Oct 17 2011
Back in July I came across an interesting infographic on 13 questions to ask before hiring a web designer. While the infographic itself isn't anything to write home about, some of the questions listed were right on the money. But some weren't.
Question #3: How will you keep my site secure?
The gist of this question is filled with good intention. After all, no one wants to be in a situation where their site has been hacked. That said, backing sites up aren't the only way to prevent this sort of disaster. Nor does the responsibility of backing up a site lay solely on the shoulders of your web design agency.
Backups are always, always a good idea. And your web host should be backing your site up regularly. Clients should also be smart enough to remember to backup their own websites on even just a monthly basis, especially if the relationship with the design agency goes sour post-launch.
But let's not forget passwords. While serious code-cracking and hacking is always a threat, the chances of it happening on smaller sites are miniscule. No, the biggest threat to your website is your own password! How safe is it? If it's on this list or is easy to guess, you had better change it.
Question #6: How many websites have you developed utilizing CMS (Content Management Systems)?
As the principal of a web agency that specializes in content management systems, it's easy enough for me to easily nod in agreement with this question. But I find it misleading.
First off, not every website will require a CMS. It's rare that one won't, but it does still happen.
Second, what's so magical about the number 6? Why is it the threshold for this criterion? To me, it's an arbitrary number. Designers and developers are often tinkerers and lifelong learners. When we can, we spend time learning about all things web, including CMSs, and that doesn't mean we're learning on the client's dime. Sure, some may do that, but that's their ethical dilemma to contend with. In most cases, however, developers will set up their local or private server to play around with a system and really get to know it. Oh sure, there's something of real value when real-world sites are built on a specific CMS – there's no denying that. But to put a number on it is, in my opinion, understating things. For example, if a developer has built 24 small, basic sites using CMS A, that doesn't mean they have more knowledge of it than the developer who has built 5 large-scale, multi-faceted, feature-rich sites using the same CMS.
Question #8: Who will own the Intellectual Property Rights to my website?
This one is one I firmly disagree with. You're not just paying someone for the aesthetics or pretty stuff on a site. You're paying them for much more, which includes critical, strategic thinking tailored to a client's particular business or marketing problem.
When clients work with us, they end up owning the copyrights to the finished product (yes, that includes the source code). They don't own the original Photoshop files in the same way a homeowner doesn't own the copyrights to the blueprints to their house. Per copyright law, clients pay for the end result – the final product – not how a designer got there. Otherwise, why not just lay claim to their creative minds?
(Disclosure: we've absolutely turned over full copyrights to source files for clients before at a negotiated fee.)
Question #11: How long will it take to design, code, and implement my website?
The explanation for this question is just, well, "meh." Finding a happy middle ground, from a client perspective, is difficult. Not all clients will know what goes into the development process and how long each piece will take.
Too long of a time frame is not only subjective, it isn't necessarily an indicator of a poor or non-existent process. Instead, it could indicate a very complex site. A website like Amazon.com doesn't get designed and built in 6 weeks.
The key thing here that should have been pointed out is that the timeline will vary and heavily depend on the features, so the agency really should be able to break the schedule down. Not providing a project calendar at the outset is a bigger flag than the total time it takes to produce a website.
Question #13: Will you be able to design my site to look exactly how I want it to look?
It's concerning how much emphasis this point in the infographic focuses on the visual aspect of a website project. The general intent of this point is headed in the right direction – the end product should be about your customers, not you. Design is so much more than the look and feel. Just because you want to include pink polka dots with brown borders and retro-orange buttons doesn't mean it'll work given your audience. The look and feel should be about usability and getting your message across to your customers. They're the ones who will be using the site after all.