How to involve the customer in the development process?

Question

Work organization

If everything is clear with the technical side - I pressed the button - a window popped out - it means it works, then the swing begins with the design. You show us, and we will choose. Or a direct reference to similar sites, with a note - like theirs, but to be different for the better)). Or they cut it in - well, you are specialists, so come up with it.
The topic is hackneyed, but maybe some psychedelic, enelpish tendencies appear?
How to establish a creative tandem with a customer?

Answer 1

Andrew, you have no idea what a huge problem this is. I am involved in project support, and on each one and the same thing ...
If the threshold for entering the region is high, the customer does not climb with advice. If the entry threshold is low, every step will be controlled. God forbid to hint about UX, the customer will draw everything as it should be.
In fact, there are few such areas: design, animations, sounds and SEO. In all three, customers show remarkable activity, despite the complete lack of knowledge, or even taste. It's pointless to argue. In rare cases, you can reasonably explain why, for example, the color palette has two bright colors (and not one, or 10). Sometimes they understand and then ... questions arise for other elements.
To do this, I always interview the customer, make a picture of the reference. Usually it is 10-100 works that you like. In such a volume, preferences are immediately visible (in color, shadows, sizes, etc.) and the designer is given T3 with restrictions. This is certainly not good, but in most cases it works. It is important to correctly select what the customer likes.
In SEO, I talk a lot about project plans, about how customers see development. In this area, it is easier to argue, although the entry threshold is still low (the customer will gladly give advice).
Previously, I was full of enthusiasm and tried to do what was best for the project. But these disputes ... positions had to be surrendered and adjusted.
In other more complex areas (API / architecture / protocols and choice of encryption algorithm ...) the customer does not appear, too complex to give advice.

Answer 2

To begin with, I need to get acquainted with your tastes and understand how you imagine it. The process of developing a site is versatile and you will have to take part in it. Surf the internet, look at your competitors' sites, tell me what you like and don't like. Show me individual elements or blocks of sites that attract you, not necessarily from competitors. Tell me about your corporate identity. No corporate identity? show me your logo. No logo? Tell us at least what color you like or what color websites attract you. Just show me a beautiful site so that I can understand your concept of a beautiful site.
Then you begin to cut down everything that is unreasonable, moreover, harshly and in the bud. As you understand, this blue background for text with a pink elephant is very annoying and makes it difficult to read the text, which is so important in order to sell your buns. First of all, we want to sell buns, don't we? right? and not to make a super-duper effect. You reduce everything as much as possible to minimalism, simplicity, purity. You explain what visual garbage is, etc. You give examples of terrible sites))
The more the client is confident in your professionalism, the more he will trust you. Need a chatterbox. Correspondence by mail is a minus.

Answer 3

I had the same problem! I did this, made the team a prototype of the site (what should be where), then you need to choose the colors, font and font size. Then the designer drew a template in a couple of hours and sent it to the customer, there were a couple of edits and that’s all =) Maybe I didn’t discover America, but it’s easier to work this way!