5 things I need to know before designing your website

When I begin work with a new client, I am on a fact-finding mission, gathering information so that I can appropriately scope the project, give a viable quote and avoid “scope creep” and post-development fixes.  Of course, my ultimate goal is happy clients.

I always ask these 5 questions at our first meeting:

1. Why do you want a website?   In other words, what benefits will be achieved by having a website – what is the key objective?
2. What is the mood you would like your website to convey? When visitors view your site (and social media) what do you want them to think / feel about you? Please list 3 or more adjectives.
3. Who are you competitors?  What sets you apart from your competition? What do you value? What’s the emphasis?
4. Who is your prospective audience?  Age, gender, computer saviness, etc.?
5. Show me 3 websites whose design you like.  What do you like about them?  Show me 3 you dislike.  Why don’t you like them?

While there are at least 95 (or 950) questions – in both directions – that will follow as we work together, the answers to these  5 primal questions form a solid base on which to build.