In website production, one of the most difficult adjustments is probably the design alignment. I hear that there are many cases where the creator team confidently presents a website design, only for the client to look unhappy and say, "It's not what I imagined" (though this rarely happens to us).

This is a common problem that often occurs during the production process. Especially if the design differs from the client's perception at the design stage, various "reworks" occur, such as "It's not what I imagined" or "I want the design redone." Eventually, the client remains completely unsatisfied despite numerous revisions. Why does this happen?

The root cause is "mismatched perceptions."

Everyone has some kind of image in their mind. If this "some kind of image" differs from the actual design presented, they fall into the quagmire of "something is off." Conversely, if we can accurately ascertain the design the client envisions, and then, while incorporating professional opinions, align on an image like "this design is best" during the meeting stage, we can prevent the "something is off" situation with high probability.

If reworks occur repeatedly at the design stage, it indicates a lack of interviewing and direction skills on the part of the director. Or, it could simply be that the designer's capabilities are insufficient. At the very least, if we can accurately align on the image during the interviewing and meeting stages, then all that's left is to produce it according to the order.

How to align images with each other

There are three key points to consider here.

The first is to decide on the main color and sub-colors. The impression of a design is greatly influenced by color. What colors do you want to use overall, and if there are sub-colors, what are they? By firmly deciding on the colors at the beginning, the overall impression is fixed.

The second is the impression. Is it a cute site or a cool site? Is it clean or gorgeous? We elicit a rough image. By discussing and deciding on the colors and the overall impression of the site, we can refine the impression while mutually agreeing.

The phrase "while mutually agreeing" is particularly important. For example, even if a director proposes "This is good!", if the client is hesitant, they will likely end up saying, "Actually, I'd like to change it a bit" at the end. If you want to push your own assertion, you need to proceed only after genuinely convincing the client from the bottom of their heart. What kind of impression do they have? Elicit many opinions from the client and solidify the image.

The challenge here is that values for "cute" or "cool" vary greatly from person to person. What one person considers "beautiful" or "gorgeous" is completely different for another. Here, it's necessary to thoroughly explore what kind of design the client perceives as "cute" or "cool."

So, how do we explore this? That's the third point.

The answer is to simply show reference sites. There are many link collections of good websites on the internet. Based on the information gathered so far, find reference sites from these collections and show them directly. By showing concrete examples of website forms, clients can grasp the image and envision the final product.

Help solidify the client's perception

Clients don't pay as much attention to websites as designers or directors do. In most cases, they don't have a clear image at first. By presenting reference sites and solidifying their impression, they can finally start to visualize the website.

Here, we solidify a few 'let's make it this kind of site' images together and align our perceptions. Only after this point do our mutual understandings gradually become clear.

Color, impression, and reference sites. Once these three are decided, the rest is the designer's work. If the designer's skill is extremely poor, they might not be able to create it even with this information, but generally, with these three pieces of information and a wireframe, a designer can create a design with a concrete image. And because the client has a similar image, it becomes less likely for them to say 'this isn't what I imagined' when it's presented. That's why designs pass smoothly without rework.

Summary

Is being told 'this isn't what I imagined' solely due to the designer's skill? Not entirely. First and foremost, a large part of the responsibility lies with the director who failed to properly align the client's and designer's perceptions during the meeting stage.

This is even more true if the designer is a veteran. About 80% of cases where 'this isn't what I imagined' leads to frequent reworks can be attributed to the director's mistake. Unless the designer is exceptionally unconventional, of course.

First, during the initial hearing and meeting stages, ensure that the client has the exact same image as the production side. This is an absolute prerequisite. If you feel that designs don't pass on the first try or tend to cause trouble, consider the three things that should be decided first and the alignment of mutual impressions. Your subsequent work should change dramatically.