Five questions to ask “design shy” clients
October 24, 2008
When I go to the car dealership I’m often intimidated talking to the mechanics. Not because of anything they do, but because I don’t know anything about cars. I know what it feels and sounds like when my car is running well, and I know when something is off, but I’m always hard pressed to describe it, and I feel pretty foolish trying to duplicate the grinding sound I’m hearing when I turn left.
This often happens to my new clients when they’re talking to me about their design ideas. They don’t speak the lingo, and they feel awkward talking to someone who specializes in it. Of course, I don’t expect my clients to have a firm grasp of design principles or design terminology. Why would they need me if they do? I don’t even expect them to be able to verbalize what they’re looking for in their design. It’s my job to figure out what they like and dislike and to coax the design of their dreams out of their heads and onto the page or screen.
To this end, I will sometimes ask a series of questions seemingly unrelated to the design job at hand. Once you move someone out of “talking design” they often get more comfortable and are able to reveal what they really like. Here are some of my standards:
“What are your favorite magazines?”
This isn’t as straightforward as it seems, as people will often read magazines that they don’t particularly like the look of because they’re interested in the content. It gives you a general trend, though, and it can show what’s more important to the client — design or content.
“What color is the favorite room of your house?”
If distance permits, I always prefer to meet the client at her workplace so that I can get a feel for her style.
“If I looked in your closet, which three colors would I find the most of?”
“What kind of car do you drive? Do you think it suits you?”
“What are your three favorite websites?”
The answers to these questions provide a jumping off point to talk design, and often give me enough information to start on the first pass of a design. What do you think? If you answered these questions, would it give me a good idea of your design aesthic? Can you think of something else I should be asking?
