Design on the mind

The short answer to this question is NO, they certainly shouldn’t! For a web or graphic designer there are always going to be deadlines. They are a part of any brief; a client always has a timescale in mind. The question is whether the client’s idea of a realistic timescale matches the designers and their workload. No good designer will take on a job where the quality of the design would be compromised just to meet an unrealistic deadline. It is just not worth his/her reputation.

Project Management

A good designer will, however, be able to meet a tight deadline with effective management of the project.  To manage a design project a designer needs to be aware of the following:

1. How long it will take to do each particular part of the design and how that will fit in with the internal scheduling of all the design projects that are current.

2. How long will any outsourced parts of the design take? For example a print job will be heavily reliant on the printer’s schedule so this will need to be checked and factored in.

3. How much of the project will rely on the client? – for example if the client is required to supply copy for the website design, they will need to be made aware of when it is needed and the consequence of that deadline being missed.

4. If the design project is for a larger company that will require multiple sign offs for approval it is probably worth allowing a little more time for this in the schedule.

5. For very large projects where there are many parts or stages to the design it is always worth allowing extra time for the inevitable changes or additions. These will often happen as the project moves forward however meticulously it has been planned out.

Timeline

A very effective way to ensure that the project is managed properly is for the designer to agree a timeline with the client before work begins; this can be done as part of the contract. The timeline should include:

1. Production deadlines

2. Approval deadlines

3. Deadlines for the supply of content including copy and images from the client.

4. Testing deadlines

5. Launch/delivery dates.

Be sure that the client is aware of the importance of the timeline and how each milestone deadline that is not met will affect the overall project.

Communication

If the project management and the timeline are executed properly there will be little reason for a project to run over time. It is very important, however, that the communication between the designer and the client is good. It means that any hiccups or delays can be resolved straight away; everyone is in the loop.

Respect the deadline

If the timescale is very tight and the designer has any doubts that the deadline would not be met then he should not attempt to take the job on. Sometimes in this situation the client has an unrealistic idea of how long a project will take and if they have not left themselves enough time to complete it then the designer would be wise to steer well clear and keep his reputation intact.

It is always possible to ask if a deadline can be moved before a project starts. But the designer will loose the respect of the client if he suddenly asks for an extension halfway through the project. Deadlines must be respected at all costs and should never jeopardise the quality of the design work or the reputation of the client.

Toni

Related articles:

Are we there yet? Meet your design deadline

The Tao of deadlines

Deadlines kill inspiration

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Blogging has become a very popular way to communicate with your audience and to keep content fresh on a website. Wordpress would be many people’s choice of platform for a blog, as it is well designed and certainly very flexible. It has been said that blog websites can ‘all look the same’, but it is very easy to make them look different with the hundreds of wordpress themes available and a bit of personalisation. In fact a lot of people now have turned their website into their blog and combined the two. We are in the process of doing this with our site and hope to gain many benefits.

Although Wordpress was launched originally as a blogging tool, many people are now using it to build non blog websites. Because of its lean code, expandability through a multitude of available plugins and great backend administration area, it has become a versatile platform from which to build a fully content managed site. Unlike other CMS systems which are bloated and maybe too full featured (Joomla is good, but guilty of this), the simple nature of Wordpress allows designers to expand from an uncluttered base and go as far as you want with features and design.

Here is a great example of a Wordpress site: David Airey.

Do you use wordpress? What limitations have you found with using it to build non blog websites? Are there other systems you prefer to use? It would be great to hear others thoughts on this.

Ollie

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We have designed a few websites for schools in and around Bristol in the last year and have just launched our latest project; the new website for Colston’s Girls’ School.

Colston’s approached us at Deckchair to design an up-to-date and fresh website using the Colston’s colours and style. They wanted the website to become a resource for students, staff, parents, govenors and prospective parents and students. They also needed the website to be updateable by their staff, include an ecommerce shop and many other features.

The website features:

• A bespoke content management system – allowing staff to update all areas of the website themselves and upload information and pdf files easily.
• Ecommerce shop to sell uniform, sports kit and stationery.
• ‘Letter to home’ feature, allowing letters to be directly sent to parents from the website.
• A-Z index of content and site map.
• Slide show of images on the home page created in Flash.
• Professional photography session including the school buildings, lessons, students, staff portraits and more to produce quality pictures for the website and printed materials.
• Training sessions and support for the staff to use the content management system.

 If you need any advice or help with content management systems or you are wondering if a system like this would benefit your business then give us a call for a chat or pop in for a cup of tea if you are local.

Toni

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As a web design company, we have clients from a whole range of different businesses. We have been approached by all sorts of companies; some of which we have found to be ethically unsound. Either the line of business is unethical or they have wanted us to do something we don’t agree with, in either case, the client is shown the door.
 
Aside from the obvious moral stance of not wanting to be involved with the project; working with an unethical company will more than likely damage your reputation.
 
Would you work with a client whose product or values you don’t agree with? Where do you draw the line?

Toni

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To trade online you need to set up an internet merchant account with an acquiring bank. The internet merchant account enables an ecommerce business to receive funds from credit card sales. You also need a payment gateway which processes the card information and provides the link between the ecommerce website and the merchant account. These processes are obviously of paramount importance in the workings of an ecommerce business, so it is well worth doing your research to make sure you get the service that your business needs.

Of course in these situations I can really only recommend that you take advice from a professional web design company, they will have experience in setting up ecommerce merchant accounts and designing the website to go with it. However, if you do decide to go it alone: Shop around, read the small print and be very sure every eventuality is catered for.

Let’s just remind ourselves of the process for an online or ecommerce purchase, so as to be sure that each stage of the process is covered:

1. Customer adds the product to the shopping basket on the website.

2. Once at the ‘checkout’, the customer fills in a secure form, adding their personal and financial details.

3. These details are then transmitted to a payment gateway service, which is separate to the shopping basket. The gateway service sends the information through the financial networks; the customer’s credit card account is debited and the internet merchant account is credited.

4. Once all funds have cleared, the money can then be transferred to the ordinary business account.

So if you are a new company launching yourself as an ecommerce business you will need to look at getting a merchant bank account and a payment gateway; there are solutions out there that combine the two in one package. But for the purposes of this article I will look at them separately. If you are an existing business already able to process credit cards then skip the next bit and go down to payment gateways.

Ecommerce Merchant Accounts

Internet merchant accounts can be gained from most major banks, but there are plenty of fees to watch out for (of course!) due to the ‘risk’ involved. The fees will be determined by many factors; for example, the length of time your business has been up and running, what you are selling and your turnover. A “Low risk” business such as web hosting will qualify for a lower rate, whereas a “High risk” business such as a pharmaceutical reseller will have higher rates.

Another determining factor for a business to be classified as high risk is when its chargeback potential is high. (Chargeback fees occur when the merchants account has already been charged by the cardholders account and the transaction is then found to be fraudulent). There are also particular types of  business that will be considered ‘fly by night’ therefore deemed high risk and penalized for it. So you need to find a solution that will suit your company.

Here are some things to think about when choosing your internet merchant account provider:

1. You don’t have to choose the same bank that provides your normal business account, but be sure to choose a recognized name that will provide stability and reliability.
2. Full disclosure of all fees should be set out clearly in the documentation with no ambiguities or nasty shocks. Ask for clarification on:
• Application fee - some institutions will charge you for the privilege of applying for an account, regardless of whether your application is successful or not.
• Setup fee - once your application has been approved, there may be other fees associated with establishing the account.
• Statement - the charge each month for issuing you statements on all transactions
• Transaction - a flat rate on each transaction.
• Monthly Minimum - what you will be charged regardless of the level of sales each month 
• Reserve - some providers require you to maintain a certain level in the account to cover chargeback fees.
• Chargeback – Any fraudulent or disputed transaction where the card holder asks for their money back will cost you a fee, usually a substantial one.
• Versatility – check that you will be able to handle and process payments from a wide variety of sources including all major credit, debit cards, bank transfers and installments. If you are operating internationally check language and currency issues.

As an example of what to look for, supposing you are going to be selling a lot of very low priced items you would need to look very closely at the ‘transaction’ fee because if you were charged even a low percentage of the cost of the product, you wouldn’t see much profit.

3. Check out the customer support system and reputation, if something goes wrong you need to know it will be sorted instantly by a helpful and knowledgeable person.

Payment Gateways

Ok, now let’s look at the payment gateway. If you are an existing business and already have the facility to take credit card payments and therefore already have a merchant account; your web designer will need to find a compatible payment gateway solution to allow you to take those card payments online. The payment gateway provides the secure link between your website and the merchant account and ensures the card holders details are kept secure.

For payment gateways, think about the following issues and discuss them with your web designer:

1. Fees – some gateways will charge you an additional percentage on top of what you already pay to the bank. There are some though like Protx that will charge you a flat rate per transaction with no extra costs. Protx also have a special deal for small businesses where you just pay a small fixed monthly fee. Other fees to watch out for are:
• Annual subscription fees
• Set up or integration fees
• Fees for different currencies
• Fees for different payment features
• Fees for fraud screening and protection.

2. Fraud protection - There are a few types of transaction protection which may come at a price but will be well worth the extra money particularly if you are selling a ‘high risk’ product.
• AVS protection - Address Verification System (AVS) decreases the incidence of accepting fraudulent transactions by verifying the cardholder’s billing address with the card issuer. Using AVS on your transactions may also mean that your merchant bank provider will reduce your fees.
• Liability shift – If you use ‘Verified by Visa’ or ‘Mastercard SecureCode’ the liability of a chargeback will be shifted from you to the card issuer in the event that a card holder denies a transaction.
• CV2 – the digits on the signature strip of the credit card, also assist in the authentication of the card during “Card Not Present” transactions.
• Fraud Screening reports – will notify you at a glance of the level of risk associated with each transaction.

3. Compatibility – is it compatible with the shopping basket facility that you want and your internet merchant account?

4. Customer support – again you need to check this out; a company that will only respond to emails and have a three day turnaround on replies are going to frustrate you when you get into difficulties.
 

Two in One

As I mentioned earlier there are packages out there with internet merchant accounts and payment gateways rolled into one. There are quite a few out there to choose from. Again, my advice is to seek expert and impartial guidance from a web designer with experience in dealing with ecommerce solutions. Obviously you will need to consider all of the points already discussed and make an informed decision.  Keep in mind what the needs and goals of your business are before you sign the dotted line.

If you haven’t fallen asleep, I would really appreciate any comments you may have on this blog! 

Toni

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Podcasting, it’s the latest thing in digital media! thepodfactory, based in Bristol are talented and experienced in producing high quality audio and video podcasts for the tourism and leisure industry. Their clients include Bristol Old Vic, Destination Bristol, Longleat, The churches conservation trust and many more.

thepodfactory approached us at Deckchair to design and build a website that would not only showcase examples of their work but would have the impact required to appeal to the tourism, education and commerce markets. The website is visually exciting and incorporates podcast examples, case studies and a whole wealth of information and advice on podasting, all easily accessible through intuitive navigation.

 thepodfactory has the skills and know-how to help you to integrate podcasting with your existing advertising and marketing activity. Most companies and businesses can benefit by using podcasting, externally and internally, so take a look and see what they can do for you. Click here for professional podcasting in Bristol.

Toni

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Let’s have a look at types of successful ecommerce websites. For an ecommerce website to succeed it needs to firstly be a viable online business, meaning you have to have a product that people want to buy and would feel comfortable buying online. If you are an established business looking to venture into the online world, you need to think how your business model will translate into this new area. If you are a startup company, then ecommerce is a viable platform to launch your business, but in both cases you need to have done your research.

Your research should include market research, customer profiling, competition analysis and probably most importantly ROI (Return on investment) research. You need to know that your profits will be healthy enough to make it all worth while.

The next stage is designing and developing the ecommerce website. There are a lot of options out there to choose from; a potential minefield. Different types of ecommerce packages will suit different businesses. An off the shelf solution which may be very cheap or even come free with an ecommerce hosting service, is going to look attractive to a start up business. But it is debatable whether these wizard-based / template / do-it-yourself style solutions would be successful in the long run; are they really that effective with today’s sophisticated on-line shoppers? Some may enable you to make sales but certainly do not allow you to operate at full potential.

All I can say is that it is worth investing money in the thing that is going to make you the money. (Strangely a lot of people haven’t grasped this concept yet!) Today, online competition is fierce and an original and intelligently thought out design is going to be more successful and give you that edge over your competitors. However, whatever you decide to do I would strongly recommend that you spend a lot of time planning it. Think about the following issues and discuss them with your web designer:

Usability and customer experience – Web shoppers are not the most patient people so be sure the web design not only grabs attention but is simple and easy to use. Increase your ‘browse to buy’ ratios by allowing the user to easily find what they are looking for and make their purchase quickly. Little glitches or errors will frustrate the user and more than likely turn them away; like a search function that doesn’t work properly or a slow loading page.

Positive Brand Image - Building a memorable, positive brand image that online consumers will be attracted to in the long term is a key issue. Branding in the online world is far more than just transferring your print brand identity to the Web.

Updateability – Make sure that you think carefully about the areas of your site that you need to update yourself. A content management system is essential for an ecommerce website, you will need to add new products, change prices, update news stories, upload pictures etc. It might also be useful to be able to add links. You don’t want to be running back to your designer for costly updates and changes that you could do yourself.

Web marketing - Appropriate marketing of the website is a key issue, and a huge subject (another whole article in fact). Increasing and maintaining your search engine profile is an ongoing strategy, and it is one of the most vital elements for success. Very basically, you need to get people to your website to maximize your sales. Search engine optimization and pay per click campaigns create as many doorways into your website as possible to ensure that your potential customers are finding you. You will also need to keep a watchful eye on your competitors, analyse their marketing strategies and stay ahead of the game.

Download Speed - The download speed has to be fast, so that regardless of someone’s connection speed they won’t have to wait for the website to load. They will only give it a matter of seconds before exiting and moving on to your competitor’s website.

Scalability – Allow plenty of flexibility within the design so that the website has the capacity to grow with your business. You don’t want to be held up at a later date by a restrictive design that can’t handle large volumes of traffic or can’t expand to fit your product sections.

Compatibility – Make sure all aspects of your website can connect successfully with any existing internal databases, banking systems, stock control or email systems. (Unless you wanted to overhaul them anyway).

Analysis - You need to have a comprehensive reporting system to enable you to analyse every aspect of your website: marketing, sales, web traffic, visitor tracking and stock control. It is only with constant analysis that you can make the necessary adjustments to these areas to ensure the best use of your budgets and continue to improve your service and turnover.

Payment system – Let’s not overlook this very important aspect – the money!! You will need a merchant banking account, to enable you to process credit card transactions and actually retrieve the money from credit card orders. Make sure you choose a reliable, fast and secure system with a proven track record.

Data capture – Be sure to have a function on your website that enables you to capture the details of visitors to your website even if they haven’t purchased something. The usual methods are to sign up to email alerts about promotions/offers and newsletters. This data can be used for future marketing campaigns.

Newsletter and email functions – A vital way to market your products; a system set up to automatically send out newsletters and emails to your entire customer database. Auto responder’s work in a similar way, allowing a ‘feed’ of e-letters or documents to be sent out at allocated times to customers. Don’t forget as well that a confirmation email sent automatically to confirm a sale that details every thing about that purchase will save a lot of phone calls from confused customers, wondering if their order reached you. A further email confirming the shipment will also add to the customer’s confidence and again reduce the volume of calls through your customer services department.

Relative and informative content – Quality copywriting that appeals to your target market is an absolute must. Ensure that all products have a full description and useful, relevant information to encourage the customer to buy. This content is also helpful to your search engine ranking and placement.

Quality Imagery – Display your products using quality product photography, it is not enough these days to just stick the manufacturers image on there. Go the extra mile and allow the user to explore the product from different angles with alternative pictures and zoom functions.

Trust and Reassurance – To get your shopper to part with their money and willingly give their card details online you need to emulate a professional and approachable appearance. An attractive, professional website design reassures the visitor that they’ve come to the right place. Secure shopping, clear contact details, returns policies and delivery details give the feeling of professionalism that will convince the customer to click that ‘BUY NOW’ button. Think about posting a page outlining your technical support policies and a F.A.Q section, this is a step towards addressing legitimate shopper concerns.

Call to Action – An obvious one, I know, but it is surprising the number of websites that don’t have clear phone numbers and contact details available on every page. Also make sure that your ‘Buy now’ and ‘Add to basket’ buttons are large and obvious.

Aside from the consumer facing website, you also need to make sure that all the internal structures of the ecommerce business are in place and functioning as they should. Delivery systems, returns policy and customer service all need to be operating smoothly to ensure you are providing the best possible service. Quality service with speedy delivery and an easy returns system will keep your customers loyal. Customer service is a big one – be sure that mistakes are dealt with promptly in a friendly and efficient manner, people don’t mind mistakes but they certainly won’t put up with rudeness or being ignored. I will be writing another article soon on “Ecommerce peeves and must haves”.

Well I think that just about covers it! So to summarise;
 
• Do your market research properly
• Choose a professional web design company
• Plan your website with your long term goals in mind
• Plan your web marketing strategies
• Focus on all angles of the business
• Keep your competitors in your rear view mirror at all times
• Keep your customers informed and happy
• Make loads of money!

Toni 

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According to a BBC news report today, online sales have rocketed! They rose to £4.2bn in July, up from £2.34bn in the same month a year ago. This is probably partly due to the terrible weather we have been having; people just don’t want to struggle round the shops in their wellies. But it can also be attributed to better ecommerce website design.

Online shoppers now expect the very best from the retailers’ websites. You only have a very limited time to grab their attention and hold it till the ordering process is complete. If you are an ecommerce business and you are not getting the results you had hoped for, have a think about the following points. They will help you to reduce your bounce rates and boost your sales:

1. If potential customers can’t find the product they are looking for quickly they will move on and probably not return to your website again. Have clear, simple navigation to guide them through your products. Use quality product photography so they can see what they are ordering.

2. If you market your website using a PPC (pay per click) campaign remember to point the customers straight to the product or service they are looking for. Design a specific landing page which correlates to the consumers search term. Otherwise the customer is forced to dig and search again for the very thing they thought they had just found – very frustrating!

3. Online consumers will also become very frustrated if the ordering process is very complex or slow. Keep it simple; use an easy and secure payment method. Don’t give them a thousand boxes to fill in before they complete the order or they will get bored.

4. Make it easy for your customer to find related products this will boost your sales. Let me give you an example – last week I ordered a ‘Hetty’ vacuum cleaner online. After I had added it to my shopping basket, I then thought I should probably buy some of the bags to go with it…try as I might, I couldn’t find them. Whatever I did, I was taken to a page which had all the vacuum bags listed in weird product codes that made no sense to me at all. I gave up and they missed out on a sale. (I am very pleased with my pink Hetty though!)

5. Remember too, that you will be competing with numerous other companies selling the same products as you. It is not enough to simply compete on price and you may find it hard to undercut a larger business anyway. Make sure your website looks attractive and enticing to ensure they pick you out from the crowd. Be sure to research your target market and know what will appeal to them. Use images and language that are directed specifically at them.

If you need help or advice about your existing ecommerce website or you are interested in setting one up, then give us a call at Deckchair, professional web designers in Bristol. We provide full ecommerce services including design, development,  marketing and analysis. We have a lot of experience in this area and would be delighted to talk to you. 0117 9299150

Toni

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Generally in life I think it can be safely said that ‘You get what you pay for’. This of course applies to website design too. We recently had a company director from the local area approach us needing a website. After an initial conversation with him about his business and his requirements it became clear that he needed a website that he could easily maintain and update himself. A content management system would enable him to do just that; through a secure admin area, he would be able to upload images of his products, change the details, prices, content and look of the website whenever he wanted to.

We spent a bit of time writing a detailed outline for the project with a full design brief and detailed itemized quote. The outline included every aspect of the web design including ideas for the content, navigation, strategies for search engine optimisation and of course, the bespoke content management system.

He was thrilled with the proposal and said he would call the next day to get us started on the project. The next day he did call, but he said that he didn’t want us to design his website anymore because he had found another company who could build him a website for a fraction of the cost.

This was a definite case of someone who didn’t understand about the technicalities of building a website and the importance of getting each factor absolutely right.  The company that he spoke of are very good at churning out cheap websites which all look very similar (and awful if I may say so) due to the fact that they are built from templates. There is little thought or consideration for the user, seo (Search engine optimisation), the market sector or the target audience. He had been completely swayed on price and how much ‘he could save’.

When are people like this going to realize the value of their website? A website is a living, breathing advertisement/brochure for your business; it is accessible by millions of potential customers through the World Wide Web, it is probably your most valuable marketing tool. Surely it makes sense to get it designed by an experienced, professional web design company who will ensure that you are presenting the right image of your business and actually reaching your target audience.

So what had this gentleman actually ‘saved’, well he may have saved a bit of money in the short term, but really it is a false economy and I guarantee he will have lost out to his competitors in the long term. He was not going to get a content management system or an original web design; as I said in the beginning: ‘You get what you pay for!’

At Deckchair we build all of our websites around the needs of our clients. We design them from the ground up with the search engines in mind and we don’t use templates. The result is a bespoke and original web design with clear, easy navigation that holds the attention of the user and can be found easily on the search engines. We will advise you on the best design and web marketing strategies for your company. We will ensure that you get quality traffic and you stay ahead of your competitors.

Toni

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Ever looked at your website in another browser and found that the layout has gone out of alignment or certain features aren’t working or are missing? This is probably due to the fact that all web browsers read parts of the CSS code differently and then display it on the web page in a different way. Remember, a website is not a published piece of work; it is more like a living document that can be interpreted in different ways by different browsers and on different platforms.
A good web designer will always check his design in all the important web browsers before the site goes live. I find it quite astounding that I have viewed big corporate and name brand websites in different web browsers and found them not working properly. Who are these people designing these websites and no doubt charging huge sums for them??
Get your web designer to check that your website looks and functions exactly as it should from the major web browsers. These are the ones to worry about: Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Netscape and Opera.

Also have a think about whether your customers are likely to be the sort of people who may be using an ancient web browser and talk to your designer about your options.

Toni

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