“Work that matters”: 3 brand vision and client relationship articles from A List Apart
A List Apart Advice for Digital Strategists
Transitioning from being a market researcher to a user researcher-interaction designer to a digital strategist pushes me to read industry blogs almost constantly.
These are A List Apart posts I found useful recently:
1. Client Relationships and the Multi-Device Web
One of the activities I have the most trouble with is: CONVINCING CLIENTS OF THINGS.
Apparently, what they’re paying you to do, as a digital strategist, is make sense of what businesses/brands need then try to sell solutions back at them.
It’s basically…Sales. Plus teaching.
“When you step into the room with a client, you are a visitor from the future. You, web professional, spend your days immersed in the new paradigms of the multi-device web. Yet even for you, the constant change and adjustments that come with living on the internet can feel overwhelming. So how do you think your clients feel?
…How do I explain this Internet?”
Lessons:
- Communication flow: Statistics + Story + Specifics
“Watching this interaction on the big screen while they reproduce it on a handheld device helps everyone to make that connection between the mobile and desktop experiences. They can see that the content isn’t disparate, just recontextualized.”
- “Show them what deliverables they’ll be reviewing:…Let them know: if the outcome of this project is important to you, we need your feedback on the spec doc by next Friday!”
- “..they will understand that these are the first steps toward defining information hierarchy and layout…When we show our clients wireframes, we ask them for content-oriented feedback”
- “Taking the extra time to help our clients understand the challenges we face and the role they’ll play in our process makes them easier to communicate and work with. It will help build their confidence in you, strengthen your rapport, and bring them more fully into your team for this and future projects.
It’s true that your new clients may not yet know and love this squishy internet the way you do. But enthusiasm is infectious. Help your clients see the internet for what it is (magic design goggles optional), and all your client interactions will benefit.”
2. Getting to Flow
This. is. relatable.
Because it talks about dealing with the rift between Client and Product Development team.
“We want to do Good Work”
“Rather than wait for deadlines to come and go, start the engagement assuming your client can do meaningful tasks leading the work of writing for the web and sourcing compelling imagery. Recruit some likely writers from the client side and run early training sessions”
“For example, when you assign research and testing tasks back to your client, you’ll see resistance from some very busy people who don’t understand what you’re asking, or why it’s a good idea for them to be involved.”
“Your way in is really to make your contact feel like more of an “insider” on your own team, so that they develop a gut feel that these techniques are working. Invite them over to your shop as much as you can, giving you the chance to demonstrate your own team culture while cementing the sense of working together. “
3. Defining a Vision: Making Sure Your Work Matters
Hurts too much.
Just read it for yourselves.
“Ask them to write down a brand-name product for which they will accept no substitute. If it’s not in stock, they won’t buy another brand, and might even drive to another store for it. You can also ask them to do the same for favorite websites, TV shows, or something related to their particular industry.”
