Cracking The Web Design Process Code

Cracking The Web Design Process Code

What’s the web design process a web designer goes through when preparing to take on a new client?

If you are curious keep reading for a behind the scenes “sneak peek” of sorts on the process that we follow while meeting with a potential client. One thing I personally love about running a boutique web design agency is the ability to share others’ stories. Stories are at the center of every client and their business or organization. As a web design agency, we follow a creative process that allows us to visually relate that story online.

Research

Knowing your client goes beyond just what they may or may not tell you during their discovery session, not that they are hiding anything but they may not feel it is important. Doing a somewhat deep dive on the client, their customers, social media, and more allow us to better understand who they serve. When someone looks to hire a web designer, they usually think they know what they want before they ever call to set up their consultation. When they get to talking to us the project they thought they wanted many times changes in scope as they share their story.

Client Story

Your story as a client is one that only you can tell. No matter how small of a gesture or reflection back into how you got started, we focus on the nuances behind the story. We spend time researching you and your story long before we sit down to hear you tell it. Stories are shown through the clients you currently serve to the social media posts you share. We know you will be a bit guarded when you meet a stranger for the first time. The more we know about who sits across the table from us, the easier we can put you as well as ourselves at ease.

Ask Questions

Too many designers make assumptions that they know what is best for their clients. We at Heartwired are firm believers that the client knows best, even when they don’t know they know. Some of the questions we ask whether in the form on our website, on the phone, via chat or email may seem simple or silly. However, we have found asking questions gets you comfortable to share the real you. Many times it is in the things you don’t say that we find the most about you and your story.

Listen

When talking with a potential or even current client it is often what they don’t say that matters most. They likely have a frustration point they are looking to solve. Whether it be lack of sales, or traffic or perhaps conversion into sales. They will say things like “the site does not work” or is “not being found”, or they want it to look like their competition. One of the easiest things to change is the website.. or even the designer. Truth is without appropriate planning, marketing, and a strategy it won’t matter how pretty your site is.

A web designers job is to translate their clients’ needs and frustrations into actionable changes that make sense.

Its the small things

Whether it is a change in a page, or the client’s overall approach to their website, many times it is the small things. Small things like the placement of a button, a font adjustment, or color, the things that seem to not really matter actually matter most. When we pay attention to the details, it allows us to hear what they are really saying. Details many times are hidden in the things the clients don’t say. Sometimes that can be while they share their story about their business and why they started in the first place. That glimmer in their eye or the slight welling up of emotions as they share their “why”. It is in those moments that as a designer we can find the heart of their story and how we can help design their story in a way only they can tell. It is in these moments that as the owner of a boutique web design agency like HeartWired, that I truly find the love in what we do. If you would like to learn more about how we are cracking the web design process code at HeartWired we would love to learn about your story. Contact us today to get started in sharing your story.
7 things to keep in mind when picking a web design agency

7 things to keep in mind when picking a web design agency

The days of handing out business cards at networking events being enough are over, if your organization is not online, you are missing customers every day.

I know what you are thinking, aren’t websites expensive, hard to maintain, better yet you don’t even know where to begin…

Truth is, it is more expensive to not have your business online. Not only are your customers missing being able to engage with your brand 24/7, even while you sleep, but they are likely finding your competition instead.

So you or perhaps your boss has given you the “green” light to begin your search for a design agency. You know your organization needs to get online, but don’t even know where to start.

We come across business owners, admins and entrepreneurs all the time that are in the same situation and thought we would layout 7 things to keep in mind when picking a web design agency.  Doing a little legwork upfront will allow you to pick the right agency for your business and in turn save time, money and speed up the process of getting online.

We put together a simple list of how to get started when looking for a web design agency. While no list of tips is ever complete, this will at least get things started.

1.) Know your customer – Every business knows its customer whether they know it or not. Believe it or not, everyone is not your customer. With a more targeted approach to who you serve, your designer will be able to appeal to your online visitors.

If you are a brick and mortar store, your customers will be looking for something different than say, an insurance agent. Are you a therapist who is looking for patients? Perhaps you sell coffee to support orphans on the other side of the globe, or are a startup looking to create your own brand. Whatever your vision is or the market you minister to, your web designer can tailor the user experience for the clients you serve.

2.) Timeline – If you are a startup, you likely need your website yesterday. Even as a well established company, once the ‘need’ is determined, there tends to be a sense of urgency to get it done. Many times we have found clients even want their sites to go ‘live’ before they are completed or ready just so they can start getting all the traffic. As an agency, this can actually be a warning sign because as a designer we like to be aware if we are being put on the hot seat from the get go.  Realistic expectations on both sides of the project ensure client satisfaction as well as a successful web design.

Scope is key to creating a timeline that works for everyone. Depending on the complexity of the design, the delivery of any applicable content, an average time-frame from inception to delivery would likely be between 60 and 90 days. Some projects can be turned around much quicker depending on the level of need and amount of content, pages, etc. If you have a special event, promotion or need a simple informational page to get things started they can be designed expediently but can at times cost a bit more if rushed. Proper planning can reduce cost as well as avoid inconveniences such as unrealistic expectations or rushing the project.

3.) Money Talks – One of the things business owners tend to shy away from is their budget. One speed bump that can throw a curve into the discussion of a web design project is when the budget is not discussed upfront. Know what you can afford and be forthcoming when asked, and you will likely be asked pretty quickly in the conversation. Web agencies do this to save both of you time and well many times money. Nothing can be more frustrating than a designer to spend hours working up a scope for the project only to find out that they are not even in the ballpark of what the client can afford.

Say you have a budget of $5,000 if you don’t share that budget upfront with the design agency could spend hours working on a proposal and come back with a quote of $10,000. All of sudden you are at odds and the designer is frustrated as they wasted time working up a scope you could not afford if you wanted to at the time. If you share your budget, even if just a ballpark upfront that gives the designer numbers to work with. One of two things will happen from there, they will create a design that fits your budget, or let you know right away that they are not the right agency, either way you win.

4.) Stakeholders at the table – It is inevitable that when shopping around for a designer it can be easier to hand that task off to say your secretary or administrative assistant. If you are a nonprofit you will need to get board approval before spending large amounts on anything. Perhaps as a business owner you have partners or investors that are the decision makers before any purchase can be made. Without the right people in the conversation when the details are discussed can cause confusion, delays, and unnecessary complications.

Picture discussing the project, going through the discovery session, the designer gives the proposal in writing only to find out not all the people were in the conversation. All of sudden there are other opinions, thoughts on how the project should go, design changes, or budget negotiations that were not expected. This can cause delays in getting started on the project, incur additional costs due to re-scoping or changing the design as well as having to discuss all over again the project and its course with those that were not at the table to begin with. It is best once you have narrowed down the design agency you want to work with that all stakeholders are involved upfront to make the process easier for everyone in the long run.

5.) Make a list – just like when you go shopping for a car or house, there are things you like about certain models and don’t like, the same goes for a website. Before meeting with your designer make a list of the websites that you like the look and feel of. These can be websites of your competitors or a completely different industry entirely, it helps you get an idea of what kind of design you want and even more perhaps what you don’t want.

Bringing a list of anywhere from four or five to as many as a dozen or so gives your designer a great deal to work with. When a designer has the look and feel of what kind of user experience you want for your customers it makes the actual designing of your vision that much simpler. It can be things like color schemes, widgets, or perhaps a specific slider or something else that you like that the designer can implement into your design as you want. The more information you can provide to the agency upfront provides a strong starting point to begin the design process from.

6.) Who are your competitors – Knowing your competition helps you do better at what you do right? Same thing goes for choosing a website. Who is at the top of your game? Google your industry and find out who is winning in your space. Focus locally, unless you are a big name global corporation you likely serve a local market, it is that area that you want to scope out your competition.

We suggest that you pick out three of your competition and provide them to your design agency. This will give them an upper hand on what you might be up against locally in your market. It will also give them insight on what your competition offer and how they can potentially adjust your strategy to compete. It also enable the designer to implement search engine optimization that will allow for organic growth not only for you but also by organically leveraging what might be also working for your competition.

7.) Shop around – Anyone that has spent any time shopping around for a design agency, they will find there is a big difference between agencies. Not every designer is for every client just like every client is not for every designer. Spend some time vetting your designer, look at their previous work, get to know them personally. If the design agency is the right fit usually you will be able to tell in the way they interact with you not only on the phone, but also online, via email or chat.

At HeartWired we believe in taking our clients through a personal discovery session, this enables us to find out not only your design needs but also get to know the person behind the business. When a potential customer contacts us, we are fully aware that they are looking for generally a few main things, while some are looking for the best deal, almost always they are looking for someone that cares.

Choosing a web design agency can be a difficult task, we hope that these 7 things to keep in mind when picking a web design agency come in handy. If you are ready to start the process or have questions we can answer, we are here to help.

What I Wish Everyone Knew About the Name HeartWired

What I Wish Everyone Knew About the Name HeartWired

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Our company name HeartWired Digital Solutions literally defines our business. Sure it may be a play on words, but it encompasses much more than that. Ever since I started my company in 2016, I have hoped and prayed that everyone would know that we were a company that cares for the individual behind the organizations we serve just as much as we care for our own. We pour our heart into every web design project and treat it as if it were our only one.

HeartWired was initially a play on words for “hardwired” a common term in the technology industry meaning “involving or achieved by permanently connected circuits.”

Even the Ethernet cable in the form of a heartbeat in the logo is representative of the vein of our company’s being. Our deep rooted desire to serve each client where they are has become the focal point of our business model.

Compassion and technology are usually terms that are rarely used in the same sentence. In a fast paced world, focused on numbers rather than service, it is all but a lost art. Our motto “Technology and Web Services with Heart” has become our mission.  Rather than treating people like a number, we prefer to learn about their story and get to know their heart before we ever take them on as a client.  In doing so we believe we believe we can restore the heart and compassion one satisfied customer, better yet friend at a time.

Small business owners at the core are community leaders, they hold the responsibility to build relationships within their local neighborhoods and cities.

Whether your business is a brick and mortar or strictly online or perhaps a combination of both, you serve your community first and foremost. The more involved we have gotten in our own local area, the more businesses we have been able to serve, the more we have grown through word of mouth more valuable than any advertisement dollars we could spend.

Occasionally there is confusion when people look at our logo, they ask if we are in the medical or health field. While we have served clients in those industries as well as nonprofits, realtors, local businesses, bloggers and more, we are a technology and web design agency through and through. While we offer web design solutions, SEO services, digital reputation management, proximity marketing and more, at the heart of it all we provide various ways for people to share their heart-filled stories online.

Take Your Business Further with Digital Reputation Management

Take Your Business Further with Digital Reputation Management

Advertising your business ever feel like you are throwing good money after bad?

So you ran a bunch of online or print ads and the return (ROI) seems so small.

You have a great product, fantastic window space of your store, yet getting customers to come inside is like pulling teeth (of course if you are a dentist or oral surgeon this is a good thing).

How do you get them to know you are there?

Ever “Google” or “Bing” yourself?

Okay, that second one just sounds silly…but.

Did you know that your digital reputation goes farther than what is on Google? In fact, Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp are all just the beginning. They simply are the most common ways people search for businesses.

Imagine if you could control the information that your customers and potential clients see beyond Google. What if the information was the same everywhere they looked?

Sure you have your main “listings” up to date. Are they reflecting identical information? How easily can you change them if something was to change? Better yet how quickly can you change hours, menus, services, specials…Everywhere…

That means updating all the main search engines, in fact over 70 places, at once, within 24-48 hours all the sites are the same. What could that do for your business?

Instead of looking like numerous people tried to fill out the tedious forms each search engine requires. All you need to do to maintain your digital reputation is to provide the updates or changes once. By providing your clients correct information the first time, you eliminate their wanting to search elsewhere. Not only will all the new information that you put out about your company be consistent, but the errors that already exist will be scrubbed clean.

Whether it is local SEO, a product or special you are running, or simply your hours of operation and phone number, Your businesses digital reputation matters. Being able to maintain what your customers see in one place is ideal.

We now offer digital reputation management as both a service included in some of our web design packages, but also as an a la carte service to anyone. If you want a way to manage your online presence on a regular basis or simply want to correct what is currently out there. Contact us to learn more.