No matter how nice, open-minded and design-oriented clients are, they\u2019ve always got their demands. And rightly so, I guess. They give you the sign off on it, their reputation and the company\u2019s reputation is on the line, they look to gain some measure of control etc. Collaboration is really not something to dread. It\u2019s up to you to make the experience pleasant.<\/p>\n
Benefits of collaboration<\/b><\/p>\n
Collaboration is beneficial for you, for your client and for your relationship with your client for the following reasons:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Gives the client a sense of involvement & decision making control<\/li>\n
- Gives the client a greater sense of ownership<\/li>\n
- Enables you to educate the client about the process<\/li>\n
- Builds trust & good rapport between you and the client<\/li>\n
- Saves you the effort of creating versions from scratch & multiple iterations<\/li>\n
- If he\u2019s truly happy with your work, it increases the chances of word-of-mouth marketing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tools for the pre-project ideation<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
The start can sometimes be the hardest part. Getting your ideas across, hearing out your client\u2019s vision and forming the blueprint can mean multiple sitdowns with the client and a lot of time spent.<\/p>\n
Some good thought starters for your client & for you<\/b>:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ask your client if their organisation was a famous person, who would it be and why<\/li>\n
- Show your client designs of physical office reception areas and ask how they would design it – how big it would be, what colours, what would be on the walls, what type of furniture would you have, music etc.<\/li>\n
- Ask your client to tell you the top 7-10 words that describe the organisation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Let\u2019s introduce you to a few collaboration tools that are great for idea sharing and to replace a significant number of physical meetings with online ones.<\/p>\n
Appear.in<\/a>: This is a really cool video chat app with arguably the best live video quality. It works by simply creating a room with a name, sharing a link with your client & that\u2019s it!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/appearin.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBest things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- No registration or downloads required<\/li>\n
- Can have group video conversations with upto 12 people<\/li>\n
- Supports Screen sharing<\/li>\n
- Accessible from any device, anywhere<\/li>\n
- Allows for private video chats – just lock the room<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/appearin2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGreat for setting up online meetings with your clients and idea sharing.<\/p>\n
Trello<\/a>: This is an online to-do list that you can share with your clients in real time. The \u201ccards\u201d or sticky notes help categorise tasks, reorder text, share photos, drawings, mockups and more. What\u2019s more? You client can keep track of the progress of the task through the process gauge.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/trello1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBest things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- It\u2019s free<\/li>\n
- Can set reminders and appointments<\/li>\n
- Accessible from any device<\/li>\n
- The Trello dashboard gives you information at a glance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/trello2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMindmeister<\/a>: This fantastic mindmapping tool is great to capture, develop and share ideas visually between you, your client & your team. Ideal for pre-project discussions that involve brainstorming, note-taking & project planning. Edits can be made in real-time – giving the client the feeling of being involved.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/mindmeister.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/mindmeister2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBest things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Fully web-based which means no downloading anything<\/li>\n
- Allows for free-flow of thought<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s free<\/li>\n
- Can sign up with your Google account<\/li>\n
- Turn mindmaps into stunning presentations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Mural<\/a>: This tool is fantastic for collaborating on \/ curating ideas. Think of it as a Pinterest board for inspiration with thoughts, ideas, media files, links and documents between you and your client.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/mural.gif\")
<\/p>\nBest things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Optimised for iPad<\/li>\n
- Great for gathering & organising ideas<\/li>\n
- Lightweight brainstorming tool<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Now that you know how to get started, here are some tools to help you get the ball rolling. The below tools are especially great once you\u2019ve started your project and have to share progress updates, drafts etc.<\/p>\n
Tool For design edits & fixes between Designers & Clients<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
Design Drop<\/a>: I love this one! Design Drop is quite an advanced tool. It allows you to upload mockups \/ screenshots, share a link with your client & immediately receive feedback from them.<\/p>\n
Comments can be inserted on any part of the mockup which makes it so much easier than the usual screenshots & Paint markings that I\u2019m used to! Not just that, you can have conversations around that single element.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/designdrop.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe tool saves a written record of all the edits your client requested, allowing you to keep track of your progress & deliver on time.<\/p>\n
Best things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Allows conversations on single elements<\/li>\n
- Easy to use tool<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s free<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Finch<\/a>: This is a great tool that allows you to share mockup \/ designs and request feedback from clients. This too allows for comments on design elements. Additionally, clicking on design elements makes the page editable and the tool becomes a live visual editor.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/finch.gif\")
<\/p>\nBest things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Designed to work with your CSS<\/li>\n
- Super easy for design tweaks<\/li>\n
- Can attached instructions for changes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Marqueed<\/a>: Again, great to discuss and share feedback about design elements. Tools like Marqueed and Finch make it so much easier to communicate and collaborate. Additionally, this allows you to leave notes on design elements, keep track of progress, create groups for communication.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/marqueed.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBest things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Simplifies sharing & discussion<\/li>\n
- Real time notifications<\/li>\n
- Displays activity feed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Red Pen<\/a>: This tool allows you to drop your designs in a dashboard, share it with your client & request feedback & constructive criticism. What\u2019s cool? It\u2019s as awesome as the teacher\u2019s red pen in school.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/redpen.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBest things about it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Saves previous revisions in case you want to reclaim them<\/li>\n
- Allows drag and drop feature<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Other great collaboration tools are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- InVision<\/a><\/li>\n
- GoVisually<\/a><\/li>\n
- Prevue<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n
We hope we were able to help you! We\u2019d like to end with some best practices for collaborating with your client:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Explain the design process with run throughs on phases of design, cost of multiple iterations etc.<\/li>\n
- Avoid using the \u201cyour team\u201d – \u201cmy team\u201d terminology – you and your client are one team.<\/li>\n
- Use design references as much as you can. Remember, the client isn\u2019t as design-oriented as you.<\/li>\n
- Have a solution focused mindset – the client isn\u2019t the enemy. Focus on reaching a solution that you both will benefit from.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t hesitate to clarify vague feedback.<\/li>\n
- Time management is important to stick to deadlines for both you and your client. (Read our earlier blog<\/a> for more on this).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
We’re also thrilled to announce that we, at ResellerClub are currently working on a project management tool customized for Web Professionals which will be available and tightly integrated with the Resellerclub control panel soon. Keep a look out!<\/p>\n
Want us to write on a particular topic? We\u2019d love to hear your suggestions in the comments section below.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to write for us, leave us a comment & we\u2019ll get in touch with you!<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
- GoVisually<\/a><\/li>\n
- InVision<\/a><\/li>\n