Media Outreach

Perhaps one of the most important factors in web design is clear communication between you and your project manager / designer. Web design is an incredibly subjective process, and without good communication, it’s possible that asking for something could produce results that are completely different than you were expecting. Here are some tips on how to make sure that you and your production team are on the same page:

1. Avoid broad, overused terms: Unfortunately, there are some terms that are used in design that can mean many different things. For example, the word, “cool” can mean everything from, “I want my website to have blues, greens, and purples,” to “I want my site to look awesome and appeal to the younger generation, with their fancy Playstations and Xboxes.” If you do use a term like this, make sure you qualify it with some additional clarifying information.
2. Be as specific as you want to be: After more than 2.5 years in working with churches and ministries to build their websites, I’ve discovered that some people know exactly what they want their website to look like before I even speak with them, and some people have no idea and are dependent on our designers to translate a general concept into an actual design. Both of these cases are perfectly fine. However, it’s important that your needs and expectations are conveyed to the designers so that they know 1) what it is you’re looking for and 2) how much freedom they have in creating the design of your site.
3. Don’t be afraid to say no: While your project manager and the designers will make every possible effort to translate your vision into reality, only you know whether or not the design that’s produced is going to be effective for you and your ministry needs. If there are aspects of the design that are not going to work for your needs, let your project manager know. You won’t hurt anyone’s feelings by saying that something needs to be changed.

Effective communication is the key to a successful production process during web design. Without it, the designers are just going to be taking shots in the dark. By taking these 3 tips into consideration, you will help ensure that the production process is successful for you, and the website that is produced is an effective one for you and your ministerial needs.

Photo by Altemark