Client Interviews
Good communication with the client is essential in any web development project. Avoiding misunderstandings requires a clear outline of the project. This outline is usually contained in the requirements specification. At the start of the project an interview should take place to question the client about their requirements for the site. This interview should ideally take place face-to-face with a prepared list of questions. These questions should cover all the areas listed below:
- Content – What content does the client want included in the site? Who is responsible for providing content?
- Design – what the site is going to look like.
- Functionality – what the site is required to do i.e. static or dynamic? e-commerce? etc.
- Hosting and maintenance – what arrangements does the client have for web hosting? Who will be responsible for updating the site?
- Target audience – who is going to use the site?
- Search Engine Optimisation – What search terms should the site be optimised for?
- Security – How will confidential information be kept secure? How will the site be protected from hackers, etc.?
- Maintenance – who will be responsible for updates? How will these be carried out?
Below is a list of potential questions for asking at an interview with a client:
About the Company
- What does the organisation do?
- What is your role in the organisation?
- Who are your competitors? What are their websites like?
Aims & Objectives
- What is your goal in developing a website?
- What is the main purpose of the site?
- What other goals and requirements do you have for the site?
Target Audience
- Who are your target audience?
- Who do you think will use the site? What main groups?
- What reasons will they have for visiting the site?
- How will they be viewing the website? i.e. on PCs and laptops, mobile phones, etc.
- What range of IT skills will they have? How comfortable will they be with using technology?
Design
- Do you have any existing logo or colour scheme?
- What kind of image would you like the website to project i.e. professional, modern, etc.?
Features
- What features would you like to see on the site?
- What features might you want to add in the future?
Content
- What information and pages would you like to include in the site?
- What is the most important information?
- What multimedia content would you like to include?
- What content can you supply?
- When can you supply it?
Hosting and Maintenance
- What arrangements do you have for webhosting?
- Do you require to have any domain names registered?
- Who will be responsible for updating the site?
Security
- Do you require SSL authentication for any part of the site?
- How will confidential records be kept secure?
- How many people will be using the system?
- What levels of access will be required?
- Will you require backups of the information?
Content Management
- What tasks will the system be required to perform?
- How many people will be updating the website?
- What level of technical skill will they have?
- Does content need to be approved before publishing?
E-commerce
- Do you need multiple currencies and tax rates?
- Do you require unlimited product categories?
- How will shipping be charged?
- How do you want to charge tax?
- What are your delivery rates?
- Do you require cross-selling?
- Do you require real-time shipping?
SEO
- What search terms do you want your site to be optimized for?
Project Proposals
After these questions have been answered, the next step is to prepare a proposal to be presented to the client. The proposal outlines your understanding of the client’s requirements and how you would tackle the project. It should cover each of these areas:
- the project requirements as you have understood them from the client
- outline and scope of the project
- a general overview of the technical elements
- timescale and schedule – sets out what will be delivered and when
- budget and payment schedule – letting the client know what fees you will charge and when they will be due
- hosting and domain arrangements
- copyright and legal issues – including who will own copyright to the completed site
- some ideas on the proposed design – including some basic storyboards to give the client an idea of what the site will look like
The proposal is then presented to the client. This is an opportunity to persuade the client to hire your company as opposed to any of the competitors so you should explain why you think you would do a good job and provide an opportunity for the client to ask questions.