The past couple of months I’ve experienced a scenario I’ve learned a lot from. I’ve got hired as a designer and a front-end developer for a website that is to be launched mid-April. When the project started in the beginning of February I developed an information architecture after the initial chat with the client through quite a simple sitemap. The client had no specific idea of what kind of content they would have on the site, and because of the lack of internet experience they had no idea on how they wanted it presented. No problem – a great part of my job as a designer is formatting and structuring the content properly. However, a problem occurred when the client is delayed with the production of content. The content is not only written by the client, but it’s also coming from third party sources and it ends up arriving 3 weeks after the original content deadline – 1 week before the the site is supposed to launch.
This has in my opinion clearly influenced the end result. Without no idea on the amount of content or the type of it, information structure could not be well enough planned. As content came so late, I was forced to implement it directly after I received it, one after one – designing it on impulse. This resulted in a bunch of ‘on-the-go’ solutions that probably compromised the consistency and the overall user-experience.
Definitely a lesson learned, and it could have felt a lot worse. In fact I think that projects like these makes me a better designer and a freelancer. One of the key things I’ve learned from Hyper Island is to take learning from your experiences instead of trying to forget them. I’ve learned to be tougher and to expect more from my clients. It’s very easy as a 20 year old to feel ran over by clients that in most cases are twice your age. However, confidence in design is just as important in any industry. It’s not just your job to make sure the product works well and it’s important to make the client aware of that. Communication is the key.
My question to you is; What would you do in a similar situation where you had no idea what kind of content you were to implement in the design you made until just a few days before deadline?
Thanks Ole for a very familiar story! I’m afraid it does not get better simply by being older and if you demand and threaten the client over delays in delivering the content then it just makes the relationship worse.
We try telling the client that this will happen at the start of the project and if possible agree to delay the launch when it does. Few clients agree however.
@Jonathan – Hi! What do you do when the client disagree when you tell them that this might happen?
A very known scenario! What the company Im currently hired under often do is send out the bills when the projects stops because of neglect from the clients side. But usually the deadline is also moved, so the projecst often halt, completely. I just had a project start up again after several months waiting for a “busy” client to prioritize his “expensive” web project.
As to not knowing what the content will be is natural when you dont see any content. And the result is a very generic design. Sad, really sad to again and again see how clients can waste money like this.
In an ideal world I would charge them for the delay but it is rarely an ideal world. They need to understand that the relationship between quality, functionality, price and time is fixed and if one slips so must some of the others.
If we have developed a good relationship (and this is a high priority for all projects) then their delay will allow us to delay the launch or cut the scope of the project.
It’s tough out there though. :-)
I hear you! I definitely see the importance of a good client relationship – and I’m naive enough to believe that a client will understand your side of the case once you let him in on it.
Never underestimate your client – or?