tech|crunch: disrupt 2010 nyc
why "i" think giving a client multiple design mockups is a bad idea...
This morning I was reading through my Twitter stream and I ran across a tweet from my friend John Haydon that was intended for a pretty well known graphic designer. The article that John was pointing to was by a web designer named Lee Munroe ( http://leemunroe.com/one-mockup ) . Well, following the link to the article which was titled "Why you should never present more than one mockup to a client..." I was pleasantly surprised. The article was not only well written and clear, but it was full of experience and wisdom. I wanted to make a comment on the post, but there were already 45 comments and I did not want this to get caught in the noise - SO, I'm sounding off here....
Why I think giving a client multiple design mockups is a bad idea...
Right out of the gate, I want to stress the importance of expertise. Last time I went to the doctor, I can't remember him/her giving me a whole lot of options to the treatment they gave me. In-fact they asked me a series of questions, poked around a bit, left the room, and came back with clear instructions on what I needed to do. Know way would they have given me a list of options to choose from. Similar incident with my car.... Took it to get some repairs. I gave the keys to the Mechanic and he drove the car into his work area and came back with a clip-board with the course of action. The ONLY option he gave me is how and when I am going to pay for his expertise.
If you are reading this, and you are a Designer... Think about what I just said. Think about the idea that YOU are the expert, not your client. THIS IS WHAT THEY HIRED YOU TO DO!!! Be the Expert. Ask the right questions. Study your clients project, OWN IT, and get a clear perspective of the task at hand. Gather all of the information you need to craft the best solution. Rather it be a Brand design, web design, or some shiny pretty thing, MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR GROUND WORK. Think through the design, and create THE best solution, and build your mockup from it. If you work this way, you will find that you can maximize your time, and pour the right amount of passion into the design YOU can believe in, and your clients confidence in your expertise will go through the roof.
If you are reading this, and you are a Client... Think about the last time you were shopping for a car. I am willing to bet that you gravitated to the automaker that fell in-line with your design taste. It would be hard for me to believe that you love the design aesthetics of a Mercedes, yet you started looking at Subaru's ... Nothing against Subaru - BUT a Subaru is NOT a Mercedes. Nope. Well when looking for a Designer for your project, things kinda work the same way. Each Designer has a "style" and if the style they carry matches your vision as it pertains to your project... Go with the Designer and give em your trust that he/she will produce what you looking to produce.
I share an idea with all of my clients. Using the new vehicle scenario I take em on a process... I ask them... "What's your favorite car?" Most people will give me an exotic car that they dream about, I go with it, then I ask... "What's your favorite color?".. They give me the color, and I can feel their energy rising because in their minds they are seeing the vehicle they admire. For the sake of this post, let's say it's a Land Rover, Black. I then proceed to ask them this ...
"If you walked on the Land Rover lot with a check in your pocket for the full value of a fully loaded Land Rover, in black... Would you walk over to the Land Rover and ask to replace the doors for Ford F150 doors?
Usually at this point they are looking at me like I have just lost my mind... So I ask...
"Would you ask the dealer to go inside the car, and paint the seats another color, and give it the steering wheel of a Dodge Ram?"
I conclude this way... The Design team at Land Rover knows what they are doing... They are designing the best experience for you based on years of expertise, and YOU trust that. In fact, you worship it. When working with Designers, pick the best Designers suited for the mission at hand. Most Designers have a portfolio of things they have done. IF what you see in their portfolio looks anything like what you are looking to accomplish, hire them. DO NOT GET CAUGHT UP in this idea of CUSTOM. YES you are paying for a custom work (9 times out of 10) and YES you should have some say so... BUT when that design rolls on to the showroom floor... Resist the urge to take a Land Rovers doors off and replace them with Ford F150 doors.
SO back to the original idea... Why do I think it's a bad idea to give a client multiple design mockups... In my humble opinion, this type of approach takes your value proposition through the floor. It dilutes your expert position, and it often leaves the client with a WalMart design experience, when you should be delivering a Tailor made experience. Professional design is not "multiple-choice" business, it's precise and it's clever.
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Great for an ideation company or a innovation consultancy...



