Establishing An Exceptional Client-Designer Relationship

Like All Great Relationships, A Common Purpose Creates Lasting Success.

Over the years of establishing client-designer relationships around the world, we can share our thoughts on what each party should bring to the relationship in order to create successful products. The preparation and work you do before and during the product design process will influence the success of your product in the market. Even though we’ll make it come to life, your role is crucial in ensuring we’re delivering a product that hits the target.

Both the client and designer bring their natural genius to the relationship. From a designer’s point of view, we want to get into the minds of our clients to clearly understand the direction they want to take. We’re open to learning about you, your business, your goals, and the challenges that lie ahead.

As a client, you want to know that you’re about to take a journey with a product development partner who understands how to get the best of your ideas to the market.

Here are our suggestions on what both you and your product designer can bring to the table:

The Client’s Role.

• Find the right product design team.
  Do the research to vet potential designers before beginning the process. Work out whether the designer is a good match, considering personalities, resources, skills, experience and budget.
• Work with the designer to set clear briefs, timelines and budgets
  This is the best way to succeed at achieving your project goals and timelines.
• Challenge and question the designer.
  Ensure design decisions can be justified and are in the best interest of your project.
• Understand that creating something new, innovative and patentable is a journey.
  There will be ups and downs, but if it was easy it everyone would be doing it.
• Ask questions.
  Get clarity and stay on top of the project so that you’re at ease with each stage of the product development cycle.

The Designer’s Role.

• Acknowledge what the client brings to the table.
  After all the client is starting this relationship.
• Unlock and harness the client’s drive and passion.
  The client is the expert in their field and the designer must aim to become an extension of their knowledge.
• Listen.
  The client will possess important information and knowledge that you do not. To benefit from this you just need to ask the right questions and actively listen for clues.
• Get out in the field.
  See first-hand the world the client lives in, to understand what problems you are trying to solve, and to see how the future product will be used.
• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
  Always communicate clearly. Prepare clear and compelling presentations to showcase the designs to your client. Remember the client will use your work to provide signoff, secure funding, present to management, investors and other stakeholders. Communicate the challenges that lie ahead and always keep the client informed so that the project can be guided properly.
• Justify your decision making along the way.
  This may be selection of materials, manufacturing methods, suppliers, colours, size, layout and more. At each point it is important to understand why you make design choices and to be ready for the inevitable question “Why?”.
• Respectfully challenge and question the client.
  The client-designer relationship is a two way street. Find out what is really important to the client, and create opportunities to discuss new ideas and new thinking.
• Share the vision.
  Celebrate milestones and be motivated by the client’s success.