What do you need to ask and clarify with the customer before starting the layout?

Question

SharePoint

Recently, we encountered a situation where the customer asked to lay out the main and wiki pages and pull them onto a ball. At the same time, they gave a pre-purchased template and two pictures (jpg) of the layout. The work was divided into two (one makes up, the other stretches) due to the workload of the second. There are no complaints about the purchased template (it is clear that normal people wrote the template), but there was a problem with the layout. There were blocks in the layout that were not in the template (that is, they were already written by me). And if the colors still all right (an eyedropper and an eyedropper in Africa), then fonts and alignment are generally a disaster. It is visually seen that the fonts on the layout and in the template are different, but to find out from the jpg picture (and not the best quality) what font it is .... We did not receive a response to the request for a layout in PSD format. Plus, after they sort of laid it out and pulled it on, small wishes began to appear like "stretch this block", "underline the text there", "align it in this direction", etc. And it seems that nothing is stretched or emphasized on the layout, and at the same time it seems that this is our jamb. And it turned out that the time for implementation, which we approved at the beginning, did not coincide with the time that we actually spent on this project.
The question is this: I need to compile such a knowledge base for myself, for the future, roughly speaking, a list of questions that need to be asked to the customer before naming the exact time for execution. I know, there is a concept of "preliminary time estimate", after which there is a conversation between the developer and the customer, where small details are specified, and only then the final execution time is announced. I appeal to experienced people who may have already developed such a knowledge base for themselves, and do not mind sharing experience or a resource where this is correctly written.
PS Among the tags of the question, there is also SP, because some questions will probably relate to some features of the ball in which I am currently tinkering. And, perhaps, questions about the ball will be even more valuable than questions about the layout itself. But still I will be glad to any advice and wishes.

Answer 1

I will answer directly on the subject, that is, with regards to layout.
1. I always make layouts only according to the PSD-layout (by agreement, AI is possible). All sorts of jeeps, etc. - by.
2. The layout must meet the requirements: https://github.com/andrey-hohlov/psd-templates-req...
For an accurate assessment, please provide a layout if there are only preview pictures for assessment - the assessment increases by the predicted risk from porridge in layout.
3. The assessment includes only what was in the layouts (preview) and TK.
I ’ll clarify right away:
- Requirements for cross-browser compatibility, micro-markup (I usually make standard elements out of the box), etc.
- Is adaptive planned, if so, where are the layouts. If the layouts are later, I risk multiplying the estimate by a certain coefficient. If there is only a layout of 1024, for example, and there will be no others, then I wonder if I can make high-quality 768 and 320 and I estimate it more expensive than the layout if there are such layouts of reasonable quality.
- Do you need animations - parallax, appearances, that's it.
What kind of interaction do you need? Input masks, form validation - this is not a problem, I usually make the base itself by default. But a dynamic input mask with a bunch of conditions is already more complicated. And if, for example, a calculator of plastic windows is drawn in the layout, then this is generally not a task about layout. I undertake such with pleasure, but it is necessary to discuss separately (see also paragraph 4).
- On which engine the layout will be pulled and what are the special requirements for it. More about this What does “experience in layout for Bitrix, WordPress, etc.” mean? Everything that is not voiced - I do at my own discretion and then claims for alteration only for a fee.
4. I also try to discuss various things with non-standard implementation. For example, I had a site layout for a construction company, which included floor plans, with highlighting on hovering over apartments and opening a detailed apartment card on click. The plan was implemented on SVG, which was formed from an object with data. Accordingly, the structure of this object was previously discussed with the backend developer.
5. Any layout changes after work has started, additional pages, etc. - Evaluated and paid extra.

Answer 2

That's right, I will add above only for SharePoint and projects with it. In terms of design and all such tripe, the customer wants a lot and some things can not always be done exactly the way he wants, you need to understand the SharePoint methodologies and its features very well in order to offer an alternative that fits into the concept and methodology and everyone is happy and risks are minimized. I have collaborated with a lot of people in terms of project consulting on SharePoint projects and I can gladly offer to cooperate if necessary. I will not PR and I will answer in such a way that if there are cases that you can post as questions here and I will answer them with pleasure, but if something really requires immersion in the context, then I can always offer my services. You can point to the post office.