Questions to ask the client before designing and developing a Web page

How to plan the development of a Web page? Establishing an effective communication channel between the parties and, with these questions, you will achieve it.

Regardless of whether you are a web design and development company or the end customer, we can agree that planning is the most valuable tool for our web projects to be successful. But despite this, planning is often neglected, because as humans, we like to improvise as we go. Something similar I commented months ago when I indicated what we must decide before making a Web page.

I am not saying that with a prior plan the circumstances will not change course, but it is true that, at least, we have a base to guide us and continue.

The headaches that we suffer today, in terms of web design and development, are caused by poor planning at the time of implementation; If we had contemplated all the work, and its details, from the beginning we would not be considering making improvements or worse, starting all over again, from scratch.

A lot happens with the optimization of Web pages, it is a habit to optimize after designing and creating the Web, when it would be fair to do it at the same time.

If you design or develop Web pages and want to be satisfied with the implementation, then you should encourage advance planning.

Don't implement anything until the job is clear; trust me, it is the best way to save time and money.

How to plan the development of a Web page? Simple, establishing an effective communication channel between the parties . That is why I bring you these questions that will help you so that nothing is left out, but first, you must understand the reason for the questions and how to structure a questionnaire correctly.

Now I'm talking to you, developer. You should know that not all of us are developers, nor are we aware of the technology used on the Internet.

To take into account before asking your client

Some people don't have their plan well defined

As a developer, I know you were already asking a thousand questions in your mind and that you were going to put them in a large form to send to your clients, but wait a bit. The truth is that the fact that you ask does not imply that you will have answers.

Many times the client does not know what he wants so the questions you ask him should serve as a guide to define the idea and strategy of his project on the Internet.

A first contact with clients can result in you that even they don't know what they want ; this happens very frequently. It is also likely that your customers think they know what they want, but in reality they are wrong.

This being the case, the first action is to make them understand that they need to know what they want; With the questions you ask them, they (your clients) can define certain aspects of their project. If you are the one who is going to request the creation of a website, use these questions to take into account everything that is involved in the process.

If you notice, the Web developer often serves as a guide to the project to be implemented, it is not about imposing your idea, but rather that you guide your clients in what can be done, how it can be done and how it must be done.

Part of your client's knowledge

When asking questions for planning, you must understand that not everyone has the same knowledge about Internet technology. Asking questions and waiting for complex answers will disappoint you, as it is very likely that you will not get them, moreover, .

Each client has more or less technical and Internet knowledge; uses simple language and explains each and every one of the available options.

A client who barely knows the Internet is not able to differentiate between programming languages ​​or content managers or something similar. If this is your case, base the questions on the design and functionality of the website; you make the most technical decisions.

Always try to explain the different options, even when your clients are not understanding, or do not want to understand, what they are about.

Don't assume anything

Although, as a Web developer (Best web design California), whether you are a web designer or programmer, you have specialized knowledge, you should not assume the level of knowledge of the client, much less their needs.

I am tired of hearing " is that a content manager is a lot for my client, he is not going to update the page " or " I am not going to offer him this feature because he will not want it, it is very expensive ".

Do not assume the knowledge level or the capabilities of the client; is able to learn how to manage it or hire someone to do it.

First, anyone who has an interest in their website going forward is able to learn to manage it successfully, or recognize that they must hire someone to do it. Second, if a website generates profits, the client will be interested in investing so that it meets the needs of their market.

The number of questions does not matter, but the quality of the information obtained

It is important that you learn to ask. It is not a question of asking nonsensical questions, but rather that each one contributes information for the elaboration of an action plan.

Think about how you can ask questions so that, with just a few, you have all the information you need. If you have the opportunity to interview your client, you can design a form that allows you to discard questions that do not make sense to ask according to the development of the meeting.

In fact, it occurs to me that you could develop a Web application that has a logical process of questions so that your clients give you the information more comfortably.