So it seems I am back on track again. After 1 month of travelling changing the country and taking part in an amazing course (and living in tent in October) I am here again. Could not get done many things in the last couple of weeks as all my stuff is still back in the UK however currently there is an opportunity to help with the design of a magazine.
So I built up a kind of project plan and created a quote for the whole stuff and obviously needed a questionnaire to identify the client’s needs. I thought it can be useful to create a post on this topic as the gathered information at an early stage is vital for the success of the project.
We can work as a web or graphic designer and have all kinds of work to do however it’s still very important to have a design questionnaire to gather the right information for the project up front. Generally clients don’t know what to tell you. What do they want with the project, what do they like, what do they hate? It can be difficult to satisfy a client if we don’t even know what is their goal with the project. Especially if even they don’t know. Later there will be more about this.
If you don’t have a design questionnaire yet, I would recommend to start creating one and probably you won’t finish. It is like a portfolio. By learning and getting more experience you will also realise that you have to ask more (or less) questions and sometimes more accurate or ask them differently. Probably there is no perfect questionnaire and every project requires different kind of and amount of information however still there are some joker questions what we always need to ask.
Some questions to ask
What is your company’s name?
this is quite obvious, good to know whom we are working for and probably we will
use this name in our work whatever it is
Tell us a little bit about your company?
important to know the nature of the business and the industry. the more we know about the company the better we can identify their needs
What are your company’s core products/services?
this is what the client sells, this generate their profit so good to know what is it when we do any kind of design project for them
What is the mission of your company in one sentence? What are the three main values of your company?
these can be tricky questions for some client. In some cases maybe this is something they haven’t thought about. Probably good to ask this question for some projects like logo design or corporate identity, etc. etc. but I think there are some projects when we can leave it
How would you say that your company differs from your competitors?
what makes you special, what is your niche product, what makes you stand out from your competitors
In a few sentences, tell us about your design project, your goals for it and what you hope to achieve with it?
these questions not just helping us to gather the information, also help the client to make the idea more clear in their head. or it can generate new ideas
Who is your target audience? Can you describe and characterize them as clearly as possible?
we need to know whom we are talking to or trying to communicate with. different things attract different kind of people and age group etc. etc.
How would you define success for this project?
at some design projects this can be a funny question although it is a really important thing to know. And just like two questions before, it can generate new ideas and make the client think clearly about the project
Is there a particular design approach you would like incorporated in the design aspect of your project? What particular qualities do you like about that approach?
maybe there is something what the client really wants to incorporate in the design a certain element or style. Also good to know what do they like about that style or element. Maybe we can offer them something different, more effective, etc. etc.
What is the vision you have for your company in 5 years?
I’m not sure if there is a company which can plan for 5 years ahead nowadays. On the other hand it’s always good to have a clear vision and positive attitude. I don’t think I will put this question into my questionnaire
How your audience will find out about the website/product etc.? What will they look at/need from the website/product?
good to know where are they coming from and what for. The best questions will make your client think and everytime you see that, it means you saved a lot of time. The clearer the client sees the project the easier it will be to satisfy them. Maybe you can also bring things to their attention what they haven’t thought of or you can help them to tie the loose ends and i’m pretty sure they will be thankful for it
Is there any particular website/design/product what you really love/hate and you think it can be useful/avoidable for the project? Why?
it can help our communication if there is something to look at when we are talking about ideas or the client tries to describe their imagination. Obviously we should not copy things but it’s good to see what style or elements we should use or follow
More resources on design questionnaire
For more resources you can find useful documents under the design resources. I can also recommend Jeff Fisher’s The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success which is a really handy book for graphic designers.
Jeff Fisher's book The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success
You Ask
Those questions above are just examples and suggestions although I’m sure that everyone has one what you would add or one what you do not agree on. Please let us know and leave a comment with the question(s) what you would ask from your client.
This post is tagged core products, design, design questionnaire, graphic designer, nature of the business, opportunity, product, success, UK
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