A guide to the client-agency relationship while building a website

... or how to get the most out of agency when designing your high-performing website, app, or something else.

Congratulations! You’ve decided to redesign your website. You fought for it all the way to the top of your company's ranks. You defended the allocated budget with all your inner beastliness. You stood tall through all 5-rounds of the agency selection process, and now it is all done. This is happening. All you need to do now is build it with your selected agency partners. Tip-top. Done.

Truth is, this was just a warm-up. Questions from the agency start coming in at a dizzying rate, and your 0-inbox policy now looks like a distant memory. You discover that a ton of material you need to prepare and gather would actually be a mountain even Diana Ross would find high enough. But you expected that. The worst thing is – you have a crystal-clear idea of every inch of your new web, but somehow, you can’t get your agency to produce a carbon copy of your thoughts.

We've been helping businesses like yours for the last 20 years, and we are keen to help you too. Is this guide a sales pitch? It’s more of a “we’d like you to get as much value from your next business relationship” kind of plea. Every business benefits from efficient relationships. We also think it’s Human.

So we made this overview. And yes - this one is just an overview. Waiting to become a series because boy oh boy do we have a treat for you. Yes, the process we will now try to shortly explain is everything but short. And most of the time - it’s not simple. So, in the future, you can expect an entire series covering each of this blog’s parts in more detail and with relevant examples based on exact projects. Because - #GoHardOrGoHome.

We need the facts only you know

First things first. The agency needs everything you can provide. Your standards, materials, experience, knowledge. The trick is in how you give us these crucial pieces of information. You know it best. We know what we assume. And you know what they say about assumptions.

Data for breakfast, lunch and dinner

We want to know everything about your company. Like, what your company is made of, what your market path was, what makes you different, who your current consumers are, what they’re saying about you… You have to stand united when it comes to these claims. It has to be what your company thinks about itself, even if it differs from your personal opinion. And it would help a lot if the info we get is based on data.

And not just any data. For example, imagine a company claiming that millennials are the dominant age group within their website traffic. But if all their campaigns were focused solely on this slice of the demographic pie, that information may not be relevant to us. Why? Because their website (and product/service) could be attracting other age groups that haven’t been targeted yet.

The point is: we will critically evaluate the data you have gathered, as well as reach these conclusions and find opportunities together. If your company’s upper ranks have different ideas - it's better to resolve them sooner than later. Have a consolidated and clear idea of these facts before you come in for a production meeting. Or bring crucial decision-makers to the first meetings and we will sort it out together. Everyone involved in decision-making in the project must be present and on the same page when setting up the project.

Playground

Now we are coming to the part where we define what the playground is. Right now, you probably have a logo, fonts, some standards… Do we have to use them, or are you looking for a totally different visual representation? Are we beginning from scratch? What are our boundaries? There are tons of micro decisions like this on the way. So be prepared to make them fast when the time comes.

Already in this early phase, you need to firmly decide what we have to use out of all the materials you’ve provided. We don’t want to wander off into the restricted part of the forest.

Agency tip: You still love Comic Sans or your friend told you Verdana is the new hype? You heard from someone in marketing that purple is the new black this spring? That’s great. But is it suitable for your business, your target audience and the message you want to send? Trends pass. Your main goal is to stay recognizable to your consumers and visually coordinated between your web products so you don’t lose that hard-earned top-of-mind awareness. Try not to change your look and feel every now and then just because there is a new trend on the loose.

Naturally, we have to be able to use the materials you provide. Sending them as JPEGs in the mail body will not do. Who does that, you might ask? You’d be surprised. Open formats (.psd, .ai, open pdf…) uploaded to shared folders would be great. Thank you!

Work together as a team

Ok, we have the data, we understand the boundaries you’ve established and have a sandbox in which to build our castles. Let’s start talking about what we can do for you and how exactly will we reach your goals.

Who is the decision maker?

Crucial info. If you say you want your web page to be red and someone else says they want it black - who has the final say? Or, you love the example we’ve shown but person B says it’s the ugliest thing they’ve ever set eyes on? Or you envisioned having a video hero showing your current campaign, but your colleague is set on having a graphic representation of your production process?

Assign one person to be the decision maker and stick to this person’s decisions. There is nothing worse than trying to fulfill everyone's personal preferences at once. It leads to utter confusion, and rest assured - nobody will be happy with that.

Agency tip: When in doubt - try listening to your web agency. We know this can be difficult, but agencies usually have specialized teams of people who are here to help you make tough decisions. They know the cold hard facts. How consumers move across the web and what they respond to. Agency suggestions will be made with many, many details and UX considerations in mind.

Set the goals

“I want it to be pretty.”

“I want it to be modern.”

“Just spruce it up a bit.”

Do these sentences sound like goals? If not, you're on track. If yes, we will dedicate extra time to reach more specific, measurable goals. How else will we know if we are successful or not?

There is always some kind of goal you wish to achieve. Some mid-term and long-term plans. Do you have a webshop and want people to buy more? Do you benefit from people staying longer on your page, reading articles, for example?

Define the need, because once you do, your goal also becomes our goal. It’s the one thing we’ll always go back to when we need to make a decision. It’s also a metric we will use to measure success.

Agency tip: If you have more than one goal, it is best to have these prioritized. It doesn’t mean having one goal as No.1 will disqualify others from being achieved. Any one thing could depend on anything else, just like in everyday life. If we get people to spend more time on your web, it is highly probable they will also read more of your blog posts. Having said that, it is useful to focus on one primary goal and achieve it by making an impact on accompanying goals along the way.

Desires vs. Needs

You know best what you and your team like and want. It is also important to be aware of what you don't know so well. This is where your agency comes in. We know how to find out what your consumer likes and needs. We can also help you define business needs and reconcile all sides.

The best thing you can do is to detach from your personal preference and think objectively. Do you prefer minimalism? Does it matter, if your audience is Gen Z who only expresses in vibrant colors? Sometimes the web that you have envisioned won't do the job. And in the process of working with an agency, you'll come to a better long-term solution that will exceed your initial expectations. Building digital products is a process of constant reevaluation. If you are prepared to modify your vision on the way, you are one step closer to a great website. The one that will resonate both with your company and your target audience.

Stay on track

Ok, we talked, had great ideas, and reached certain conclusions. Now we’re all on the same page. Let’s go back to our little creative cave, put our brains to work, create what we feel you need, and then come back to you. To hear what you think. To learn what we did well, and what we missed.

And then, the ball is in your court. Let’s play tennis.

Expectations

We cannot emphasize this one enough: the first draft of the design almost never ends up on the web. It’s called a draft for a reason so, try treating it that way. Drafts are a great tool for evaluating the path we are going. They save us time by redirecting us in the early phases. They are a great stepping stone on the way to your satisfaction. Nothing more, nothing less.

Feedback

Give it to us. Clearly and objectively. It’s the most common battlefield in the struggle between clients and agencies. Try to step back from phrases like “But I like this background” or “My high school friend doesn't understand this” and try to hear our UX/UI experts while they explain the reasoning behind their decisions. If the explanation is not based on facts and your preference could negatively influence your web performance - it is not worth it.

Also, we need to understand what exactly the issues are. Be clear, precise, and to the point. We can’t read minds, that superpower has not yet been developed (ETA 2046). Tell us exactly which part is wrong. General comments like “yeah, like that but differently” won’t lead to meaningful solutions if we can’t understand the problem.

Agency tip: Sometimes, it's hard to pinpoint what bothers you about the design, and we understand that. When in doubt, it is good to ask yourself this question - is it the content? Placeholder images often don’t represent your company as you’ve envisioned it. But these are just placeholders, so try focusing on the big picture, usability, and intuitiveness instead.

Next - prioritize. This is the time to decide on crucial issues like where to place the elements for the best user experience, how to properly showcase your content (type and placement), time for finding fonts that are in line with your brand style but still readable, use of colors in general… Everything else is mere details and can be changed. Keep your focus on MVP issues. What this means is that the color of the cookie policy button, about to be seen by 0.2% of your web visitors, is completely irrelevant at this stage.

Amazingly, you’ve made it to the end of the post! We’ve kept your attention, of that we are sure because we’re here - the last people standing on this design dance floor, together. Hopefully, reading through it wasn’t just amusing but educational and helpful as well. We wanted to show our side of this journey and explain why you sometimes don't get what you expected right off the bat. It’s no one's fault. It’s just the way things work. However, to every problem, there’s a solution and hopefully, we just took a step towards it.

DINA ZASTAVNIKOVIĆ / April 17, 2023