Working with Mixed Ability Clients
It's been a really interesting experience working with clients through this website business. People who require a website range from folks who could probably do the job themselves if they had the time through to people who just want a nice, functional website and really need or want to know nothing more.
I like to think that my teaching background gives me particularly good skills in assessing where people are coming from and working out the best way forward. But what I have realised is that this is an area where many, many providers go wrong. They assume every client (whether for websites, electricity, cable TV or anything else) is a uniform entity. Their systems are often designed with the assumption that everyone knows nothing. Then they waste time and patronise people who actually understand what they are talking about. Alternatively some companies employ techies who assume a similar level of knowledge to themselves and get cross and irate when the client needs some explanation.
More than creating the sites I have done I think I've enjoyed working with the clients the most. I suppose it's confirmed my opinion that working with people adds interest and diversity to any job. The number of web designers I hear complaining online, through blogs and through podcasts about their clients is huge. The same mixed ability aspect that provides me with the interest causes them huge frustration.
As a result of enjoying this aspect and being effective in striking a good balance between patronising and irritated has led to quite a few extra 'word of mouth' jobs for me. Certainly clients seem almost surprised by my willingness to listen, assess where they are coming from and provide a little non-patronising guidance based on what they already know and understand.
My final thought in this post: perhaps the key to a really successful business is not just in the quality product itself but actually in understanding and working effectively with your client, educating them successfully where necessary. There's more cross-over between web design and teaching than I had anticipated.