Chicago Web Design

Client Requirements

From initial contact, take notes as to what your prospective client's requirements and expectations are as well as the services you agree to provide for him. This is so that when the time comes to draw up a binding agreement, you have all that you need to come up with a bulletproof web design contract. While still in the talking stage, get all the thorny stuff out of the way so that you and your client have realistic expectations of each other. Otherwise, when contract time arrives, a troublesome issue may arise and turn out to be a deal breaker...and this after you've already invested considerable time and energy.

Here are some prickly issues that must be dealt with in the contract.

Scope of Work

The contract should describe clearly what services and products you agree to provide for the client. If the project is a large one, the list of specific tasks and products can go in an attached schedule. Be sure to specify what is not included in the scope of work - e.g. site maintenance. This will prevent misunderstandings and be very helpful later on if the problem of scope creep ever arises.

Client Obligations

State all the things that the client is required to do for the project to proceed in a timely manner. Include a time frame by which he must accomplish these things.

Often a project is delayed by the client's failure to provide content that you need. This problem that can be dealt with in the contract by imposing negative consequences for the client - e.g. loss of deposit or fines - if he fails to deliver at a certain time. In the event that the client still fails to deliver by an extended date, you can put a proviso saying that continued failure to perform this obligation will be considered a breach of contract. Consider similar riders for all situations that require timely client action.

Client Revisions and Project Completion

Agree with your client on workflow milestones based on progressive phases of the project. Define these clearly in the contract. As each phase of the work is completed, get the client's "OK" and have him sign an approval form. He may want to make revisions. Your contract should specify how many revisions he is allowed to request for each phase. The client should be made to understand that once he has exceeded this number, any additional revision will be subject to extra fees. When you've completed your work, take the client through a final review of the website. Note down any revisions he may require, although at this point there shouldn't be anything major as he's already given his approval for previous phases. Once you've addressed these and the client has approved, the project is considered complete. Define it as such in the contract. Any changes the client may request from this point on should fall under the scope of site maintenance (which may or may not be part of your contract).

Ownership and Copyright

Establish copyright ownership. Many clients are under the mistaken notion that because they've paid for the work, they automatically own the site and are entitled to the source files. If you are working as an independent contractor, you retain ownership of your creation and thus have copyright. On the other hand, "work for hire" implies an employer-employee relationship, whereby the employer owns the creation and the copyright. If you own the copyright, you may already want to stipulate whether you intend to retain full rights, whether you're going to assign full or partial rights to the client, or whether you're just allowing license to use. This is something that requires some forethought.

Limitation of Liability

Be sure that the contract limits your liability and excludes consequential damages - i.e. damages that are not a direct result of the initial act of one of the parties. Consequential damages may include loss of time, loss of business revenue, inconvenience, etc. In the event that you do not meet the project deadline, your client might decide to take legal action against you. If you fail to include a clause limiting your liability, your client could sue you for loss of revenue, for the entire cost of his marketing campaign that failed due to your lateness, and a host of other consequences your client wants to blame you for.

Web Design

Not all websites are created equal. Good web design is not difficult but there are a few things you should avoid if you want to create attractive and user-friendly websites. The 10 most common mistakes inexperienced web designers make are:

1. Technology for technology's sake

It's very nice to play with new toys, but your website is not a suitable playing field. Visitors to your website are interested in content, not whether you have Brand X Version N of flashy stuff on your website. Keep things simple. Use tried and trusted technology, not web tools that require the user to download special add-ons just to view your website. They won't.

2. Using frames for page layout

Frames are a cop-out. They are easy for the designer, that's why they are used so often. But they have a stack of disadvantages from the user's point of view - and it is the user that we need to cherish, not the designer. The biggest problem is that the back button becomes unpredictable. You can't bookmark the current page and come back to it - you will be returned to another version of the frameset. It's also difficult for the user to know when to scroll, because different bits of the page have their own scroll bars.

3. Scrolling, blinking and animations

Moving images are distracting. Don't use them. Visitors want to be able to read and digest what you are saying on your website. They don't want the text to be bouncing around or flashing on and off before their eyes.

4. Colour clashes

Yes there are 256 different colours you can use for text and background, but that doesn't mean you have to use all of them. Nor does it mean that you should use colour combinations that give your visitors eye-strain. Choose colour combinations that provide a good contrast - dark on light is easier to read than light on dark.

5. Where am I?

All pages must have a clear indication of which website they belong to, either in the browser window or on the web page itself. This is to help users who come to pages directly without coming in via the home page. For the same reason, every page should have a link to the home page as well as some indication of where they fit within the structure of your website.

6. Long scrolling pages

It's best to avoid pages that have several screenfuls of content. Users will only scroll if they believe that there is something useful further down the page. If you really can't split the page up, then at least provide content and navigation options on the top part of the page.

7. Lack of signposts

Your users won't know their way around your site like you do. Provide a clear idea of structure and place. Use a menu bar or column in the same place on every page. If you have more than two levels of page hierarchy, provide a site map and search function as well.

8. Non-standard link colours

It has become conventional for links to pages that have not been visited by the user to be blue, and links to previously seen pages to be purple. Don't invent your own colour codes, you will only confuse visitors to your site.

9. Long download times

In our increasingly "time poor" society, people are getting more and more impatient, and when websites take too long to load, they will go somewhere else and probably won't come back to you. So do everything you can to reduce download times. When designing your website, consider reducing the number of images on each page, and definitely reduce the size of the image files.

10. Outdated information

Nothing is worse than a website that advertises an event that has already passed its date, or a product that has already sold out. Have a plan to review and modify your site on a regular basis. When designing your website, identify pages that are date sensitive and remove or amend them as soon as that date has been reached.




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