Designers Should Understand Business
When approaching new projects, and being a creative type, it can be very tempting to want to jump right into Photoshop and get out all of the ideas that come to mind from discovery meetings. And when you think of designers, being business savvy doesn’t exactly come to mind. I’ve already discussed the importance of knowing how to sell your services, but it’s also very important, if not essential, for designers, especially freelancers, to be business minded.
Say, for example, I wanted to consult with an architect on remodeling myself a new kitchen. You don’t just sign the paper work and have them start building a kitchen. They would ask questions like how you use the kitchen, what you’re looking to do in the kitchen, if you entertain in the kitchen, etc. They need to know how you’re going to use this space before they can start crafting it.
Websites work the same way. For you to effectively design the best experience for a website, you need to understand how your clients’ business works and what they’re looking to do. Understand all of the hows and whys of the business that you’re working with. Understand the challenges the business has and will face, their business objectives/goals, and so on. Here are a few, of many, questions that we, at Tridea, normally ask during the client discovery meetings:
- Who is your target audience?
- What do you feel is your number one business problem?
- How does the company differentiate itself from competitors?
- What are your short-term marketing goals (in the next 1-2 years)? And how will the website help reach those goals?
Remember, as designers, you’re a problem solver. More likely than not, if you’re being approached by another business for work, they need your help (and creative knowledge) in solving business problems. And asking the right business questions will help get you to better creative problem solving. I would recommend asking these types of questions in a questionnaire, so that you can come back to the answers during your creative jam sessions. They can turn into a good checklist when going over a design to make sure that you’ve addressed the business problems.
Outside of working in Photoshop, what other skills do you find necessary for designers to have?
4 Comments
I agree… The discovery process, including understanding the clients business and business goals is key. Understanding back end development is a key skill outside of photoshop as well. It’s important to understand how your design affects and integrates into what is being developed on the back end of a site and how it relates to UCD and UX.
Sean, definitely agreed on the backend dev too.
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I think taking business as well, we need it for ourselves… Whether you’re a freelancer or you’re working for a big studio, you need to know how to sell your products and sell yourself.
Nice article!