And it hit me: we are not emergency designers.  We never have been.  We ask tough questions and spend time in discovery and research.  We dig and dig before we ever start designing.  We make recommendations.  We’re not “yes” people; we’re “why” people.  When you tell us your website needs a feature, we don’t just agree; we ask why. Then we push you (and ourselves) to dig up a better answer or provide a foundation to back up your request.

And yet, we end up “hurrying up” more often then I’d like.  We tend to take on emergency projects even though they don’t fit our general mold of process and project management.

It’s not that we can’t build a site quickly; we certainly can.  It’s more along the lines of our initial approach to a project.  Once we get to the design and development stage, we’ve already done our due diligence and the process can fly. But we like to know we got there with good reason and research.  We like to know the stakeholders are all on board with what we’re about to produce, and we like to know that every conversation that needs to be had has been had.

We’ve had a virtual onslaught of new project inquiries in the past few weeks.  And that’s a great thing, of course. We’ve been working hard on great projects and launched this gorgeously redesigned site and have been out writing, speaking and getting to know folks. Our clients give us fantastic referrals to everyone and anyone. We’re busy and loving it.

Of the new inquiries, a handful are really great, qualified, well-fitting projects for our team. Clients who want us to spend the time digging and learning and researching before we build; who want us to labor over the details and create really polished, beautiful web and mobile apps.  Who want us to thoroughly test the products before they launch.

And another handful are looking for “emergency” designers to take over a project that went south or start on something immediately that was supposed to be done last week (I need this 200 hour project launched by mid-February!).

Next time you have an emergency, open this box.

To these emergency clients, how fast we can get them a proposal reflects on how fast we can turn the project around – when in fact, the two are not at all related.  We need time to spend doing our research before creating a proposal. We need time to determine the best platform and approach and our own resource assignments.  It’s a complex matrix and it all takes time to do it well.

That said, we’ve taken on quite a few projects that weren’t going well and turned them around – but those clients recognized that the process would take both time and hard work.  They brought us realistic expectations and we turned out some awesome work.

It’s amazing when expectations meet reality, isn’t it?

I’m feeling liberated in this realization.  It’s yet another “red flag” for my arsenal of client selection tools that help us determine fit for new projects, and a step forward in solidifying our approach to design and development.

Do you find yourself providing emergency design services?  How to you react and how do those relationships turn out?

They’re going to look for a “Log In” link in the upper right corner.

They’re going to try to get in touch using a “Contact” page.

Sticking to expected navigational and architectural structures on your website – especially when you’ve got a lot of content or a complex hierarchy – helps establish trust with your visitors.

Rules, boundaries, roadmaps, breadcrumbs, met expectations - all serve to help your visitors feel comfortable to explore even farther, to dig deeper and keep clicking.   Just like fences encourage kids to explore the full expanse of playground, visitors want to know that your site meets their predetermined website schema so they can feel comfortable pushing the boundaries.

The breadcrumbs, the visual cues that fit expectations, the comfort in navigation serve as reminder that they are safe from harm (“the unknown”). As long as they remain in that secure environment, they can confidently and freely enjoy themselves.

One errant click that lands them somewhere they didn’t expect – or worse, leaves them without a clear path back to from where they came – and you’ve lost their trust.

Straight from the research on website schema’s by Bellman & Rositer, “ease of navigating the website strongly influences attitude toward the site, which in turn increases the strength of beliefs about the new brand’s attributes and also, fairly independently, overall attitude toward the brand.”

Can you think of a time when you visited a website that didn’t meet your expectations and how that made you feel about the company, brand or product?

Starting a new year is a great time to start working on new limits, new approaches and new systems for your business and your life.  So, our intentions are as follows:

For the business:

1. Move to a more client-centric design approach by building partnership agreements rather than one-off build contracts.
2. Make it all responsive. Or at least adaptive. There is no excuse for fixed-width any more.
3. Learn more, and more and more. Every Friday afternoon is designated self-improvement day. That means learning through tutorials or videos, reading or working on personal projects.

Andi‘s intentions

1. More personal communication; less email. Talk it out. Touch base and catch up. Plan regularly scheduled phone calls with all ongoing development projects.  Travel if necessary for kickoff and important milestone meetings. Go the extra mile.
2. Give back to the community. Speak more; attend more meet-ups; finish the book I’ve started writing three different times.  Share my knowledge more.
3. Plan better. Stick to an organized, well-structured project planning approach and spend more time on thorough contracts with detailed SOW agreements.

Charlene’s intentions

1. Go responsive. Just dig in and make it responsive. It’s not exactly a brand new concept. Just do it already.
2. Get Sass(y). CSS is awesome and SASS just adds MORE awesomeness. We all need something new and fresh in our lives sometimes–this is it.

Jessica’s intentions

1. Better time management. Follow the schedules and to-do lists I make, but don’t use nearly enough. Say “no” more, prioritize better and spend less time browsing the wonders of the internets.
2. Write more. I’d be happy if I wrote about just about anything at this point as long as it’s more significant than emails, texts and Facebook updates.
3. Move quicker. Send the stupid email, don’t stare at it in Drafts for an hour. Get things out of “planning” and into “production” faster.

James’s intentions

1. Give back more. Finish the next version of one open source project, start another one, and help others with theirs. Use GitHub to interact, not just for versioning things.
2. Play and learn more. Tinker with new technology on a weekly basis. Watch more screencasts. Read more books. Always have a podcast handy.
3. Take over the world. Muahahahaahaaaa!

Keith‘s intentions

1. Find a balance between efficiency and properly documented code/projects.  We work in a client driven business – budgets and timeframes conspire to sacrifice the proper documentation of code and projects for on time delivery. this year i want to find more of a balance – a few extra hours documenting code will make future updates easier and save time in the long run
2. Take more pictures! My hobbies shift from year to year and I’ve been ignoring this one for too long. I want to shoot more panorama shots of the downtown St. Pete area. Here’s one that i took in Charleston.
3. Work on pace.  Ever hear the old saying “start out like you can hold out”?  I’m going to work on applying that this year. Too often, I procrastinate; looking for motivation to tackle a big project and then code in a burst. I’ve found that if I work steadily, but more slowly, I can get more accomplished because I end up turning out more code.

Now you’ve seen ours and you can hold us accountable (seriously – hold us accountable!).  What are your professional intentions for the year?

Here are a few key lessons we learned in 2011:

Charlene: Repository. Repository. Repository!

No matter the size of the project, if you’ve got more than one person working on a website your best bet is a versioned repository for safekeeping. This year I worked on my first large project with over 10 developers in different locations. Oddly enough, we had minimal issues as we all chugged along updating, committing and updating again to the repository. During an earlier project, which I must mention was much smaller in scale and included only three developers, large chunks of work had been written over several times which caused obvious frustrations, etc. And so the repo went up and so did productivity levels. Duh.

Jessica: Work with amazing people. Always.

Here’s the thing about life: we’re all (hopefully) going to be here for a while. One of the things I figured out early on in life is that you should love what you do. I use the cliche “If you love what you do, it won’t feel like work” way too often because I think it’s 100% true. And believe me, I love the internet! Then I learned, it’s not just about loving what you do, it’s about loving who you’re doing it with.

Work with people who care deeply about those around them (like Andi). Work with people who are great at what they do, and embrace attack new learning opportunities and challenges (like Charlene with GitHub earlier this year). Work with people who are passionate about the quality of their business and brand. Work with people who make you laugh. Work with people you want to grab a beer with. Work with people who inspire you and push you to be a better person.

Keith:  Preparation and planning are key to a successful project.

No matter how many times I have heard this in the past, I still have to fight the urge to just jump in and start coding right away. Spending the time up-front to plan out what I’m going to do results in cleaner code and more efficient use of the client’s budget. Projects are dynamic and we can’t anticipate every problem, but a little preparation goes a long way in smoothing out the bumps along the way!

Keith: Communication is more important than you think it is.

This year, I’ve learned all about the value of keeping clients informed. A small note to update them on your progress (even if you don’t have anything to show them) helps them to stay involved.

It works with co-workers too! In the crazy web world of multitasking and complex projects, it really helps to let everyone know what you’re up to and what you’ve done. Document everything you can in a central location so everyone is up to date. It doesnt have to be a novel – a few short sentences will keep everyone on track. It reduces duplicate effort and empowers everyone on the team to fix issues rather than having to rely on a single person.

James:  There’s still a ton to learn.

I’ve been at this web design & development thing for most of my adult life. It’s only getting faster and more complex, and that’s really exciting. 2011 reinforced the lesson that building a library of modern resources and taking the time to sit and absorb new ideas and techniques (be they from books, blogs, or screencasts) is vital to our profession. Never stop learning. Play with new ideas. Be curious.

Andi: Communication is the key to managing expectations.

Managing expectations is one of the most important aspects of project management. When there is no clear process and we let projects sway and bend, clients and team members don’t know what to expect (or when).  The problem we continually encounter is that every client is different.  Some come to us completely prepared to immerse themselves in the process; others have other obligations and commitments that keep them from being totally involved.  We need to make them fully aware of what’s to come when we start the process, and keep them apprised should anything pop up to change that process.

I’ve already put together some documentation to use as a skeleton for every new project, and anticipate much clearer direction at the start of each project going forward.  We’ll all know what’s going to happen, when, and if any obstacles pop up along the way.

————-

What did you learn in 2011 that you think would be helpful to our team or the web design community?  Helpful to your business or others?

You see, it’s been an amazing trip.

I’m still riding a buzz that comes from geeking out with fellow nerds over $1400 meatfest dinners and after-party beers. We talked about client woes; project constraints; where WordPress is going and why Drupal is so much more complex than it should be. We talked about the future of our industry and why we’re so excited to be a part of it. About the very little history we have on which to build our practice and process. About finding our way in the sea of constant changes and opportunities.  About our kids and spouses and home offices.

These aren’t just other fellow nerds though.  (This is where it gets good.)

These friendly faces are the leaders in our industry.   They’re the people who wrote the books.  Who carve the paths and blaze the trails (even if they don’t realize it).  Who spend their free time exploring the limitations and breaking down the walls and teaching our up-and-comers.   And here they are, sitting around a dinner table with other speakers, conference attendees and even a few volunteers – and me.  Wow. 

I’m floored by their humility and accessibility.  I’m honored to have shared the stage and a bit of my knowledge.  And I’m ecstatic to be a part of such a supportive community that recognizes that success for us as individuals is directly correlated to the success of our industry as a whole.

If you want to check out my slides (which are probably only partially useful without my copious notes and insightful, funny comments (yes, they were hilarious thankyouverymuch)) then here you go.

This list is not about those obviously annoying websites. This is a list of the things that many of our clients don’t think about as annoying but that can quickly turn a happy, trusting new visit into an annoyed, frustrated departure.

1. Unexpected detours and interruptions.  You wouldn’t have very many long conversations with a friend who repeatedly cuts you off in the middle of a sentence to change direction, would you?  How about if they asked you irrelevant questions or to share personal information while you’re telling a story?  Make sure you don’t interrupt your visitors while they’re reading or learning unless it’s subtle and important.  Make sure your detours are well-labeled and interruptions kept in the sidebars or footer of an article, page or post.
2. Insulting your visitors’ intelligence.  ”Click here” in association with a huge button-shaped illustration (or, really, in association with any obviously underlined link)? Constant, lengthy explanations of even the simplest of tasks on your website is insulting and demeaning (i.e. To register for our newsletter, enter your email address and click “Submit.”).  If you have to write a full sentence to explain what a person should do next, you need to either a) redesign the page/process or b) stop insulting your visitors.   Probably both.  Pay attention to your analytics and employ mouse and eye tracking services like CrazyEgg to determine your site’s hang-ups, then fix them visually.
3. Impersonal and unfriendly language. The web is, by nature, an impersonal medium.  We sit alone while we surf, interacting with the zeroes-and-ones manipulated before us.  And the third-person, buzzword-laden marketing rhetoric of the web makes it even more inhuman.  Submit?  Seriously?  How about “Go!” or  ”Send!”?  I remember working at a pizza joint in college and they actually had a mirror next to the telephone.  We were expected to smile when we answered the phone because people can tell when someone is smiling while they speak.  Somewhere along the way, we lost that smile in our voice.  Some great startups and web companies are leading the way in using friendly language – and I’m excited to keep pushing my clients in the same direction.

I have a much longer list than this as we deal with so many projects and so many ideas, but I’d love to hear what annoys you when you’re surfing … or what you have to convince your clients is annoying.

We spend plenty of time supporting older browsers and this document will help make the argument that it’s not time well spent.

“We know the direction that browser support is heading and want to build you a website that will stand the test of time.”

If you’re a client wondering why the final product you see on your screen doesn’t match exactly the gorgeous flattened mockup we gave you months ago, read this Factsheet- Where are my rounded corners.

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

I couldn’t have said this better myself, but I explain this sort of thing to a lot of people fairly regularly (you know who you are!).

Reposted from http://nprfreshair.tumblr.com/post/4931415362/nobody-tells-this-to-people-who-are-beginners-i.

Here are my favorite WordPress “base” themes from which we design.

1. Thesis Theme for WordPress (affiliate link):  We design 3-5 blogs every month.  We almost *always* use Thesis as our base theme for blog design.  Granted, we generally forego the built in customization options and use our own custom styles and functions, but the off-the-shelf styling is awesome.  For small budgets and small projects, we’re happy to leave it to Thesis.  Great layout, well-considered padding between modules and page elements, simple and easy-to-use built-in functionality.   The $87 price tag for the theme is worth the saved hours of styling. Some examples of blogs/sites we’ve designed that use Thesis theme:  Curvy Girl Guide,  Aromahead blog, The Spohrs are Multplying, Barefoot Foodie, The Healthy Home Economist, Sea Critters Cafe, MomCorpsNYC, Momma’s Gone City and the list goes on (and on).
2. Carrington: The Carrington theme is a free base theme that is built specifically for designers and developers.  We’ve used the Jam version (just add markup) a few times and it’s a great theme for more robust content management projects.  There are pre-built blog and mobile version, which are awesome for off-the-shelf layouts.  The Carrington theme has a great support and development community so is constantly growing with WordPress enhancements, which we love.
3. TwentyTen: Oh yeah!  Finally, a default theme worthy of being our canvas.  We literally shred this theme when we use it as a base, but it’s still a huge time-saver in development.  For instance, do you see anything left of TwentyTen at this site?  Or this?  Those are both built on TwentyTen, but you wouldn’t know it – and none-the-less, it saved us hours of time.

We’ve used and customized and built so many themes over the years that we finally created our own fantastic framework that combines the best elements of all of our favorite base themes.  We’re excited to be launching Big Sea Themes this summer – but more on that later.

What are your favorite WordPress base themes for your designs and what do you love about them?  What do you think is missing?

Each project, each client, each relationship teaches me more about how best to do what we do.  This sort of list helps me solidify my values and incorporate them into my business practice more effectively than making resolutions. Here are a few of the lessons I learned last year.

1. The reason it’s not being done isn’t because it’s not worth doing – it just hasn’t been done!
   Success in business does not mean success on the web – and you don’t need success on the web to run a successful business.  This dichotomy throws off newcomers who have great, creative web strategies and know that it could be a worthwhile tool – but doubt themselves because the “big guys” aren’t already doing it.  The “big guys” are resting on what’s worked in the past and the strength of their reputation;  newcomers have a bit more to prove.   And, who knows, a really successful web strategy might help you overtake those big guys one day anyway.
2. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Building websites forces a pretty intense relationship between the clients and our team.  If the vibe between us is questionable or the project seems off-kilter from the very beginning, as it often does, it’s best to walk away.  Unrealistic expectations, unclear direction, even very specific direction and ‘I know exactly what I want.’  All red flags that require patience and effective communication from both parties.    I’ve learned over and over this year to say no when I see that a project just isn’t going to be right for us, when the red flags are raised from the start.
3. Successful web design is a collaboration between client goals and our best efforts. I used to get upset when  a client wanted to make changes to my designs or had revisions that I didn’t agree with (I still do sometimes).  It took a few really great collaborations (and unlikely compromises) to make me realize my error in that pride.The most successful websites are those that combine the personality and values of the client with the research and guidance from our team.  There are some things we’re happy to compromise on and others where we’ll stand our ground.  Clients need to put their stamp on their project – those irksome changes are often the essence and individuality necessary to make the project great.  We work almost exclusively with business owners, and the pride and passion they have for what they do needs to shine through in their design.  I’ve learned to let go where it doesn’t matter and fight for what does.

What are some important lessons you learned in 2010 that you want to apply to your business or life or career in 2011?