“The client is always right!”, it’s a very popular maxim that happens to be, dead wrong!
Here I will attempt to display how the interests of the designer, client, and customer vary, and what we must do to align our minds and efforts.
What's in the mind of the designer?
“I will fulfill the requirements, and then you will pay me.”
“The client has money but no good taste. However, I need to pay my mortgage, so here we go again!”
“It’s tacky, but I got the site approved.”
“I need content, but the client is too busy to call me back and acts angry if I press, I will make it up as good as I can.”
What's in the mind of the client?
“Make me a website with the colors of the University of Florida, Go Gators!”
“Then I want to talk about myself and all my achievements.”
“I need to get my website to be number 1, that is why I hired an SEO website design guy for.”
“I am extremely busy, so don’t count on me getting you any feedback.”
“He better double his efforts, or it’s over for him.”
What's in the mind of the customer?
Yuck! UF colors, Go Hurricanes!
“The designer knows best!”, it’s a very popular response, that is also wrong!
The designer does not have the inside knowledge of the business, it could take him years to learn the trade. And finally, the designer is not the customer.
The mind of the client
“Hope this guy knows what he is doing.”
“I get a lot of compliments from my site.”
“I can see my site is on top of the search engines, that’s good.”
“OK I get calls, but no as many as I need. Something is wrong with the designer.”
“If sales don’t increase I’m gonna have to fire this guy!”
The mind of the designer
“How will this project look in my portfolio? Maybe I can win an AIGA Award for the coolest site?”
“My local marketing is taking effect, I can see my client on the top of Google results.”
“My stats are great, the site is getting traffic, the client must be thrilled.”
“Client is upset, what else does he want?
“I told him the site needed more content and he tells me to concentrate on SEO, and not the site!”
The mind of the customer
“The website looks nice, but the prices seem a bit high and there are no finance options like with the “other guys”.
“Let me look somewhere else.”
At Orange Snowman, part of our mission is to remind our clients of whom the real boss is.
If we all focus on the interests of the customer, great things can be achieved!
What's in the mind of the client?
“This exercise has opened my eyes, now I am more aware of my customers and what their needs are.”
“I now realize the effect my service plays in making someone else’s life a little more pleasant.”
“This gives meaning to the service we provide!”
What's in the mind of the customer?
“The site is very nice, it anticipated my needs, and it answered my questions effortlessly.”
“I see they offer to finance, a good thing because things are tight.”
“When I called, the people seemed to be caring and professional.”
“What a delightful experience.”
“I like these guys, they got themselves a new customer!”
What's in the mind of the Designer?
“I am not the customer.”
“I don’t know much about the industry, but everything I need to know I can obtain from my cooperative client.”
“I sketch before I do.”
“Now I can work less and achieve more.”
“I am making more money, I got me a great client!”
