Let’s discuss the client-designer relationship in web design and what may possibly be the key to sustaining happiness.

The web design process, like all other facets of design, is a little tricky – it involves the design of something the client will love, while conveying the message that supports the brand, and sells the product.

Like creating anything without a plan, creating a website with little or no strategy doesn’t work. Since I come from a background in lean, I find that utilizing the principals of lean in the design process helps both the client and designer achieve optimum results, while paving the path for a happy client-designer relationship.

The core idea of lean is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste while utilizing less resources. I can’t think of a more perfect application of lean than in design and marketing, where a substantial level of collaboration is required for the relationship to be effective. In collaboration, agencies gain a detailed understanding of a product, a customer base, and a company, and once they’ve done that, they use that information to connect a client to its customers.

At The Savy Agency, we stick to a standardized web process during every phase, from initial meeting, first design and through to the first and final revisions and site launch. So what might a web process look like? Well, we can’t speak for other agencies, but ours looks something like this:

Step  –  Day  –  Responsibility  –  Task

1          0          Both                 Agreement becomes effective

2          7          Savy                 Sitemap delivered to Client

3          7          Savy                 Designs delivered to Client for review

4          10        Client               Submit changes on sitemap to Savy

5          10        Client               Chooses one design and submits changes to that design

6          12         Savy                Sitemap v2 delivered to Client

7          12         Savy                Chosen design resubmitted with changes

8          14         Client              Final sitemap approval with any final changes

9          14         Client              Final design approved with any final changes

10         14        Savy                Development starts

11         21         Savy              Site themed/styled on development

12         26         Savy              Site skeleton in place

13         28         Savy              Site ready for Client final approval and review

14         30         –                    Site transfer and go live!

Standardizing any sort of project, whether graphic design, web design, programming or other, gets the work done faster and more efficiently, keeps the project organized, and yields better results for both the client and designer. A standardized process also removes the potential for conflict, misunderstanding and ultimately yields a happier client, a happier designer, and a more effective end product.