There are far too many web development and design horror stories – and many of my clients have had serious trust issues with a previous developer. Re-cultivating this trust can be difficult, even for the most dedicated and well thought of web developer.
The world of eBay design has had its ups and downs, eBay designers springing up out of nowhere and disappearing just as fast. Customers were hard pushed to see the quality difference between two developers in a basement and a seasoned team of 20. The situation is slowly improving and clients are beginning to understand why they were comparing apples to bananas.
Keeping the client out of the development process destroys trust and clients should not be treated as intruders on development.
The best way to deliver a successful web project is to use more inclusion techniques with your clients, don’t let things be a big secret.
Clients have the right to:
- An overall plan.
- To make changes (and be told what is reasonable and what is not)
- To get value
- To see progress
- To be informed.
This will break down walls between the customer and developer and build trust.
Using this as a selling point is crucial, even in your quotes – breaking down the elements into bite sized chunks will let the client know exactly what they are getting and consequently the developer/designer the project is passed onto.
*Client bill of rights based on XP programming methodologies.
