Richard Schwalb
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Janna,
I have to agree with you. I work for a design firm that has some of the best designers in the business. Our Art Director has been educated by traditional Graphic Designers at the best art school in the US. Together, we were able to boost one of our client's online sales by over $2 million in six months, mostly because they let us do what we thought best. We listened to what they wanted to do, but impemented it our way. Of course, this didn't happen over night. We had to prove ourselves at first, which is understandable. But that was a large client who wanted to take things slow and came to us to boost their bottom line.
Now, when we've spoken with smaller clients, the only way to really get them to see that their idea is not necessarily the best is to show them what it will look like, and then show them what our idea will look like. If they still think their way is better, let them have what they want. After all, they are paying the bill, and it is their baby in the end. Of course, we also follow the rule that the client is solely responsible for the end result. We've proven ourselves with many clients in the past. We have credibility, knowledge and expertise. It is up to the client to listen to us, just as it is up to a patient to listen to their doctor.
Regards,
Richard Schwalb
Que Stien Company
> Janna Polzin wrote:
> Excellent question, Kyle. My company works mainly with small businesses, usually startups whose owners have very little, or no Internet/technical understanding, yet many of them still feel they have the expertise to make the best decisions about web site design and usability.
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>The issues are usually small: they want splash screens, flash animations, different colors on every page, etc... I'll typically tell them although those things were very popular a few years ago, they are now outdated trends. Those methods have been proven to annoy users, reduce company credibility, and compel users to leave.
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>We refuse to argue with our clients, so we'll only plead our case 2 or 3 times before honoring their request. If they insist on implementing something that we disagree with, we once more explain the potential risks then do it their way.
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>Our contract says: Client assumes all responsibility and liability for any and all (i) data provided by Client to Creative Flavor; and/or (ii) deviance by Client from the recommendations made by Creative Flavor.
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>With the client assuming responsibility for their decisions, they can't blame us for any problems down the road that are directly caused by their decision. If we forsee major usability problems, perhaps in a checkout process for an e-commerce web site, we may request the client sign an additional waiver explaining that they have chosen to go against our specific recommendations despite potential serious consequences and that we are not liable.
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>I'm interested in what others have to say about this!
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>Janna Polzin
>Creative Flavor
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