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Let me guess, you are sick and tired of your client’s endless revision requests, aren’t you?
I don’t blame you. If you’re like most web designers, you’re probably already swamped with things to do — so much so that you’re probably one revision request away from a breakdown.
#TheStruggleIsReal
If you’ve just about had it with getting truckloads of revision requests from every single client you’re working with, then it’s high time you to look into how you’re running your business.
Perhaps you’re missing a crucial step that other seasoned web designers are doing that are allowing them to get minor edit requests from their clients?
In this post, we’re going to talk about some of the possible things that you might be doing that’s causing your clients to reject your web designs.
Let’s dive right in.
1. Project Goals Are Not Well-Defined Enough
Whether you like it or not, there will always be clients who are not sure of what they want.
True, they could already have a vague idea of how they want their site to appear. But when it comes to web design, “vague” is never good enough.
If you’re working on a web design project with nothing else but a vague description to light your way, then you’re bound to have disagreements and creative differences with the client later on.
So, here’s the obvious solution for you:
Establish project goals from the outset!
By asking the client to be more specific with the project’s goals, you’ll have a clearer roadmap on how to meet your client’s expectations. Moreover, those goals will serve as a foundation for persuading your client to agree with your design decisions.
One effective way to establish project goals is to email your clients a questionnaire.
Below are some of the questions that seriously need to be asked:
- What are your goals for this project?
- Can you give me the metrics that you most care about?
- Who is your ideal customer?
- How do you visualize the end product?
The client’s answers to these questions should provide you with key details about their needs and expectations.
When goals and objectives are clear from the outset, you’ll have a better idea on how to address the visual side of things — where to put the CTA buttons, which color combinations to use, and many others. Furthermore, you will be able to come up with creative decisions that align with your client’s brand’s identity.
Here is an example of a website that appears to have a clear goal in mind (notice how noticeable the CTA button is).
(Image Source: Traackr.com)
2. You’re Not Onboarding Your Clients Properly
If you want your web design work to be taken seriously, you have to treat it like a business. And as a business owner, you’d do well to manage and streamline your workflows.
If you don’t, chances are your clients will always tell you how to do your job.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t value the input of your clients. They are, after all, your customers.
But if you want your projects to run smoothly, you need to foster collaboration through an elaborate onboarding process built upon your rules. This way, you and your client will always be on the same page in every phase of the web design project.
(Image Source: MBExperts.com)
Granted, there will be clients who will feel intimidated and put-upon by this, but you can convince them to go through with the onboarding process by explaining its benefits.
For one, it will save them a great deal of time. It’ll also assure them that there will be no unpleasant surprises somewhere down the stretch.
Here are the components of an effective client onboarding process:
- Tailor your contract with the client in a way that aligns with the project specifics.
- Direct your client to your onboarding page (this page is like a welcome packet that provides all the info and guidelines about your work process).
- Send a 50 percent deposit invoice to the client.
- Introduce your client to your project management system and provide them with sufficient training on how to use it.
3. The Design Compromises User Experience
As a web designer, you’re bursting with creative design ideas. You just want an empty canvass where you can pour your heart out.
However, the rules easily change when you’re working on a webpage.
The thing about designing web pages is, you should never do something at the expense of user experience (UX). Fancy visuals, especially those that are made up of large files, can take up a lot of bandwidth when left unoptimized.
This ultimately leads to longer load times and frustrated user — which, in turn, results in an increased bounce rate.
Just so you know, a high bounce rate won’t bode well for the client’s bottom line. Most clients, however, know better than to ignore user experience. They know that a slow website can potentially kill a business. If they implement your design and immediately notice that it’s taking forever to load, chances are they’ll ask you to revise your work.
That’s why today’s norm is to always go for simplicity, so you might as well choose WordPress themes that values minimalism.
If you feel that certain visual elements are indispensable to the project, the next step is to focus on performance optimization strategies. Optimizing image assets, for example, can be done with the help of lossless compression tools like Optimizilla and Compressor.io.
It’s also in your best interest to educate your client about other factors that may negatively impact loading speed.
For example, if your client intends to connect with the international audience, you can advise them to leverage a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to reduce latency and give their website a substantial boost.
A CDN is a network of proxy servers that store the cached versions of a website’s content. Since these servers are distributed around the world, users can access the content faster regardless of their location.
Conclusion
In the end, effective collaboration between clients and web designers boils down to good communication. If your client isn’t happy with your output, then you probably didn’t explain things as well as you should’ve. It’s also crucial to remind your clients that the final product isn’t for them per se, but for their customers.
When the target audience is happy, your client’s sales is bound to skyrocket. Of course, nothing can gain a client’s approval better than knowing that their investment will yield them better returns.