A web designer has an obligation to build the best possible site for a client. That’s so obvious that it’s almost a tautology. What happens when the client wants something that a designer thinks is a bad idea?

Mostly when non-designers want to over-ride conventions it is just from ignorance. Then again, you’re right that we do need to pay attention to their concerns. There are at least two relevant situations here:

One is that professionals get caught up in self-righteousness and the fad of the moment. We all do it. Stating that, “I’m the professional and I know best,” is at best problematic and at worst, plain wrong. It is so easy to get caught up in our little world that we lose site of the ordinary person, even while claiming that is who we are championing.

The other concern is with wisely choosing your battles. The client wants, “Click here.” Does click here really hurt the page if it is included in a longer text link like, “To learn more about our XYZ Neon Widget, click here?” Redundant? Arguably. Inelegant? Absolutely. Harmful? Not really. This is a small compromise that won’t harm a site, simply make it marginally less sweet.

These types of problems are seldom binary, this or that. Bending a little in non-crucial areas builds a relationship that will more likely survive a “No, I will not do that,” situation. Being flexible enough to both build quality sites and incorporate a client’s wishes is a far more important skill for the professional to learn than simple technical competence.

On the other hand, if there are truly major technical, accessibility, etc. concerns, it is also important to be able to say, “I don’t think that we are a good match.” I did that twice this year. The first time the client was shocked enough to actually listen to my position. We reach a compromise that we could both comfortably live with. The second time was simply a relief to me and most likely to our no-longer-client. My boss trusts me enough that I had her support in this.

There are situations that experience teaches will come back to haunt us. This is less a web design problem than a business one. A client who insists on building a dysfunctional web site will only blame the designer later, even if the problems are ones the client insisted on and signed off for. “I told you so,” never makes a client happy.

It is an interesting phenomenon that the less tightly one holds a position, the more ease there is in finding solutions.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 21st, 2006 at 3:11 pm and is filed under Best Practices, Business Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.