The world of web design is going to continue to thrive with every business created needing a website for maximum exposure to their market. For this reason those people that run web design companies or marketing companies that offer website design and management will continue to be in demand. Designers can come from all over the world and have different aspirations with some wanting the freedom that comes from being their own boss while others like the artistic freedom that web design offers. Managing designers can be tough as every designer could have a vastly different personality and management style that is effective with them. The following are tips to keep your web design team on track as well as motivated.
Allow Them To Work From Home
The office is not always the best place for a designer to work with the chatter as well as meetings that do not pertain to the design team. There are designers that work much better from home and with video conference capabilities they will not miss a beat as they can be present when discussing a project with a client. Those designers that frequently miss deadlines need to be micromanaged and should not be allowed to work from home. Remote designers can help save money but can be much more difficult to manage especially if there is a small language barrier to overcome.
Provide A Comfortable Setting
The office should be as comfortable for the designers as possible as far as their desks and chairs go. Designers can sit for hours on end when they get into the groove so providing massage chairs can help them counteract the negative impacts of sitting for this long. The design team might want to work in a darker space than the rest of the office so provide this space for them. Energy drinks are what many designers live on so providing these as a perk can help keep the team motivated as well as hyper aware.
Put Milestones On Certain Projects
For larger projects it is important to put milestones so the expected completion date does not get pushed back. This will also allow the client manager to let a client know if their project is going to take longer than expected. If a client consistently needs changes to work that otherwise was fine but not in their image of the project let the client know that the deadline needs to be pushed back. Clients that make modifications that are opposite of original desire should also be charged as extra time means extra money that the design team needs to be paid. These milestones being approved by the client can also help motivate the designer to want to finish the project for grateful clients.
Clear Communication With Clients Is Key
The last thing that anyone wants is to complete a project that is not what the client expected. Clear communication needs to be a priority throughout the project while checking in with the client at major stopping points. A client that takes a week to reply should have their deadline pushed back in favor of clients that value the responsive nature that it takes to get a design project done right the first time! For this reason recaps of calls and emails need to be kept and sent to the client. This will help defend the designer if the client goes rogue telling the company they are not paying as this is not what they expected.
