Client Project!

A taste of the real world.

Last week at Perpetual Education we were tasked with choosing a mock client in order to being a research-and-design project. Our mentor, Derek, presented us with a list of these clients, each with their own business needs. I’d like to talk about the process with my client, Spencer.

Who are they and what are they looking for?

The first task of this project after choosing the client was learning more about who they and what they are looking for. Given that this was the research phase, Derek and his assistant, Ivy, set up mock designer agencies to help us along the way. Our job was to reach out to these agencies who have worked with our clients in the past and gather information about our clients. In addition to reaching out to these agencies, I asked one of my fellow students to act out the part of my client so I could have a direct conversation regarding his needs. I was getting into the groove of things!

I quickly learned that Spencer was a self-proclaimed electrical and mechanical guru who loved to use his expertise to create unique custom guitars. Rather than wanting to sell his guitars, Spencer was looking to showcase his work and draw attention of fellow musicians so they could get together and potentially make some music.

Outline and construction.

The next and final steps were to create and outline of the client’s website and share the result with the designer agencies as well as the client himself.

After creating an outline of Spencer’s website using Whimsical, I began the coding process. Given that Spencer is a relaxed kind of guy with a nostalgic vibe, I decided to go with a minimalist feel. I used just enough information to show what Spencer was looking for without making things too crowded. While Spencer himself loved the page, I learned a great deal along the way…

The outcome?

After meeting with Derek to discuss my client’s project, I learned a lot about ways to improve their website. We discussed ways to ensure images won’t get smashed when resizing the page. He showed me ways to consolidate code, making it easier to read and write. In the end, the process matters just as much as the outcome, for one cannot exist without the other. Set time aside to practice and make it focused practice. Don’t be afraid to try new things! With each mistake you make, you can only improve from there.

Andrew