On the many projects I’ve been involved with, I’ve seen the odd deadline go unmet – never through any fault of my own, of course. One aspect of projects that seems most susceptible to missed deadlines is the user interface design. Mockups are created, presented, and then revised. And then revised again. And again. And again. Then a few more people look at them, and they are revised yet again. Repeat until approved. Goodbye deadline.

But, there are also projects that beat their deadline. Mockups that are signed off after first presentation, or just a few minor tweaks. Smiling designers. Smiling clients. Smiling project managers.

What’s the difference between these two situations?

Imagine a taxi ride in your home town. You step in the car and tell the driver your destination. He starts driving, because he knows how to get there. However, after a short period of time, you hit some traffic; or, perhaps you suspect that he’s not taking the best route. What do you do? You tell him. You show him shortcuts you know, you tell him about a different way to get to the destination. You become a backseat driver – and in all likelihood, it gets you to your destination faster, and probably cheaper too. And why is this? Because you know your home town; you know the best routes to your destination.

Now image a taxi ride in a town you’ve never been to. You’re at the airport, heading to a hotel. You step in the car and tell the driver your destination. He starts driving, because he knows how to get there. However, after a short period of time, you hit some traffic. What do you do? Probably not much – you sit back and think about something else. You let the driver find alternative routes; you let the driver use shortcuts that he knows about. You don’t question him.. unless perhaps the ride starts seeming far too long, or there are no visual clues that you are getting closer. So, you sit back and relax, confident in your drivers knowledge – and in all likelihood, it gets you to your destination faster, and probably cheaper too. And why is this? Because you don’t know this town, but your driver does – he knows the best routes to your destination.

What’s the difference between these two situations? What you know (or think you know). In the first, you know the domain. In the second, you admit that you don’t know the domain.

Back to web design. How do you get to your destination faster and cheaper?

1. Hire a knowledgeable , experienced designer. (more on this another day)
2. Ensure that your designer understands your destination: your site goals, your brand, your clients’ characteristics…
3. Determine how much you know about the domain. You know your clients, but do you know how they interact with websites? Do you understand navigation and information architecture? Have you read the latest research about usability? User behaviour? Information scent? Interaction design?
4. Act accordingly. If you know about these things – collaborate with the designer. If not – trust.
5. Are we there yet? This will get you there faster.