PIPELINEGuide
Checklist: preparing for web design
What you should clarify before requesting quotes for web design. The more of this is settled beforehand, the more reliable the quotes will be.
Before deciding on professional web design, a brief inventory is worthwhile: which process takes up the most time, who will support the system later, and whether the necessary content even exists. The complete checklist is further down.
01 — Checklist
Clarify before the first quote
- What should improve? In one sentence, no jargon.
- How will you know? One number that should change.
- Who decides? One person, not a committee.
- What budget is available? A range is enough — it makes quotes comparable instead of arbitrary.
- By when? And what the deadline depends on.
- Which systems are involved? And who has access to them.
- What do you already have? Content, data, preliminary work — this reduces the cost.
02 — Participation
What we need from you
- A contact person who can make decisions — not just forward them.
- Access to the affected systems, in time and not on launch day.
- Real examples from daily business — the messier, the more useful for testing.
- Two to four hours for coordination, distributed over the project duration.
- An answer to the question of what success means. Without it, nothing can be assessed afterward.
03 — Questions
Questions you should ask
- What happens if the project becomes more expensive than estimated — who bears that?
- Who owns data, access, and, if developed, the source code?
- What does operation cost in the second and third year?
- What does the documentation we receive at the end look like?
- How would you measure whether the project was successful?
- Is there a case in which you would advise us against this?
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many revision rounds are included?
Two rounds per draft are standard and usually sufficient, because the directional decision is made after the first presentation. Additional rounds are possible but noticeably extend the timeline.
Who owns the files?
You do. You get the source files and the documentation. If you work with someone else later, they can continue with them.
Will this look good on mobile too?
We design the narrow view first, because that's where the majority of visitors arrive. The wide view is the easier case, not the other way around.
Do we even need custom design?
Not necessarily. If you need a site with five pages and no brand ambitions, a well-adapted standard system is the more sensible choice. Custom design pays off when you need to stand out from competitors or manage many pages.
Do we get several drafts?
Two to three directions on one page type. Ten variations help no one — they just shift the decision to the client instead of making it.
What if we don't like any of the directions?
Then we go back to the discovery phase — usually that means something important about the business hasn't been understood yet. It rarely happens, but better to start fresh than to force a design.
Do you also provide image material?
No, that's not part of the design system. But we specify exactly what kind of images are needed and recommend suitable sources or a photographer if required.
05 — Next
Related pages
- Web design — Overview
- Web design — Alternatives
- Web Design — Team and Acceptance
- Web design — process
- Web design — introduction
- Web design — Provider comparison
- Web design — small businesses
- Web design — Costs
- Have a website created
- Landing page
- Website relaunch
- All guides
Web design by region
Next step
Initial assessment, no obligation.
Briefly describe what you need. You'll get an honest answer about what's realistic and what it will roughly cost.