1. PLANNING

2. Someone asks

3. You say…

4. What to ask a client before you start the project
Fact finding
Know exactly whats needed
Know what the client wants
Know who the site is aimed at
Interviews help us define the project clearly
Only by asking questions and getting information, are you able to formulate opinions and ideas for the website
Interviewing never stops until the website is delivered

5. Questionnaires vs. In-person conversation
Focus is to ask questions that help define the website
Benefits
Drawbacks

6. Why do they want a website?
Clears up unrealistic goals
A magic fix to a failing business or to triple their sales
Copy-cat
Understand motivation
Helps in guiding the client
What do you expect from the site?
Communication
Look at things in terms of features rather than benefits
Make the site better than the competitors

7. What is their business about?
Understand their philosophy and how they want to come across
Know as much about what their business does and how they do it before you start thinking about designs
might need some follow up
What they want their customers to think about them
What their long-term goals are

8. What sets their business apart from the competition?
Gives insight into what they feel is important
Learn where they emphasize they’re different
Great source for finding out what kind of content they should have on their site
How long they’ve been in business
Being more cutting-edge than their competition

9. What problems does their business solve?
Gets the client thinking in terms of benefits
Clients and visitors care about what a company or website can do for them
Not necessarily how they do it
Example:
When someone visits the website of an accountant, they’re not looking for an accountant
Looking for someone who can help them better manage their money
Looking for someone who can save them money on their taxes or other expenses.

10. Who are the prospective customers/visitors?
A website designed to appeal to 30-something professionals is going to be different than one aimed at young newlyweds or retirees
affects the look and feel of the site, and also affect usability and accessibility issues

11. What do they want customers/visitors do on the site?
Sets goals
Purchase something
Sign up for free trial
Request more information

12. The Money question Budget Relationship
Some businesses have no idea how much a website generally costs
Guide by giving some examples
Relationship
If a client isn’t willing to talk honestly about money, will they be upfront about other things throughout the design process?
You want a client who can communicate effectively with you

13. Target Date
People aren’t very realistic about how much time a website takes to complete
don’t understand how much work a website takes to design and code
non-designers think the software does all the work, and the designer does little more than push a few buttons
easier to adjust their expectations at the beginning than it is when you’ve already started working on their site

14. Long-term plans for the site
What they do tell you:
Just want a simple website with a few pages about their products and some photos
don’t have a big budget
want something done relatively quickly
They will just have you make updates to the site, rather than doing it themselves
What they don’t tell you
want to set up a full e-commerce site next year when they release some new products
they want a social network for their clients

15. Long-term plans for the site (cont.)
Knowing what they want to do in the future with their site, can help you make allowances in the design and coding now
saves time and money in the future
makes them happier with you, since you were looking out for their interests

16. Who will be updating the site
Plays a large part in determining the architecture
Know how tech-savvy that person is
meet with them before you start designing, to get a real feel for what they’re comfortable with
If its you, include a maintenance agreement with the contract
Make sure your client knows your policy about how many hours you include in your maintenance plan each month and whether you’re willing to carry over unused time

17. What they DON’T want on the site
Easier to nail-down dislikes than likes
Helps determines what they want on their site
Helps when you have a client who uses the infamous “I’ll know what I want when I see it” line

18. Either way… Extract the facts based on the previous focus areas
Find out about the business – educate yourself
Get a feel for technical skills needed
Decide how to handle the “money” question