Design Questions – The ‘Discovery Meeting’

Because the initial ‘discovery meeting’ with any client is likely to be one of the most crucial moments in any web design project, we have outlined below the basic questions that we would look to raise, to ensure we walk away with enough data to create a strong solution. Of course there are many more, but with these basic questions addressed the chances of delivering something good improve dramatically! 

The Business:

With these questions you’re looking to get to the meat of how the business works, how orders are processed, and where they rank with the competition.

• How does your business make money?
• Describe the typical enquiry to order process for your company
• Are there any challenges your business is currently struggling to address?
• Is the business leading-the-way, keeping pace, or playing catch–up in your marketplace?

The Audience:

This set of questions will get your client thinking about their target audience and what it is that they need to see from the website. The last question really can start the thinking about how the website can generate a need, and engage with it’s audience.

• What does your target audience care about?
• Where/how do people learn about your company/product/service?
• Why does your target audience need this website?

The Website:

Here we get to some specifics that the client wants to realize via the website. The first question might seem a little obvious, but you may be surprised what kind answers you get and what kind of discussion it stimulates. It’s a great one to lead with!

• Why do you need this website?
• How does this website figure into your business model?
• Should this website influence your company’s current enquiry to sale process?
• Are there any business challenges you want to address with this website?
• How does the website affect your profit model? For example, if the website fails to be effective, how specifically does it affect your profitability?