From now on, I’ll be taking notes from each meetup and sharing with the Webflow community.
Date: November 5th, 2015
Guest Speaker: Morgan H. (http://alittlecreative.net/)
- don’t start a web site project from a aesthetic point of view, start
with content - don’t start a project by letting a client tell you what to do or how to do your job. Tell them how they’ll make money or save money by going through the correct process
- Remember, the general (non artistic) person is not coming to a site for how how pretty it looks or how fancy the animations are. They are looking for content to move forward with their personal goals
- Don’t be afraid to be a “hard ass” to get your client to give you the content first before starting on your design
Four (or six) questions you should ask your clients:
- what do your clients’ customers need from you?
- what do your clients’ customers need to get when they get to their site?
- what keeps your clients’ customers up at night?
- how is the website’s success measured after launch? (success metrics)(analytics)
- where are you operating at now?
- what is the timeline to reach a measured success?
Design first model is broken
Remember, a website isn’t for you (the designer) or for your client. It’s for the clients’ customer
Who should be at a kick-off meeting
(Perfect world scenario)
- client
- stakeholder
- customer
- copywriter
- developer
- designer
(Freelancer / Independent designer scenario)
- Yourself
- Everyone who will be making the final decisions on the Website’s launch
Researching the clients’ company will help find the right content needed for the project
- values
- attributes
- core strengths
- unique sales prop
- how do they stand out?
- why do people come to them?
- what is their purpose?
- why did they start their company?
- who are their competitors?
- who is doing it well?
- how are they doing it well?
- Why are they in the business beyond the obvious, money?
asking research questions will stop clients from saying “i like this colors, font, etc”
Make customer profiles
- what are the current customers like?
- what did they do after purchasing an item from you?
- what is their perception of your company?
- what do you know about your existing customers?
create userflows (storyboards) based on what you think each type of client would go through
Protips and recommendations
- “design is a job” - http://abookapart.com/products/design-is-a-job
- free 5 minute user testing (http://peek.usertesting.com/)
- Create a “Contract cancellation fee” in your agreements
- if you do not stick to the statement of work, then break of contract and non-refundable 50% down payment
- 3-day rule for quotes - if you don’t hear back after sending the proposal, terminate the proposal. Always put an expiration date on your contracts.
- share your passion, share your passion. potential clients are looking for that.
- Say no to spec work - https://youtu.be/essNmNOrQto
- looking like a pro, acting like a pro, believing your pro
- say “you” more than “i”
- my clients have done this, my clients have seen this, my clietns….
- not - i can do this, i’ve done this, i have this
- good clients come from relationship building. So don’t just network with people, make friends.
Thanks for making this available for everyone.