Everywhere I turn my co-workers are asking our clients what they are envisioning, needing, or dreaming up.
When project managers are starting a project they typically discuss what other websites the customer likes, budgetary considerations, and/or goals and objectives. For account managers, we frequently want to know why customers want certain changes, or what they envision for their end-users. All of these questions help us to paint a quick and understandable picture.
We are the experts in our field because we have years of experience learning what works and what doesn't. The misconception often conveyed to us is we should tell you what should be on your site and how it should look. We can certainly do that but you won't get the most bang for your buck, unfortunately. More often than not, there will be more iterations or changes that are time-consuming.
When you are in brainstorming meetings, jot down quick sketches, thoughts, or designs of how things should look or how they are best represented. The more you can visualize and expand on your goals - the more you’ll set yourself apart from the competition and the easier it will be for your project development team to produce what you, the customer, truly envisions.
Visualizing is difficult for some people, but there are tools available to help. One in particular is a tool called Paint – it may help – and it’s free and easily accessible. We see great value in this because it "paints" a clear, concise direction.
By providing us with as much information as possible, we are able to efficiently and effectively carry out your vision from concept to completion. There are fewer questions and fewer project iterations all around. We’re still the expert and we’ll let you know if something does or doesn’t work, but it’s important to get the vision from you – the customer.