One design or many?

In recent years, I have been thinking about the question: how much better is it to draw design layouts for the same page (in particular, for the main page - after all, it often becomes the subject of possible debate). I decided to outline all my thoughts in this article in this article, perhaps it will make it easier for someone to interact with the client (or the Habramites will give you more interesting ideas).

image

"One" design


The main problem when a client comes and asks for several design options is that in fact, when a designer draws a design, he chooses the most, in his opinion, the right solution. And all other design options either beat out what is already there, or even are hackwork, which is supposedly “another option”. Therefore, there is an opinion that it is better to develop one version of the site design and gradually improve it in the process. This has several advantages:
  1. Time is saved due to the fact that the designer is completely given to the chosen direction.
  2. The client is more involved in the process, since iterations with it will occur already in the early stages.
  3. For the same reason, if there are questions about design, they can be nipped in the early stages.
    Situations when “the client is a fool, doesn’t understand anything in design, and yet we are so good, but they make us do bad things ” in this situation, they are almost zero - the concept is created initially, the test version, and then it is already overgrown with design. At the same time, at each such stage, you can insure yourself and assure the stage, for example, with an act so that later questions do not arise (but this is lyrics and digression, the essence, I think, is understandable).

I want to immediately make a reservation: we are talking about projects of simple and medium complexity (and the same budget). Using this approach, it will be easy for a freelancer or a small design studio to cut costs and produce a truly high-quality and thoughtful product. Indeed, most often in small studios or groups of freelancers 1 person works on design, it will be difficult for him to create several really high-quality, but different concepts for the client.

It seems to me that this method will help not only the work of freelancers and small studios, but also large ones (subject to a limited budget and project level) for the same reason mentioned above: all design costs will be covered at the early stages of design.

image
In the case when it is not clear to the client what is needed, we also draw an arrow from design to design. The resulting picture is somewhat reminiscent of a time travel device from the movie "Back to the Future", which well reflects the essence of the sometimes endless process of creating a design object (when you return to the same thing again and again).

Quality, not quantity

Of course, in a situation where “the client needs several designs, ” this will incur additional costs, and it will at least be reduced to the situation “the client needs several concepts ” (in large studios, a separate designer or individual groups of designers + designers, etc.). But in any case, this will reduce the costs of customers and developers, because a crude concept (an idea in a bare form) will be designed, which is easy to accept or dismiss in the early stages.

The most interesting thing is that if a certain design task can be performed in different ways, then in the end, all the same, there remains the only right decision that will be made (well, or wrong :) . " Correctness”In this case will already depend on the professionalism of the developer, the tests performed during and after the completion of the project, polishing, understanding by the client and the designer of the target audience. That is, in the end, the solution is one, and the design is one, and not many.

Although, I’m talking about commonplace things, but not all clients agree with this, and the arguments that I have cited do not always immediately come to the minds of developers. The idea is that this fee is not just for the design, but for something more, that is, the price of the issue should essentially be higher than is usually required.

Domestic model

These thoughts would be incomplete or too idealistic if not for our harsh reality.
  • For example, take the same tender where several concepts are required from one studio. At the same time, the developers understand that if they are not beautifully executed, then they will not see the order for them.
  • In general, this can be directly related to the decision-making mechanism of especially large customers (banks and similar large structures): the manager consults with the marketer, the marketer with the IT specialist, then everyone gathers for a general board with the general director and makes a decision. And here, as many know, the impossible is possible. Moreover, for each mini-stage of development, this is often simply impossible to organize.

Considering such realistic scenarios, I still come to the conclusion that here the problem of the number of “designs” lies more in some personal conventions: “everyone does it”, “the director likes it that way” ... Therefore, to achieve a good result from design, you need personal place in the background. In the first and second cases , it turns out that the client himself does not know what he wants, and therefore he needs a choice. But there is a way.

The problem, of course, is more general in nature - not only the customers are to blame for the fact that they are customers. Many designers in the post-Soviet space also became designers, as clients, clients — they themselves learned (what to hide there - such a thing). This raises a large number of related questions about each other's competence. But nothing prevents making attempts of mutual education.

So, for example, having made a redesign of a store, you can analyze its performance and tell the customer something like the following: “We made you a redesign that over the year has increased your conversion by 400% and brought a lot of money. We calculated that an additional redesign could bring this figure to 1000%. " Thus, you can make a “good” design gradually.

Responsibility

There are situations when a client is willing to pay for a detailed study of several concepts, which should cost quite a lot, and I would not call it anything other than a whim (except in cases where the client or decision-maker, as I wrote above, does not know what he wants). In general, this disciplines - even if the client later says that everything is done, do it again, he was warned in advance, which he was unobtrusively informed. Although, when using this approach, most often you need to look around and ask yourself - did I follow the chosen concept and does this design really meet the needs of the client and its target audience ...

Returning to the topic, I want to clarify that for each design task you can come up with many solutions (concepts), but there is no sense in organizing some mythical “several options” - the chosen concept is trite approved at a meeting with the client after proposing its various options (yes , with a client who knows what his buyer wants, who can determine whether the chosen direction corresponds to the policy of his company, which makes decisions).

But what if project complexity and risks are very high?


image
The user avkoval gave a link to a wonderful lecture on another development method (including design products) called “ set based design ”. Its essence is that several concepts are being developed in parallel and no final decision is made until the very last moment . This allows you to capture the whole system and take really balanced decisions, based on a large number of really worthy alternatives. So, for example, you can create several maximally developed website concepts and then move your favorite ideas from one concept to another (it is important to correctly allocate resources and have them).

This method will be very costly, but for large and serious projects it will save (perhaps not instantly, but in the long run). So, an interesting example was given at the lecture, when the printer developer calculated that in order to increase the number of sales they needed to introduce the function of removing red eyes from photos. For this, the team had 12 weeks and 2 algorithms: simple, but working, and complex, advanced, but which may lead to failures or will not be completed on time. Which option to choose for the team? The correct answer: both! It is necessary to work out both concepts, because simple in any case will be ready on time, and difficult, if not ready on time, then at least in the future it will give the company an advantage. Thus, in the long run it’s a saving - if not money, then time for sure,

So one or many?


I think that the truth is somewhere in between. You need to choose the right concept based on the budget, risks, level of complexity of business tasks, scale and your resources.

Related Literature:

Also popular now: