14 Ways to Talk Clients Out of Ruining their Sites
By Molly E. HolzschlagEvery design shop has dealt with a client who "knows better" than the designer. Combine an aggressive client with an overly accommodating designer, and the resulting site can become a primer for mistakes to avoid.
The best shops work closely with clients to teach them the tenets of solid Web design. But there are still plenty of novices out there. I've compiled 14 of the most common client-driven site design errors. Learning to address these issues diplomatically will mean successful sites for your customers, and an improved reputation for your shop.
Getting Edgy
Clients sometimes think that a lot of visual and dynamic effects make a site look edgy or cool. Occasionally this is the right approach, but it often doesn't match user needs.
1. Splash pages. While a splash page is sometimes justifiable, for the most part, they look dated and can be confusing. Point out that site visitors are more apt to use information or services if they're accessible quickly.
2. Abstract icons. Designers often refer to these as mystery meat. Abstract icons are visually appealing but inappropriate for most sites. Prepare a mockup that uses abstract icons, and one that uses the same icons with labels cleverly integrated. This will help your client immediately see the benefit of avoiding mystery-meat iconography. Go to DigitalWeb Magazine (see " Online Resources") and look at the icons along the bottom of the home page. Sure would help to have some indication of what these things are!
3. Non-standard fonts. Explain the technical issues surrounding typefaces on the Web. Show clients sites that use type well. Look for those that stick to one or two typefaces and vary the faces with weight, letter spacing, and line height to gain an elegant—or even radical—look. I recommend Lane Stayley's Bio Page and Counterspace (see " Online Resources").
4. Extremely energetic colors. Your client wants colors that that pop. But of course, putting red text on a black background or using fifty colors on a page are preludes to site failure. Explain that low contrast degrades readability, and demonstrate how using a few simple colors can get the job done very effectively.
5. Too many effects. One effect might be appropriate, but using too many can confuse the site visitor and actually work against the client's goals. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of different dynamic approaches. Ask your client to evaluate the purpose of each page element, and offer ideas on how to streamline pages. Visit Billabong USA, and show your client that while this wouldn't work for a financial services site, it's a great example of marrying the audience to a dynamic, interactive media event.
Overwhelming Users with Information
In an attempt to express everything at once, clients sometimes think that filling a page with excessive text, images, and clutter actually gets their message across faster. This approach is dangerous, and may actually dilute the site's message. A few examples:
6. Everything above the fold. When you're designing a company's site, everyone wants their project or department immediately visible. Just because newspapers try to get all of the news above the fold doesn't mean the same rule applies to a Web site's main page. You quickly lose the home page headlines in the mess—not to mention your visitor's interest. Show your clients that short, sharp commentary works well when it links to more detailed information. A look at the clutter on Nickelodeon will help prove the point.
7. Improper use of space. Web space is very tight. Heavy use of frames and disproportionate images is still common all over the Web. Take a piece of paper and cut it down to the size of an 800x600 pixel space. Now fill it with cutouts that represent your images and text, and even break the space up to represent frames. Show your clients how cluttered the results are on such a small space. Then, rearrange your text and images using plenty of white space and paying close attention to the relationships between page elements. Seeing the results in tangible form can persuade your clients that uncluttered Web pages are much more effective. Look to Apple's Web site for a clean design.
8. Link abuse. Have your clients open up a portal page; ask them what catches their eye and why. Get them thinking about the intelligence of organized links and guiding the site visitor to the next logical location within a site, rather than giving the visitor too many options. Also, talk to clients about keeping links internal except where clearly defined. It's in everyone's best interest to keep visitors on the client's site instead of hopping off to a competitor. To illustrate your point, go to any portal and ask your client to count the overwhelming number of links on each page.
Ignoring the Basics
After all these years, we're still struggling to make our points about basic site structure, navigation, and content integrity. Overly enthusiastic clients, or those under pressure to get their Web site running, often overlook the basics. Here are a few talking points that will help you address concerns, even in a short development cycle.
9. Poor site structure. Easy navigation follows sound site structure. Work with your clients to hash out the important areas of the site. Then, draw up a hierarchical flow chart denoting each section of the site, and how it will be named. This way, you and your clients work as partners to modify and refine the site structure. Explain the necessity of ensuring that site visitors know where they are in a site at all times. Show clients a breadcrumb trail and a site map, like the very helpful one at Schwab.com.
10. No contact information. Complete contact information and feedback forms should be prominent. This sounds basic, but it's consistently overlooked. (Try to find a physical mailing address at O'Reilly Networks. They've got a great contact page, and even directions to their offices, but not one obvious mention of their address.) Explain the need for a feedback form, and for a page that clearly provides contact information for key individuals within the company, as well as the company's general contact information.
11. Spelling and grammar errors. You already know that spelling and grammar count for a lot on a Web site. But unless you're actually creating the content for your clients, often that content contains a lot of basic mistakes. Include editorial services as part of the entire package. You needn't even discuss this with clients in detail unless they wonder why editorial services are a necessary component for the project. However, it might be helpful to diplomatically point out problems of this nature to clients, as it affects other collateral such as print brochures and the like.
Forgetting the User
"Know your user" is a tired phrase in the design world, but clients aren't as familiar with the concept. Too many companies assume they know what their users want without having any empirical evidence. Show them that making the site accessible and friendly is often more important than making it pretty.
12. Skipping the test phase. Whenever you're creating a site for the general Web population, proper testing is imperative. Without a sound testing phase, a site may not work properly in a range of browsers. Write a testing phase into your initial proposal. Explain to clients that during this phase you'll test pages in a range of browsers, validate markup, check links, and do an editorial check. Visit A List Apart for an example of a well-tested site. A List Apart adheres to contemporary standards and is best viewed by CSS-supportive browsers, but is cleverly coded to be accessible to any browser.
13. Ignoring accessibility. Accessibility has been discussed for years, and many Web designers have paid attention to accessibility needs, creating pages that are readily available to those with disabilities or those using alternative devices. Though it may seem like common sense to make a page accessible to every visitor, clients are often unaware of what Web accessibility is.
14. Client-centered design. You've no doubt heard of user-centered design, but how often do you get to completely apply the concept? Clients enthusiastically back their own ideas about how the site should look or behave. Often, those ideas are at odds with what the user needs. Begin by providing information on the importance of the relationship between a user and a site. Express how demographics and usability studies can increase the usability and success of any Web site. Collect case studies or use examples from previous, successful client sites to demonstrate how user-centered design saves time, money, and frustration for everyone.
Learning From Each Other
Dealing with clients can be one of the most joyous parts of Web design. By and large, we learn a great deal from them about a range of industries. We also are challenged to provide solutions that match different needs. Each client gives us an opportunity to expand our horizons. Let's make sure we expand theirs, too.
An author, instructor, and designer, Molly has been honored by Webgrrls as one of the 25 Most Influential Women on the Web (www.molly.com).