It goes without saying that a website development questionnaire plays a crucial role in project planning as it helps a company to clarify a client’s requirements. At the same time, a well-structured questionnaire frequently allows clients to understand and clearly express what they want, as well. As a list of specific, subject-related, and well-elaborated questions, a website development questionnaire avoids miscommunication and confusion and contributes to mutual understanding for the creation of a product that will meet a client’s requirements and expectations (Rose, 2022). Finally, a questionnaire helps a company evaluate the expediency of the whole project based on a client’s perception of a website’s objectives.
Thus, for a web developer as the representative of a company, it is essential to organize a meeting with a client correctly, and the first stage of this process should include preparation. For this, data related to a client, his business, its articulated vision and missions, performance, competitors, and major failures and successes should be collected from open sources. This information may be regarded as a basis of cooperation that forms understanding and supports results provided by a questionnaire. The second step is the creation of a questionnaire that should be partially based on collected data. At the same time, questions should be flexible – in other words, an interviewer should have an opportunity to adapt them during the meeting if necessary on the basis of a client’s answers. Other aspects of preparation should include the creation of the meeting’s agenda, additional materials, such as information leaflets and business cards, and a physical space check.
At the beginning of the meeting, it is essential to create a respectable and professional first impression and win a client’s trust at the same time. Specific business rituals should be considered and include official greetings, business card exchange, and small talk. The latter will help create a relaxing atmosphere that may positively impact the results of a questionnaire as a client will feel free to provide sincere and detailed answers. A questionnaire itself may be divided into several logical parts dedicated to specific subjects, and these parts may be regarded as an introduction, the main body of an interview, and a conclusion, as well.
- Can you briefly describe your business?
- What services/products do you offer?
- How do you define the main missions and purposes of your business?
- Can you describe your consumers? Who is your target audience?
- According to you, what are the main competitive advantages of your business& What makes it unique?
- According to you, what aspects of your business performance may need improvements?
This introductory set of questions not only provides essential information for an interviewer but it helps him understand how clearly a client may articulate the main perspectives of his business. In turn, if a client has a vague perception of its purposes, main advantages that attract consumers and allow a business to stay competitive, goals, missions, and ways of improvement, he may not articulate his requirements in relation to a website.
- Do you already have a website that should be improved or do you require a new one?
- According to you, what are the main purposes of a website? For what your business needs a website?
- What design features should your website have in order to contribute to corporate goals? (here an interviewer may list the key principles of website development to help a client and define the area of discussion)
- Can you name several websites that you like?
Applying these questions, an interviewer introduces the discussions of a client’s expectations in relation to a website. However, a client may have no clear idea about what his website should look like and what challenges it should meet. In this case, it is possible to provide variants with an explanation for a choice or simply ask for examples of websites a client likes to determine a general concept on the basis of his preferences.
- What is your budget? What are your expectations concerning expenditures? What is the maximum sum you are ready to spend on website development?
- What is the project’s time frame? How much time you are ready to provide for the website development? What is an ideal launch date?
- What legal and regularity requirements should be considered by a developer in the process of web design?
- Do you need ongoing support in the process of web design? (here an interviewer may provide the benefits of support to help a client make his choice).
In the final section of a questionnaire, a client’s requirements are discussed in detail. On the basis of provided answers, an interviewer may ask additional questions for clarification or articulate available variants, especially when a client does not have in-depth knowledge in the sphere of web design or did not decide yet what exactly he wants and needs help. If the meeting was productive and the results of a questionnaire allow to start the project, a contract may be signed. If a client has concerns or doubts and needs time to think and negotiate more, the date of a new meeting may be arranged.
Reference
Rose, J. (2022). Create a website design questionnaire (includes template). Content Snare.