Don't Ask a Web Design Firm for More Than One Design

How many “best” solutions are there for any problem?

This is not a trick question. The answer is one. There can only be one best solution. The other options are inferior in some way; otherwise, they would be the best.

So why do so many companies want to see two, three, or more options from their website design firm when working on a website redesign?

While it's human nature to want the freedom to make decisions, paying for a designer to give you that freedom is counterproductive for everyone involved. It requires a web designer to dilute their creativity, resulting in several designs that are “less-than-the-best” work. Plus, you pay for the time put toward creating options that ultimately will be thrown away.

If you took advantage of the freedom to make decisions before the designer started putting billable time on the clock, wouldn’t it make things easier? Here's how to do it:

Do Some Website Redesign Planning Before Talking to a Designer

“Measure twice, cut once” is the old carpenter's adage, and it applies here too. Planning your website redesign strategically is a process that can't be rushed or overlooked if you're hoping to get a quality design that ultimately gets great results. A strategic website design plan involves:

1. Defining your target audience(s). What do they expect? What messages to they respond to?
2. Defining your business goals.
3. Defining how your website will contribute to reaching your business goals.

If a client wants more than one design, we often sketch very general layouts in pencil and discuss after we learn about clients' business goals. It's easier to make changes at this step and go into detailed wireframes than change high resolution mockups and pixel-perfect graphics in Photoshop. This puts the focus on the priority of information rather than color, photos, etc.

Taking some extra time to prepare can make all the difference. When you define these concepts thoroughly and objectively, you’ll have answers in place to help guide the design process. You’ll be prepared and ready to answer questions a designer may ask, like:

• What kinds of people does your website need to appeal to?
• Will the website design need to generate leads, convert leads, or close sales?
• Are there aspects of your current website design that are working wonderfully and should be included in the redesign? What about aspects that are working terribly?
• Does your product or service lend itself well to high-impact visuals such as images and video, and will that appeal to your target market?
• How can your web design place the necessary emphasis on what differentiates you from your competition?
• … and about a thousand more.

With some quality time in front of a white board, you can answer all these questions, enjoying the glorious decision-making freedom you crave, but without the hourly fee. Then, with answers in hand, you can have a conversation with your web designer that leaves a concrete understanding of exactly what your new website design needs to achieve.

And that means your website design firm can focus on bringing you one design: the best one to reach your goals.