The web design onboarding process involves steps taken by a designer or design team to familiarize themselves with a new client, project, or company. The steps taken may vary from one person to the other as everyone might have a different way of doing things.
With that being said, this process is crucial for understanding the client's needs, goals, and expectations, and it sets the foundation for a successful web design project. Let's begin!
Send a Project Questionnaire
It is important to note that most clients are warm leads. This means they already have a budget in mind as well as the type of website they would like to have. They could be
A Healthcare startup company looking to design an informative landing page
2. A Private Equity company looking to elevate their professional status.
3. An AI company looking to improve their website's branding.
After making contact with the client, propose to send them a project questionnaire. Most of these clients have provided information beforehand on their job posts, so fill out the form for them before sending it over.
Here are the components of our design questionnaire:
Project Overview and Goals
Target Audience
Branding Guidelines
Content
Functionality and Features
Competitor Websites
Navigation and Structure
User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)
Technical Requirements
Clearly state your desired project timeline
Feedback and Communication Process
Click on the image and copy paste the project questionnaire
By filling it out this form right from the beginning, it allows us to
Get a better understanding of the project scope, budget and timeline.
Show the client that we are serious about working with them.
Define Project Scope and Deliverables
Based on the information provided in the project questionnaire, our team creates a project scope and timeline for the deliverables. This is the structure of the document that we send to our client,
Project Name
Project Overview
Discovery Phase
Design Phase
Design Deliverables
Project Timeline
Click on the image and copy paste the project scope document
It is best practice to go through this document together with your client over a zoom call. This ensures
Both parties have a clear understanding and expectation of the entire design process.
There is room to make amendments before signing the contact with us.
Signing of Contract
Now that we have completed steps 1 and 2, we provide a detailed contract or agreement outlining the terms, conditions, and expectations for both parties. This will Include project milestones, payment details, and any other relevant information collected from the previous 2 documents. The outline of the contract is as follows,
What both parties agree to
Design Services
Changes and Revisions
Legal
Intellectual Property Rights
Displaying our work
Payment Schedule
Terms and Conditions
We use "Contract Killer" to create our own contracts.
Adding Client to Project Management System
This is the last step of the onboarding process. Adding clients to our project management system provides several benefits for both the service provider and the client. Here are 5 main benefits:
1. Improved transparency
Client Perspective: Provides clients with real-time visibility into project progress, timelines, and task completion.
Service Provider Perspective: Enhances transparency in communication and ensures that clients are well-informed.
2. Better Collaboration
Client Perspective: Facilitates direct collaboration between the client and the project team, fostering a sense of involvement.
Service Provider Perspective: Encourages collaboration, feedback, and quick resolution of any issues or concerns.
3. Clear Communication
Client Perspective: Improves communication by centralizing project-related discussions, updates, and documentation.
Service Provider Perspective: Reduces the risk of miscommunication and ensures that clients have access to accurate and up-to-date information.
4. Efficient Document Sharing
Client Perspective: Simplifies document sharing and access to project-related files, reducing the need for email exchanges.
Service Provider Perspective: Streamlines the process of sharing project documents, minimizing the chances of information being overlooked.
5. Streamlined Approval Process
Client Perspective: Enables clients to raise concerns or address issues promptly, leading to faster resolution.
Service Provider Perspective: Facilitates quick identification and resolution of client concerns, reducing delays in project timelines.
Conclusion
And there you have it! A complete website design onboarding checklist that will help you and your client have a smooth and productive design experience together! If you have any other questions related to website design or development, feel free to reach out to us today!
