We had a humble begining when we just started our web design business 6 years ago. Some customers asked for mockup before project confirmation.
Yes, you have a test drive before you buy a car, some sample to test before you order something. But this should never happen to a web design project.
What is a mockup? Mockup is the draft design of the website that you are going to produce later. Customer feel that by looking at the mockup, they can judge how good is a web design company, and then only to confirm.
There is a cost to develop a mockup. Mockup is a result of detail study of customer’s service and products, understand how to present the website and to make it interesting. It is part of the development, and there is cost associated with it.
My personal experience of dealing with customers who wish to have a mock up…
99.99% you don’t get the deal, see :)
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I refer to your blog article on Website Mockup. How does a client evaluate your work or capabilities if no mockups are provided? Granted, the client can go through you portfolio and gauge from there but if you have never designed a website for a particular industry, how or what measure can a client use to ascertain your competencies in understanding their objective for the website?
Many thanks for your answer in advance.
Gwen
No doubt, a website mockup can roughly give you an idea of how good the design skill of a web design company. Sadly, this the fanciness of the design of a website is becoming the de facto standard of how ‘big boss’ judging at web developers.
Check out the drop down menu in Tourism Terengganu Website (http://www.tourism.terengganu.gov.my/), I would sure it pleased the few persons who make the decision of appointing which web developers. Behind this, how much are you aware the conversion you have just lost, including poor indexing by Google that directly affect the number of worldwide travelers who will find this website. Who knows because of this menu alone, it limits the content updating as well as increase cost and time to maintain. The whole same website can be replaced with just a Blog, yet converting more visitors to the website to real travelers to Malaysia.
So, what is the reference if not mockup?
Let’s look at the reason of creating a website. The success of a website is more realistic if we hook it to the Conversion Rate of the website, capability of achieving a measurable result. Such as more sign up to your training event, more brochure download, etc.
The web company must be able to share with their customers, identify the goal of creating website, and finding a solution that can achieve all this.
Nice/beautiful design increase conversion?
Definitely no. Just look at Google and Facebook and learn how they focus in content, useful content.
No visitors are dropping by your website just because there is some nice flash animation, or fancy dropdown.
If they are coming on this purpuse, they are probably not your potential customers, perhaps, some web design students who wish to do some research, that is the closest I can think of :)
I have included some reading which you might be interested:
http://www.1.com.my/2008/05/29/criteria-for-selecting-good-web-developer/
http://www.websitesolution.com/2008/07/08/advertisement-in-year-1924/
http://www.websitesolution.com/2008/06/09/old-marketing-manager/
http://www.websitesolution.com/2008/04/09/what-is-good-website/
http://www.webdesigning.com.my/2008/06/12/blog-kills-web-developers/
http://www.webdesigning.com.my/2008/05/01/a-must-have-feature-for-your-website/
Thank you very much for your insights. So, what you’re saying is that the web-design company should be able to come up with a concept or solution based on their understanding of the customer’s objectives. But isn’t it true that many design companies still put forward their most flashy designs to convince customers that they are “creative”? Almost like saying “see what we can do”. I agree with you that the objective of a website should always be in the forefront of any design.
Incidentally, what kind of budget range should one be looking to put aside for a revamp?
I guess you would have guessed by now that I’m looking to revamp our website :)
Any takers?
Agreed. That is why I’ve founded Web Developer Alliance and currently we have about 40 web developers, and I wish my Blog can share my ideas with them. Web developers are in the front line of this industries, they should be aware and fair to the customers, sharing with them how website can help their business, not on those creative mock for the sake of wining the project.
Budget, depends on how much revenue your website can help you generate, and how much cost you can save by launching your website.
1. Do you have a statistic for the past 6 months? Send it to me pin@1.com.my, I would be able to review it for you, to find out what kind of info your customers are visiting
2. Who is currently maintaining the updating of your content? How much time and cost involved per month basis?
3. How many new enquiry you have received every month?
4. Any operation task which you think it can be done online, and save the cost of offline operation?
I must admit, your current website is quite updated and I like those customer quote. I can see your effort of including your event picture as well.
This can all be streamline with Blog to make it more accessible and organized, yet easier to manage. Visitors are smart nowadays, they want to see actual comment from customers than quote.
If I’m a visitor to your website, I would like to see more from your customers, not from your web master. In fact, this is part of the Web 2.0 concept where most of your website content are actually from your visitors by comment, this indirectly build up trust and closer relationship with your visitors, first step to convert them to your customers.
The objective of your revamp, should focus on increase visitors and conversion rate, not simply for the sake of ‘creative’ outlook. Therefore, your exsiting visitor data are important.
Change is pain. Web developers clinch on their last log (mockup) hoping to swim across the red ocean. Just like many event companies, if you’re continuously working on project after project, it is a tiring business model. You sell your time and values, and building experience on yourself or company, not on your products. Many project (noise) makes you think less where to head your business.