Posted: February 3rd, 2010
It’s been a week now since Apple first unveiled their new iPad device. I discussed last week the subject of who it was intended for and why it would be a successful product. This week I’m going to examine what it will mean for web designers and developers and the potential impact it will have on our industry.
iPad changes everything?
This is the message that Apple were voicing at their conference last week. While they seemed committed to it, very few people expressed the same views. However, in a way it does change everything, in terms of mobile web, available anywhere. It’s already been reported that within a few years the most common way people will access on-line content and services will be through mobile devices. (read more about that here) There are a number of devices available right now that provide a better experience for certain on-line services than on the actual website (Twitter I’m looking at you). However, as good as these devices are for browsing the web anywhere, any time they all have one common limitation; the small screen size.
In my opinion the best mobile device for browsing the web right now is the iPhone. However, you still have to scroll around quite a bit on content-heavy sites and filling in forms is a nightmare. Not only do you have to scroll around the screen in order to see the fields, you also have to keep hiding and showing the keyboard and some forms just don’t work well because of this.
So size does matter?
Yes, for browsing the web size matters. The iPad has a 9.7″ screen, much larger than mobile phones. It is capable of displaying far more content on it’s screen and therefore provides a much better experience for web users. Take a look at the screens on Apple’s own website where the iPad is displaying the home page of the New York Times. It looks great.
It also has a much higher screen resolution of 1024 x 768. On a traditional PC this would be considered very low, on a portable device it’s amazing. Higher resolutions equal shaper images and text and better looking web pages. This level of detail on a single screen simply isn’t possible, at least not in a readable form anyway, on any phone.
Ok – I’m a web designer, how can iPad benefit me?
Well ok, this will take a bit of explaining. Firstly I believe that the iPad is going to be hugely successful for Apple. If it’s successful then a lot of people will buy it. This means there will be a lot of people browsing websites with it. When discussing projects with clients it’s another plus point for their on-line business because it’s another way for them to reach potential customers and make sales.
I’ve been mentioning the iPhone in sales pitches to clients for the last 12 months. I always take my iPhone into a meeting so that I can show them that sites we’ve written display correctly on the device. This usually impresses them as quite often they either have an iPhone themselves and have never thought about it’s impact on their online business, or they know someone who has an iPhone and suddenly they see the importance of having their site work well on a mobile device. The iPad will offer an even better experience on-line for the reasons I’ve already detailed above.
The real beauty of it is that because iPad uses the Safari browser we don’t need to make special CSS code for our sites to display correctly on it. It’s easy to show clients how good websites will look and how easy it is to use the device.
Ah, but the iPad doesn’t display Flash content
Completely true, it doesn’t. However, as a developer I always try to stay away from Flash as much as possible anyway. It’s buggy, it requires different plug-ins for different browsers and it’s not good for SEO. Usually if a client wants to achieve something in Flash I can get the same result for them using JQuery coding. Also, HTML5 is on the way, and embedding video content directly into a web page (something that Flash is currently used for a lot) will be a breeze and will not require any plug-ins at all. After that I don’t see much of a future for Flash in the majority of business websites, apart from dedicated applications and games.
In conclusion then – iPad offers a lot for web designers
So, after all that let’s summarise what the iPad will offer for us as web designers and developers:-
- A great way to display websites on a mobile device without any CSS special coding
- An extra way we can sell our design services to clients
- A richer browsing experience
- A sales tool – “yes, we can make your site look great on the iPad so you can reach more people
- It may also be a really nice way of presenting a sales pitch to your clients – no more bulky laptop in the meeting room, just plug-in to a projector and go
- It shows clients that you’re aware of the latest technologies and are keeping up with changes in the industry to provide them with the best possible service
Written by Ian Hazeldine, Managing Director of Yellow Circle Web Solutions Limited
Tags: Advice, Apple, Designer, Happy clients, iPad, iPhone, Marketing
Posted in Customer Service, Marketing, Web Design | No Comments »
Posted: October 28th, 2009
This industry of web design and development that we all work in can often lead to clients and customers feeling confused, overwhelmed and daunted by the prospect of dealing with us on a day to day basis. Indeed, it may even put them off even calling us in the first place. If they don’t call, we don’t get new business and hence don’t make money. This is not a situation that you want to find yourself in. So how can we prevent this from happening? How can we earn a prospective new client’s trust before they’ve ever met us? This article aims to help answer that question – read on.
Starting a new relationship
In the beginning, when first meeting a client the initial rapport built up with them is going to influence their attitiude towards you throughout the entire project development cycle. It’s important right from the get-go that the client feels comfortable talking to you and is trusting of what you’re saying. We always arrange a face-to-face meeting at the client’s own premises when we are working with someone new. This is very important in laying the foundations of a good working relationship. Firstly the client is in an environment they’re familiar with, this immediately puts them at ease. Also, it’s far more convenient for them, they don’t have to take time away from their work to travel to meet you, so you’ve immediately given them a benefit before you’ve even met. We’ve often agreed to meet clients outside of normal office hours in the comfort of their own home. This has helped to start the working relationship off on a good footing.
Talking like people, not like IT Experts
Just because we web designers know what CSS, PHP and FTP mean doesn’t mean that our clients will. It’s vitally important to remember that your client doesn’t work in the industry that you do and (in most cases) may not have much techinical knowledge. Don’t baffle them with technical terms, talk to them like people, explain things in a way that they will understand and always ensure they do understand what you’re saying before you move on to something else. This seems to be something that a lot of technical people either forget or are not good at. We’ve heard time and time again from clients that they didn’t understand what the people they used to deal with for their website needs were telling them. Remember, you want the client to feel comfortable when speaking with you. If you overload them with technical jargon you will not achive this.
Constantly ask for feedback
At all stages during a web design project we ask the client for their feedback. The benefits offered by this are twofold. Firstly, it reinforces the building of trust for the client. They’re being asked for their opinion. It tells them that they have a say in what happens with the building of their website and that they’re not being steamrolled over by a bunch of technical guys. Also, having regular contact with the client is essential to keep the rapport that was built up during the face-to-face meeting(s) going. If a client is happy to talk to you and gets what they want for their website then it’s far more likely that they will do business with you again. Ignore them and only email them once asking for money when the website is finished and they may be left feeling with a product they don’t really like and a company they have no faith or trust of. That will not get you more business from them.
Get client testimonials and put them on your site
As basic as the paragraph headline above sounds you’d be amazed at the number of companies who forget to do this or simply haven’t thought of doing this. You’ve built a great website and you have an excellent working relationship with your new client. You need other prospective clients to see this. It’s vitally imporant that your website (in whatever industry you work in) has testomonials from clients on it.
If you’ve not done this yet, then now is the time to start. Client testimonials are a much better sales too than anything the slickest of sales people can come up with because they’re genuine thoughts and feelings of people who have used your services. For new clients this will immediately help them gain an overview of how you work and how easy you are to work with.
You may have a great design portfolio but simply displaying that on your website isn’t enough. People want to know that they’re going to get good service from you, that they’re going to be able to contact you if they need to and that they can ask you things without feeling like they’re asking something silly. Testimonials give them the best insight into your company they can have without actually having work done by you.
Keep up-to-date
Again it may seem obvious, but not everyone does it. If you have client testimonials on your site (and if not why not?) you need to keep regularly updating them. If a new client visits your site and sees that all of your testimonials are from 10 years ago it will not present you in a great light.
Final thoughts
As we’ve discussed, building trust with your clients is vital to having a good working relationship with them and increasing the chances of them doing repeat business with you. So far we’ve had repeat business from almost all of our clients so we know the way we’ve detailed things in this article works. Next time you’re with a client think back to this article, it may help you secure the business you’re trying to get.
Written by Ian Hazeldine – Managing Director of Yellow Circle Web Solutions Limited based in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire
Tags: Advice, Happy clients, relationships, Testimonials, trust, Web Design
Posted in Customer Service | No Comments »
Posted: October 7th, 2009
In today’s modern world there are more ways to communicate with people than ever before. Communication has become a key part in our daily lives, both personal and professional. It’s important to remember that when working with a web designer communication is key to getting your site right both now and in the future.
Client to web designer
Quite often a client who doesn’t have a great deal of technical knowledge may feel intimidated into asking questions or seeking advice from the web designer as they don’t want to ask something that might make them feel stupid. This should NEVER be a factor. Your web designer should encourage you to ask for help and explain things in a way you understand. You’re the customer, the designer is here to meet your needs, not their own. You’re paying for the service so feel confident in asking anything you like about the project. If you’re not happy with the answer or need further clarification ask again until you are satisfied.
I’ve been working in the web industry as a professional designer/developer since 1997 and I don’t know everything – far from it in fact. Truth is neither does anyone else. We’re constantly learning new things as new technologies are born and development tools evolve in our line of work. If I need the answer to a question from someone I will ask. It’s always better to ask, than to try and guess at something. My point is that if you come to me as a web expert you shouldn’t be afraid to ask me anything. I’m learning all the time just like you.
Bottom line: If you don’t like something, or you dont’ understand something you’re being told – please, speak up about it.
Web designer to client
To ensure you end up with happy clients at the end of a project communication is key from the designer to the client. You should always ask your client for feedback on the project at key stages. If something isn’t quite right for the client you can amend it to suit their requirements during development rather than having to go back once everything is done and alter things then (which can be a headache for more complicated sites).
I’ve already mentioned the fact that as web experts we should explain things clearly to our clients in lay terms. I cannot stress this point enough. Over the past decade I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve talked to clients who had dealt with another ‘web expert’ before me and during my initial meeting with them they’ve told me that ‘we didn’t really know what the other guy was talking about so we just paid him’. This is NOT how you build a relationship with your clients. You need to remember that just because you know what you’re talking about doesn’t mean they will and it’s wrong to expect them to know. Don’t be patronising to them, but after you’ve explained your proposal for their project ask them if they are happy and state that if there’s anything they need clarifying they should feel free to ask – even after the meeting has ended.
Finally you should always try to make yourself available for a client when it’s convenient for them, not you. If you provide a telephone number always try to answer calls. If a client leaves a message make sure you call them back and even if they’re not available leave a message yourself so that they know you’ve responded.
Similarly, it’s important to respond to emails and, if you’re going to be away from the office for a while, set up auto-responders to let clients know that you’ve received their email and will deal with it once you’re back in the office (including the dates you’re away from and to is also a good idea in this case).
Again, countless times I’ve met with clients who have dealt with other web companies who before us and told me they could never get hold of a person to help them. They received no response to either telephone calls or emails. That, in my view, is totally unacceptable. I always explain to clients that if I don’t answer the phone it will only ever be for 2 reasons; I’m driving and don’t have handsfree or I’m in a meeting with another client. If either of these circumstances arises I always ensure I call the client back the same day. It’s reassuring for a client to know that you will be there when they need you and it will help build a great relationship with them.
Final thoughts
Hopefully this article has helped you out and hopefully, if you’re a designer, you’ve been doing all of the things I’ve mentioned already. If not, then now is the time to change that. Clients, you should have the confidence to ask for help from your designer and if they’re not serving your needs it may be time to look elsewhere.
Tags: Advice, Communication, Design company, Feedback, Happy clients, Web designer
Posted in Communication, Customer Service, Web Design | 2 Comments »
