Are you considering hiring an agency to help you design from scratch, redesign, or improve the usability of your website/app or product? Welcome then!
The Goal of This Blog Post Is toĀ Save You Some Trouble and to Keep You From Overspending.
Here are 6 very practical and proven tips to boost efficiency while cooperating with a creative company. If you are the kind of person who does your homework before kicking off a new project, then you are in the right place.
I takeļø the homework and prep work very very seriously because it meansĀ fewer issues and better productivityĀ when it comes to getting the job done.
Before the website redesign, we completed lots of things:
- updated mission, vision, and values
- came up with a new slogan
- researched personas & all the competitors
- conducted brand interviews with the team
Basically, I had a ton of information to give to the agency that was going to redesign our website. It helped us a lot, andĀ it saved timeĀ (read money)Ā that they would have spent on getting to know us.
So, here are theĀ 6 tips to keep you within budgetĀ while working with a UI/UX Agency.
Numero 1 ā Start With Setting Your Primary Business Goals
āļøAsk some very basic but important questions:
- What is the primary goal of the website or app?
- Is it converting users into customers, selling products, and getting registrations? What is the key goal?
- Why are you creating this website/app?
Example:
Goal #1 ā convert website visitors into MQL (marketing qualified lead), making you capable of contacting the person.
Goal #2 ā educate people about your services & expertise.
Goal #3 ā showcase the work with case studies and testimonials.
Numero 2 ā Do You Know Your Customers? Do You Know Them Well Enough?
Stop the guesswork, do your research.Ā You can not assume what people know or how they navigate your website. This is a template we follow:
If you got some time, reach out to various clients and schedule user interviews. This is the best way to get valuable info on the customer challenges, goals, and pain points.
Also, if you have aĀ
Numero 3 ā Get a Free Consult From a Ui/Ux Lead Designer
There are tons of agencies offeringĀ free consultations. Why not use it?
Talk to professionals, and listen to their advice. Ask around for recommendations if someone has already been working with other agencies. Most of our new clients are from our past clients.
Numero 4 ā Reach Out to the Top 5 Agencies And Compare the Estimate You Get
Where to look for an agency? If you want to read valid reviews and get all the companies ranked based on customer satisfaction, go toĀ
The alternatives to clutch are:
Highlight up to 6 agencies, and reach out for project estimates (time & cost). Itās crucial to get different offers to be able to pick the one you like the most.
Numero 5 ā Collect All the Visual Materials You Have Ever Produced: Brand Books, PDFs, etc.
Pass to the agency that you have signed a deal with an NDA agreement with all the materials you have. It will help them to get to know you better, to see how the brand was developing.
You can send them everything, itās going to be their job to look through all the stuff and ask questions if needed.
Some crucial documents to provide are:
- a brand book,
- visual guidelines,
- logotypes,
- case studies.
Numero 6 ā Demand a Design Brief
The best way to start cooperation is by filling out a design brief provided by an agency. You will be asked to provide some basic info about services, target audience, objectives, challenges, etc.
I would suggest going very detailed in a brief. Make sure to list website/app examples that you really like as a reference. Normally, people need at least 2 weeks to finish the design brief.
Thatās it!š
Working with an agency isnāt always about spending lots of money. Come prepared, talk to professionals, and aim for maximum productivity.
Cheers!
Ralabs Design Team š
Originally published here