The Process of a Successful Move

I recently moved into a new house, leaving my home of 7 years in Narragansett, Rhode Island for my new digs in Smithfield, RI.  The same week that I made this move, I also helped launch a new Web site for a client of Envision’s, the Rhode Island Health Center Association.

It surprises me that I never noticed the similarities sooner (since I compare building Web sites with building homes quite often in my conversations with clients), but it took moving my family into our new house and moving a client into their new Web site in the same week to get to me to really look at the two experiences under the same microscope.  The result is 10 lessons that I learned during my homebuying process that I think made my move go pretty smoothly – lessons that I am now applying to new Web design projects.

Lessons for Clients

The first group of lessons in my list are those that I am now sharing with my clients to help them better understand their role in the Web redesign process.

Lesson 1: Understand Your Reasons for Change

I’ve never met anyone who bought a new home and moved just because they ‘felt like it.’  When people decide to purchase a home, they usually have a good reason for doing so (in no small part because this is a major commitment).  It may be because they need more space, so they are moving into a larger home.  Maybe they are moving closer to work or perhaps they are looking to move to a different area with a better school system.  Whatever the reason for the move, the point is they HAVE a reason.  The decision to get a new Web site, on the other hand, is oftentimes not rooted in such logic.

If you want a project to be a success, you need a reason for engaging in that project in the first place.  Understand what your goals are so you can figure out who the best team to help you make these changes is, exactly what changes need to be made in the first place, and so once the changes are made, you can measure the success of the project against the goals you established when the process first began.

Lesson 2: Have a Plan (or at least make sure the people you hire have one)

A plan of attack is critical to having a smooth moving experience.  My move went great because I started planning early and had a roadmap for every step of the process.  A good Web design project should be the same – it starts with a plan.  It amazes me how many clients ask to see examples of work, yet fail to ask HOW we go about creating that work.  A solid portfolio is very important, but make sure you understand the process behind the project.  A team who promises a successful new Web site is great, but if they can’t explain how they will deliver on that promise, you’d be wise to move onto someone who can.

Lesson 3: Be Prepared to Work

Whether you hire movers or not, moving is a lot of work.  Leaving the heavy lifting to the professionals is a good call, but there are still plenty of things you will need to do yourself.  Once again, the process of designing a new Web site is no different.  From initial discovery meetings, to content strategy talks, to design reviews and approvals, into testing and beyond – there are plenty of items to keep a client busy, items that are in addition to the full schedule most of them are already juggling.  Too often clients assume they will simply need to look at some designs and make a few suggestions and the process will chug along with little effort on their part.  This is not the case.  A successful new site is dependent on the involvement of the client from start to finish.  Know this going in and be prepared to put in the work if you want the project to be a success.

Lesson 4: Know When to Ask For Help

Building on the lesson above – you must be prepared to work, but you should also know when to ask for help.  The area I most often see clients get overwhelmed with in a new project is with content creation.  While I strongly suggest clients consider working with a professional writer to create the content for their site, this is not always feasible and oftentimes clients decide to take this chore upon themselves – underestimating the amount of work required to create compelling, relevant Web content.  If you’re not a writer, but have lots of ideas about what kind of content you think would be useful and compelling for the site, work with someone who can take your ideas and make them shine.  Realize your strengths, but also accept your limitations and know when to call for backup.

Lesson 5: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

Hopefully the team you hired has a plan – a plan that you have been briefed on and understand.  Still, you should never hesitate to ask questions along the way.  Even the most carefully planned process can deviate from the plan from time to time, so if something doesn’t seem right to you, don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for an explanation.

Lesson 6: A Web Site is Never Really Done

For all the work that goes into moving into a new home, once you are in the house, the work has really just begun.  A home needs constant attention and maintenance just a like a Web site needs to be frequently reviewed and updated in order to remain useful and relevant.  Clients often think they can ‘launch it and leave it’, but a successful site, like a quality home, needs to be properly cared for if you want it to last a long time.

Lesson 7: Expect the Unexpected

You may have the most solid, well thought out plan possible, but somewhere along the way, something you never saw coming will blindside you.  It could be the responses from user testing, the feedback of your CEO or the sudden announcement that your entire visual brand needs to be overhauled – thereby rendering the look and feel of your new Web site design outdated.  The details will vary, but the end result will be the same – your carefully laid plans will suddenly need to be revisited and revised.  While you can’t necessarily prepare your plan for the unexpected, you can prepare yourself.  Being willing to change your plans when new information presents itself and being ready to change your process accordingly (and having a sense of humor about the whole ordeal) will go a long way to getting yourself and your project back on track when the crazy hits.

Lessons for Me (and fellow Web professionals)

These next few lessons are a few that I think we as Web professionals would all do well to remember.  I know reminding myself of these few caveats has been helpful as of late.

Lesson 8: Recognize the Magnitude of the Change

We redesign Web sites all the time, but our clients do not.  For us, a new Web site is not as big a deal because it is commonplace, something we see and do all the time, but for a client, it is a huge deal.  It’s similar to my moving experience.  I was dealing with lots of professionals who do this all the time – real estate agents, mortgage brokers, home inspectors, lawyers, etc.  For them, this was just another closing, another real estate transaction – but for me, this was the purchase of a new home.  That’s a big deal.  Some of the professionals I dealt with made me feel like they understood the magnitude of what I was doing.  Others made me feel like a transaction, just another part of their busy day.  That kind of sucked.  Recognizing the magnitude of a site redesign, from the perspective of a client, can only help us produce better results that are more in line with client needs and goals – and it will certainly make for a better client relationship when they see we understand not only their goals and needs, but also how this affects them and their business on a professional and a personal level.

Lesson 9: Be Ready to Listen

We have lots of experience and good ideas, but sometimes I find we are so eager to present those ideas to a client, that we fail to actually listen to them.  A great solution starts with understanding the problem.  Understanding the problem starts with listening to the client.

The real estate agent who helped me find my new home did so because he listened to my needs.  He heard what I was saying, asked questions when appropriate, and delivered results based on our conversations rather than his preconceived notions of what I wanted or what would work best for me.  And when the process was stressful and I needed to be heard, he listened to me then to.  Sometimes our clients want to talk to us about their goals and needs and other times they just need to blow off some steam. Either way, part of our job is to listen and understand our clients.

Lesson 10: Be Prepared to Advise

While listening to a client is critical, we must also realize that we are the professionals and they have hired us for our expertise.  Sometimes the success of a project depends on us not only listening to a client, but also listening to ourselves and our experience.  A good project, like a good conversation, requires back and forth, give and take.  We need to understand and accept that sometimes the best thing we can tell a client is ‘no.’  This sounds obvious, but I still see many professionals who can’t deny a client request, regardless of its impact on a project.  In fact, I’ve met more Web professionals who quake at the thought of telling a client ‘no’ than I have met clients who take offense to being denied (and trust me, I have no problem explaining to a client why a decision is not in line with the goals of their project, so I have said ‘no’ to clients plenty of times).

Once again, it’s just like with my homebuying process.  I had lots of ideas, some good and others not so good, but I had people around me wiling to tell me when I was on track and when my ideas were bad.  Did I take offense to being told I was wrong?  Maybe a little, but ultimately the decisions I made were good ones because I heeded the advice of the professionals around me.  After all, that’s what I hired them for – to help me make a smooth transition into my new home, the same way my clients hire me to help move them into a new Web site.