What it means to be a good client

When it comes to collaboration between design teams and clients, a lot of the pressure falls on the design team. Perhaps justifiably. When things go sour it's the designers that take the heat. But what some folks fail to realize is that clients have responsibilities during the design process too. If you think about it, they have to. It's their business designers are working with to improve and who knows it better than the client? So what does it really mean to be a good client? It's more than just responding to questions and providing info. A good client... #### Is goal oriented As designers outside of your organization, we can't be expected to know how your site fits into the business as a whole. Not only is it a client's responsibility to know this, but they should see the big picture in the first place. #### Understands the importance of a target audience A good client not only is aware of who their target is, but also understands that knowing this and communicating it to their design team will lead to better results. Addressing target audiences is **never** a waste of time. #### Will answer detailed questions and provide clear goals Just about every good design team will have a discovery process. In fact, even before a project begins there will be questions posed to prospective clients. A client should not only answer these questions – which are necessary – they should also provide clear goals for the site, as well as scope and requirements. #### Is responsive to communications From the first inquiry a prospect / client should be responsive. Replying to emails or returning phone calls within 5 minutes is highly unlikely and unrealistic, but doing so in a timely manner is not only courteous, it shows that you mean business. Beyond that, when the project is underway, giving sign-offs and approvals in a timely manner are just as important. Just because you've hired a team to do some work for you doesn't mean you get to sit back and relax – your input is too important to do that. #### Gets content on time A lot of small business clients will provide their own content. And that's just fine. Unfortunately most underestimate the time and energy it takes to write good content and fail to get it to the design / development team in a timely manner. Part of this is the responsibility of the project manager to ensure milestones and schedules are set. Once they are, a good client will get that content to them on time. It benefits everyone involved and keeps the project moving forward. #### Trusts the expertise of the design / development team Despite the discount design chop-shops, web design, logo design, branding, etc., all require a certain level of skill, talent and expertise. A client who respects and understands that will have a much more rewarding design experience than one who undermines and questions the decisions of a designer or developer. ### What about you? Do you have anything to add to this list? If so, leave your thoughts in the comments!