Comments on: What not to do when building your website http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/ Simple. Measurable. Powerful. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:08:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.6 by: Jay http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-15 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:21:09 +0000 http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-15 "That’s not to say I won’t make recommendations or tell them what I think they should do or that I’m just a monkey, it’s that it’s ultimately up to the client." That was my main point, I wasn't saying I just roll over and do 'whatever', just that it's important to do what the client wants. And honestly, it's often much harder on a design than a technical level to justify why something may be a bad idea. “That’s not to say I won’t make recommendations or tell them what I think they should do or that I’m just a monkey, it’s that it’s ultimately up to the client.”

That was my main point, I wasn’t saying I just roll over and do ‘whatever’, just that it’s important to do what the client wants. And honestly, it’s often much harder on a design than a technical level to justify why something may be a bad idea.

]]> by: Jason http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-14 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:14:45 +0000 http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-14 @Jay: It goes both ways. Sure, the client signs the check, but you're the professional. You have a responsibility to protect them from obvious errors deviant to their cause. If its to make money or deliver an effective message, the majority of the items in Josiah's list are not just helpful, but serious concerns. Now, if you can't seem to counter the "I want a fancy flash intro with music and bells and whistles" request from a client with an effective argument -- you need to beef up your reasoning. Disagreeing with them cordially in these situations should work out better for them in the end. @Jay: It goes both ways. Sure, the client signs the check, but you’re the professional. You have a responsibility to protect them from obvious errors deviant to their cause. If its to make money or deliver an effective message, the majority of the items in Josiah’s list are not just helpful, but serious concerns.

Now, if you can’t seem to counter the “I want a fancy flash intro with music and bells and whistles” request from a client with an effective argument — you need to beef up your reasoning. Disagreeing with them cordially in these situations should work out better for them in the end.

]]> by: Gene http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-13 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 03:46:18 +0000 http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-13 Yeah, Yeah, but you've really got to fight hard against this kind of stuff, even if your client begs and pleads for it. If they want their website to have any realized business impact (like make money) making these mistakes can hurt the bottom line... Yeah, Yeah, but you’ve really got to fight hard against this kind of stuff, even if your client begs and pleads for it. If they want their website to have any realized business impact (like make money) making these mistakes can hurt the bottom line…

]]> by: Jay http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-11 Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:03:06 +0000 http://blog.period-three.com/2007/04/02/what-not-to-do-when-building-your-website/#comment-11 I'm going to play contrarian here, cause, well, that's what I do. While these are valid points and I agree in principle to most of them, it's important to remember not to bite the hand that feeds. I may have a personal dislike or even solid reasons for not doing certain things, but it's not my website I'm building, 99% of the time at least. If someone wants something, it's my job to give it to them. That's not to say I won't make recommendations or tell them what I think they should do or that I'm just a monkey, it's that it's ultimately up to the client. So it's easy to get snide and say 'Fire your web designer!' but who does that help? Making your client happy should be the main goal. I’m going to play contrarian here, cause, well, that’s what I do. While these are valid points and I agree in principle to most of them, it’s important to remember not to bite the hand that feeds. I may have a personal dislike or even solid reasons for not doing certain things, but it’s not my website I’m building, 99% of the time at least. If someone wants something, it’s my job to give it to them. That’s not to say I won’t make recommendations or tell them what I think they should do or that I’m just a monkey, it’s that it’s ultimately up to the client. So it’s easy to get snide and say ‘Fire your web designer!’ but who does that help? Making your client happy should be the main goal.

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