Trick or Treat In Web Design

These days there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Web designers, programmers, studios and companies that claim they can do the job of creating a Website for you.  They claim they have been around for years (and for some it's actually true), they say they have worked on huge Web sites such as Gap.com or Nike.com (and maybe some have), but how can you tell if the people you're about to hire can really do the job right?

First of all, remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch.  If someone promises to create a full-blown Website for $50, $100, or even $300 - don't bite quite yet.  While you can buy an attractive template for less then $100, the fully developed Website from a respectable (or at least experienced) designer/programmer/studio should cost more then that. 

But let's just say you don't have the budget of the entire country of Ukraine to spend on your Website and only want to hire single designer or developer, or a small studio that wouldn't charge you an arm and a leg for their work. How do you weed out the ones who are out there hunting for easy money?

The most important thing is - you should know what you want. This way you can explain your needs to designer/developer or to the project manager. Spend some time writing down everything you need from your Website - it will help you when both explaining your needs and tracking the work progress.  Prioritize your wish-list, think - what's most important for your Website?  Figure out which features are crucial, which you cannot run your site without, and which ones can be added later, after the site goes live.  Show your list to the project manager or designer/developer; make sure they understand every single item in it.  Wording is important, because people you are going to work with may not be as knowledgeable in your line of business as you are (after all, you are hiring them, not the other way around), so be patient here - the better you explain your part, the better you will work together.  I have seen really terrible design drafts from good designers just because the concept wasn't properly explained to them.

Another thing to watch out for is how well designer/developer accepts your comments. It does not mean you have to tell them how to do their job, but if you're thinking that a pink flowers logo is not really a good idea for a site that sells office telephone systems - the designer should take that into account.  Of course, the whole concept should be discussed before any work starts, but don't expect designer to bring you dozens of design drafts on a plate before you sign a contract with them. Creating a new concept is pretty hard work, it takes time and effort. Most designers consider it a waste of time to give design drafts to the client before they sign into a deal.

Speaking from experience, there are many people who think they know design - mistakenly so. How do you avoid the getting trapped into false claims and self-advertising? First off - remember the saying about free lunch.  If someone offers you cheap Web design - think twice before buying it.  There's a good reason why BMW costs more then Hyundai, so there's a good reason why a good Website costs more then a bad one.

Constantly working with lots of Web designers and programmers, weeding out incompetents and frauds, I have compiled a list of the most used tricks. This list is by no means full, but rather can just give you an idea of what you should expect when looking for designer or developer for your projects.
 
Trick #1. My portfolio isn't ready yet, I'm only starting, please give me the job. - The easiest one to deal with. At least the person is honest and doesn't tell you he or she designed Gap.com.  May be well worth your time; you might consider giving them a test job to see whether or not they are any good. 

Trick #2. I am (we are) redesigning our Website portfolio, it'll be up in couple of days. But if you really insist - here are some of the samples we've done. - Don't buy into this quite yet. This could be true, but a real designer/developer (or company) will not bring their Website down (no matter how bad) for two days.  You might give them something to test their skills, but it will likely be a waste of time. Also - check references and make sure the samples provided aren't stolen from anywhere else (yeah, things like this happen every so often).

Trick #3. We are the best design company you can find. Companies have paid thousands for our services. - Maybe they have, but you don't have thousands to hand over to a fraud, so check references or give them something to test their skills.  If the portfolio consists of five VERY good Websites and the studio claims they have been around for years - do not hire them.  Most likely their other works are so ugly that are not worthy of even being mentioned in the portfolio.

Trick #4. You don't own my work! - You pick the team, send them the specs they start developing, you like the way the work is going. But when you take a look at the code you notice it has been coded by Zend (it's a special coding that crypts the otherwise open code for web site and prevents anyone from changing it - even the author, unless he has a source code)/has GPL copyrights/parts of another system's code. The hardest part to deal with is coding by Zend - programmers may complain that it's their proprietary code and you have to pay additionally to own copyright to the code.  I ran into this once, and I gave programmers one day to decide - either to abandon this idea or to abandon the project. Somehow, they decided to get paid instead of getting laid off.  The moral of this story is simple - you own what you pay for, at least in the case of design and development of Websites, so the designers and developers must adhere to your rules. Of course, you, in turn, must adhere to the copyright laws.

Trick #5. This wasn't in the specs! - During any work on a Website (and it may take up to several months for a complex web site), some things are destined to change. Maybe you have decided to change the pink color to something more professional for financial advisory services. Maybe you need one more link on a front page to your colleague's web site. Whatever that change is - your designer/programmer starts complaining that it weren't in the specs, so they are either not going to do it, or there will be an additional charge for it. It's the most complicated situation, since this usually occurs in the middle of the development, when you've already invested enough to not just fire the developer and start from scratch.  Apparently, there is no "rule of thumb" here, but you can steer clear of overly detail-oriented designers/developers in the future, or, whenever you hire someone, make sure you mention such things as ongoing changes and make sure the designer/developer is okay with that. Of course, if the change is conceptual (like changing the style of the menu, or adding a new functionality to the Website), you have to bite the bullet and pass the buck to the designer/developer, which may make them more open to introduced changes in the project.

 With all that said, working on your web site is not very different than overseeing the contractors doing renovations to your apartment. The number of possibilities is so much higher, since you're not locked into local choices, but so is the chance to run into troubles. Just have a good common sense in place when hiring someone.