Design Rage: What to Do When You Hate Your New Website

photo credit: Ian Sane

You just forked out your hard earn money and paid a web designer to create a brand new site that you hate as soon as you see it. Its a terrible feeling that is, unfortunately, all too common. Business owners are learning how important websites are for their success but finding the right design firm is still a relatively new concept. And when the goals and ideas of the client don’t match those of the designer you often find yourself sorely disappointed.

So what do you do when you realize that you hate your website? You can’t afford to get a new designer right away but you don’t want your customers to see what you currently have online. It is a tight spot. In this post I am going to show you a few ideas that will hopefully help some people out.

Who is to blame?

Before I get into the actual tips it is a good idea to play the blame game for a few moments. And while I do not believe that this is really anyone’s fault, I do think there are some things that can be done in order to stop it happening again. After all, the last thing you would want is to go and create a new website and find that the same thing happens again.

The Designer - The designer is the expert in this situation and as such a fair amount of responsibility needs to fall on his/her shoulders. A major part about being a successful web designer is finding out exactly what the client wants and then achieving that result. If the client doesn’t know what they want, it is the designers job to make expert recommendations and help the client understand what direction they should be going in. Furthermore, the designer should develop the relationship in such a way that any problems are discovered before they become a real issue.

The Client – Not all the blame rests with the designer, however, as some clients really can be their own worst enemy. Every once in a while you will meet a client who hates everything but has no idea how it could be improved. They don’t like any suggestions you make, even when they are backed up by citations from other professionals and the whole process becomes very stressful. Before you totally write off the designer as an idiot and a failure it is important to think about whether you were helpful, receptive and so on.

Designing a new website is a little bit like a dance; the designer leads but the client also has to bring a lot of skill and knowledge to the table. Unless you both work together there is going to be a lot of stepping on each others toes – and other people will notice.

What to do when you hate your new website

photo credit: Vacacion

No don’t go drinking. There is a better way! Of course, what you do is going to depend entirely on your own situation. The tips that I have written out here are based on what I would do if I was in this position but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best solution.

1. Tell your website designer
The obvious first step is to go to your website designer and tell them how the new site misses the mark. Now, it is important that you do this in a professional fashion which means trying to take the emotion out of the situation. Obviously you are upset. You have spent good money on this design and you were excited about it for weeks or maybe even months. You know how important the site is going to be for your business and you really don’t want that thing representing your beautiful brand.

Write an email that explains in some very clear and quantitative ways why the website does not meet your expectations. Instead of just saying “its ugly!” you should try to think of some very tangible reasons that the designer can relate to. Some of these might include:

• the website does not include such and such as we had discussed
• the website does not look like the examples I was shown/showed you
• this part of the website doesn’t work correctly
• etc.

Hopefully this will help your designer to realize that you are not satisfied and that certain things need to be remedied. If you are working with a firm that cares about your happiness you will get a reply that shows their commitment and suggests some realistic options for how to proceed.

2. Find a new designer
The sad fact is that you might have picked a dud. In this situation you need to find a new designer. It is just like getting your hair cut; if the hair dresses gives you a terrible cut then you find a new one. You don’t keep going back. Sometimes they simply don’t have the skills to fix things.

Here at Taplin Web Design I can honestly say that around 20% of our clients come to us because they are completely dissatisfied with their original web designer. My clients often tell me horror stories about how they were mistreated, made to feel stupid or just ignored after that final payment had been made. I am in two minds about this; happy because it means I get more clients, but saddened because these people have obviously been used. Sometimes, however, it is just a case of the web designer not having enough experience to get a result that the client wanted. They might just be starting out, for example. In this case it is fantastic if you can help them understand what they are doing wrong and how they can fix it.

Shameless plug – The success of Taplin Web Design is based solely on that fact that we help our clients succeed. We create websites that look good and that work and then we follow up and teach our clients how to profit off of the website’s power. Our business model has always been to put the client’s needs before ours. We do this for two reasons:

1. We love seeing people succeed
   One of the most satisfying things in the world is being sent an email to say that the business has grown so much since the launch of the new website that we created. This brings a very strong sense of satisfaction.
2. Word gets around
   We work almost entirely from referrals and I think this has something to do with the fact people hear that we put our clients first. Our long term approach to working with the client is something that is really missing from today’s web design market.

If you need to find a new designer but are short on cash because you just spent it on a design that you hate, give us a call and explain the situation. We will work with you to find a solution that gets you out of the mess whilst still being worthwhile for us. Remember, you might not need a whole new website – we might be able to tweak it back to life and save you a lot of money.

3. Give the website a try
This last suggestion might not sit well with you if you are particularly angry about the whole situation but it is definitely worth a try. Sometimes it is important to remember that your web designer does this for a living. There is every chance that he/she is very good at what they do and the website they have created for you might actually work. Sometimes, in some industries, visual appeal gives way to practicality. Often times you will see butt-ugly websites that sell millions. And often times you see amazing looking websites that don’t sell anything. And while I do believe that a balance can be found between the two, I think it is important to give your web design a chance because the designer might have got it right.

That being said, there are some telltale signs that indicate that perhaps the ugliness is not a stroke of genius. These include:

• You paid a fortune
  If you paid over $3 or 4 thousand for your website then you expect to get something that mixes beauty with practicality.
• It loads slowly
  If the website takes longer than four or five seconds to load on a fast internet connection then there is a chance that the designer has made a mistake or not followed current coding practices.
• It is hard to navigate
  Navigation is so important on the internet as the majority of customers still are new to the whole thing. If you struggle to navigate around your new website then chances are other people will too. This is a sign that perhaps the site is not a stroke of genius.

Of course, you will be able to tell whether the website is appropriate or not for your customers. It is important to remember, however, that your website designer might be onto something clever and to think in terms of what will work, not what you think looks nice.

Conclusion

A new website should be an exciting and happy time. No body wants to pay lots of money and receive something they hate. If you really don’t like your new website you should talk to your designer and see what they have to say. If worst comes to worst try finding someone else to fix the problems or give you new advice. Your website will be a massive source of financial success – if it is done right. Don’t muck around with it.

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