| If you've ever had to design
a number of mockups for clients, you'll know first hand just
how much work is usually involved. The entire process really
can be quite time consuming - if you let it.
In this article I touch on a few aspects of what's involved
in doing website mockups, or "wireframes" as they're
often referred to, and how often they can either sell your
offer or lead to scope creep before the projects even started.
Take it from me, mockups can become an overly complicated
process if you're not careful!
Personally, I like to keep my mockups VERY SIMPLE. Have you
ever heard of the phrase "cocktail napkin mockup"?
Well you have now. It's what I like to sketch out on a peice
of blank paper in a coffee shop over a light meal when chatting
with prospects. Here's an actual mockup of a site that I drew
up in about 2 minutes that landed me a $8,000 project. Cool
huh?
Strangely enough, many freelancers feel they need to spend
days, even weeks putting mockups together, and there are those
who do it BEFORE they even know they have the job! I just
dont get it.
This approach is crazy. I've said it before and I'll say it
again. NEVER work for free, and this includes doing website
design mockups.
On the other hand, I've had my fair share of prospects who
ask me to do mockups for FREE, then say they'll base their
decision as to whether or not I get the job, on what my mockups
look like. What the???? These are the clients you want to
run away from - FAST!
If you ever find yourself being asked or "expected"
to do free mockups for a prospect, tell them "thanks,
but no thanks", you're not interested in working with
them and be on your way. Mockups are just as much of the process
as any part of the actual design of a clients website. It
still amazes me how many freelancers feel they need to "impress"
a client with fancy designs, just so they say yes. If you're
good at what you do, and you have confidence in your abilities,
you don't need to "justify" your work to anyone
- period.
Okay, so what's involved with a web design mockup? What are
some common questions? Let's have a look at some I've encountered
over the years of being self employed.
Question : "How many mockups should I do...?"
You should only do what needs to be done. More mockups doesn't
mean "better". Infact, I've found that by offering
clients more choices, it does nothing but confuse them and
over complicate the process. Have you ever walked into an
ice cream shop that has hundreds of flavours with a 5 year
old and asked them to make a choice? It can be the longest
decision they'll ever make in their lives! Keep it simple,
give them no more than 2 options, but make them GOOD. Then
educate them on WHY you have set their site out as you have.
Once they understand that the layout has purpose, and isn't
just to "look good" they'll be more responsive.
Question : "Should I do the mockups
for free to try and get the job...?"
I should slap you for asking that question. NEVER do anything
for a new client unless they are paying you for your time.
This includes doing website mockups! Part of the process is
receiving your initial deposit FIRST, then beginning the design
stage. Include in your contracts that you intend on offering
2 designs only for them to choose from, then set a timeline
on design completion to which you must stick to. There's no
point spending 3 weeks on just getting the design worked out,
before you've even started! If the design phase starts to
drag out, then inform your client that your hourly rate will
be applied. This will usually get them to make a decision
and quit wasting your time.
Question : "How can I prevent the client from
making silly changes to my intended design...?"
Most times clients will request changes simply because they
"can". For whatever the reason, I feel clients just
like to say, "Yeah, it's not bad....but" This is
to be expected. And this is exactly the reason why I suggest
using a set schedule or timeframe to follow during the project
lifecycle. If a client knows they can go round in circles
endlessly, they most likely will. However, if they know it's
going to cost them, they'll quit messing about with silly
changes and begin focusing on the more important stuff. Put
simply, follow a tight schedule.
Question : "What if the client hates all of my
mockups, what can I do...?"
If you've got yourself a difficult client, don't
panic. There is still hope! If ever I find I have a client
that I just cant satisfy, regardless of how much I try, I'll
send them to a site like template monster to choose a design
for themselves. Ill basically say, "Hey, you select a
design, and let me know which template you like, and we'll
go with that, okay?" Once a client finds something they
like, I know they're happy, I'm happy because I can move forward,
and development of the website can get underway.
Question : "What's the best way to do quick mockups...?"
Strangely enough, just before writing this article I found
a great piece of software that allows you to do wireframe
website mockups. It's called Balsamiq Mockups. Whilst I havent
used this software myself, it's apparently getting great revues,
and the video demo looked pretty neat. You can check it out,
by heading over to Balsamiq
Mockups I think it's about 80 bucks.
If your pockets aren't that deep, stick with a good old fashioned
pen and paper. I do, and it works for me every time. I guess
it must be the cafe ambience that has clients saying "Sure
that looks great..." I keep it simple, quick and to the
point, but I don't do anything that involves sitting at my
desk using photoshop unless I have received a deposit!
Remember, before you begin designing sites for clients and
getting involved in mockups, make sure you have solid contracts
in place! You can get the complete pack HERE.
This is a complete turnkey web design business solution in
a box. Over 67 contracts and a 198 page ebook, jam packed
with a lot of useful information, tips and advice you can
begin using in your web design business right away!
Best of luck to you.
John
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