it clear what’s directly related to that main focus and what isn’t.

Use the Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle is something that’s been getting quite a bit of attention in recent years, thanks to personal development gurus like Tim Ferriss. But just in case you don’t know the basic idea behind it, here’s a quick run-down.

The Pareto Principle, or the “80-20 Rule,” as it’s sometimes known, basically states that 20% of any given element is responsible for 80% of the results, and vice-versa.

Designers love the 80-20 rule since it’s so applicable to the design process, particularly in those areas where information or sales are at the heart of the design goals.

While you’re designing your product, website, or other deliverables, here are two important questions to ask yourself so that you don’t “over-design” those elements that don’t need it and so that you can keep your focus on the 20% of the elements that are the most important:

1. Who, specifically, is most likely to benefit the most from this design element?

I’ve talked at length about narrowing down your career focus to zero in on one or two specific markets.

This question is one you can ask yourself at any time during your creative process. If you devote time to researching exactly the target markets you’re best equipped to serve, you’ll have a much easier time finding and understanding the needs of clients.

And when it comes time to simplify your designs for this target group, you’ll know exactly what they’re looking for, how they look for it, and how to provide it to them simply.

2. How can I deliver the most value to this group of people using the least number of steps?

As an extension of the above idea, your process will become much simpler when you begin focusing on the number of steps it will take your users to get from your design to the information or product they’re looking for.

It’s helpful to write it out in a literal list; start with the key action step on your website, brochure, poster, etc., and document exactly what needs to happen from there to make the sale.

Once you’ve done that, the path usually becomes very clear in terms of what’s actually needed to get the user to their destination, and what’s not.

Smart It Up

A lot of the advice you may read about simplifying your designs might make it seem like designers think their users are the stupidest people in the world.

Skim a few articles and you’ll see what I mean – everything is concerned with making the important elements as obvious as they can possibly be so that the user doesn’t have to use their brain for anything.

It can actually make you start to feel a bit sorry for the average user at first since designers seem to think so little of them.

But if you understand the underlying principles behind this philosophy, you’ll begin to realize that not only do designers not think their users are stupid, they’re actually being very smart about creating an experience that caters to the needs of the very top of the user “hierarchy.”

It’s not that you should automatically assume that people are stupid. Rather, your assumption should be that everyone is smart – each of your users is far too busy living productive, interesting lives to waste time where they don’t need to.

Once you embrace this mentality, it will become easier for you to zero in on exactly what makes these smart, productive, interesting people tick, and how you can help them absorb the exact information they need to go on about their awesome lives. This has the added effect of allowing you to go on about your awesome life as well.

Your users should be able to get to the specific information they need with as little effort as possible.

Whether that involves less reading, scrolling, or interactivity, make sure you keep your focus on the actual steps required to encourage the biggest results from the least amount of action.

The post Why You Should Simplify Your Designs for the Smartest User appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.