Comments on: Combating design by committee

By: Sally

Sally — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:00:41 +0000

Of course, you should ask your clients to give a detailed description of web design they demand, it's better if they can give you some examples of sites they like. That will help to avoid problems of misunderstanding.

By: Simon Griffiths

Simon Griffiths — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 11:57:54 +0000

Good article, great in an ideal world. I have tried many of these tactics in my company, usually with no positive result. Trouble is that at the end of the day, they all give their all, usually contridicting each other. Then when you reach the final design they all want it changing!
My advise if you work for a company producing their website, do the changes and get results before anyone notices! You can do this by split testing the site.
I have to say that companies such as mine also get used to a constant evolution in design as we try to get our site functioning better. You really learn a lot from using Crazy Egg and Clicktale, if you take the time to install them on your site.

By: Steve Kwan

Steve Kwan — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:57:13 +0000

Hey Paul, I can relate. A lot of people seem to think design by committee is a good idea, and it can be hard to avoid, especially when you aren't in charge. The problem with design by committee is that the goal becomes consensus, not developing a great product.

By: Paul Boag

Paul Boag — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:00:50 +0000

@Josh… I think it is important to differentiate between design testing and usability testing. Yes, it is vital to carry out usability testing throughout the project. However, design testing is a different beast. It is easy to change a design so it is not as vital to do it upfront because it can be easily tweaked later in the process.
@Benjamin… I like to expose the client to as few design concepts as possible. In my experience all this leads to is “I want x from design 1 and y from design 2 which rarely works”. Where multiple designs are involved I suggest narrowing down to a main design concept as quickly as possible.

By: Pascale Mackey

Pascale Mackey — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:23:40 +0000

The key I agree is to "encourage them to think beyond their personal preferences and focus on business and user requirements." "Gentle" guidance is a must.

By: Josh Walsh

Josh Walsh — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:57:09 +0000

Paul. Great, except for one thing. Surely you don't do user testing solely at the end of the project? That seems dangerous. What good is it to achieve the business goals you set out initially only to find out your target users (who are most likely not geeky like us) are having a hard time using a fundamental design element.

By: Frank Fortin

Frank Fortin — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:51:43 +0000

Not to sound surprised, Paul, but this absolutely freakin' BRILLIANT. Thanks for a simple roadmap.

By: Benjamin Wiederkehr

Benjamin Wiederkehr — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:02:51 +0000

Great article Paul!
You mentioned some problems we run into nearly every time when there are several stakeholders involved in a project. By putting these simple thoughts together in a list, you’ve created a nice guideline for a successful workflow.
One single thought comes to my mind:
When is the point reached where you stop creating different designs and fully concentrate on the “one”? I think it’s hard to discuss all the designs. Could the website manager be that person who decides, based on the results of step 2, which design communicates best the main objectives?
I would be interested in your opinion