Beach. Drinks. Fun. Yes, you are jealous.
Then came Wendy, a person we met and spent time with. Fun, casual conversation and then it happened, "Pat, what do you do for a living?".
"I help build websites and other digital things".
Honesty is so stupid. I should have said I was a stuntman, I always wanted to be a stuntman.
Turns out, she is working with web people on her website.
"They're so stupid, they haven't done anything that I like..."
She looks at me like I have answers.
Long pause. Staring. I gave in.
"What, they're not listening to you? Not follwing directions? What's your goal?"
"Oh, I told them they're the experts, just make something that I like and everything they show me is just not me... doesn't 'look' like me or my business."
"So you told them what you didn't like?"
"No, I just told them to do something else"
Sounds familiar, right? Clients can be like this. Disclaimer: I have no knowledge of what her business is, where it is or who she hired to work on this project. But I know what they're doing wrong.
They are letting her get away with moving the goal posts. There hasn't been a conversation about goals so how do you (design team) have anything to inform your work? You don't.
They've let her get away with "I just don't like how it looks" without blocking the door and grilling her, not about the color or placement, but about the function. We can argue all day about preference in design, but if there is a goal and we create components that support that goal, we're in a defensible position.
If the conversation is allowed to stay on "I said blue, but I meant a different blue", what hope is there? Sure, maybe its a quick buck, but I'm second generation independent contractor and I promise you one thing: Bad projects leave a stink on you. And (okay, two things), the second project is always the one you want. That's where the money is.
So the world seems destined for one more mediocre website. The sun will come up tomorrow. But if you work for a client that tries to "just let you be creative..." either duct-tape 'em to the chair and grill them for concrete goals, or walk away.
Life's too short to just chase dollars.
