@trosetty: Thanks! :) I find that Skype voice and video calls make it easier to communicate with clients that are across the globe – short and often calls is what I usually do. I’m also usually flexible in terms of time differences too – working a bit later in the day so they don’t have to call me very early in the morning. I know some clients do feel that there has to be at least an initial face-to-face meeting, this doesn’t happen in my case though – a call will suffice.
I think above everything honesty, being up-front and generally letting them know you’re worried about some part of the project, won’t be focusing on their project for a while for some reason, or other stuff that sometimes just doesn’t feel right about a project should be talked about with no delay – I think clients like to hear about things that are not right, because they’ll trust you’re not seeing things “with your pink shades on” – and will feel more positive when things do go smoothly. Hope this helps :)
I wonder if there are two important types of communication that designers can receive. One is feedback from individuals – customers, friends etc. This is anecdotal and subjective – but often useful.
And there there is a type of communication that is more empirical. For example, the sales figures as a result of an advertisement. Friends and clients can say that they love a design, but that’s little use if the sales figures say that the design doesn’t sell.
Most designers – certainly the ones that stay in business – are probably very good at the first type of communication. But is there enough measurement of the second type?
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Inayaili de Leon
@Alex Singleton: Good point, you mean the distinction between feedback and data, analytics, numbers, right? I think a good design process would take both into consideration.
Great points Inayaili. With so much digital communication going on I think we should always take the option of face to face whenever possible. Even if that face to face is over Skype.
Great, timely article for me. I run a distributed company (while working mostly from home [with a 2-month old baby girl]) and my team (and family) encounters most of these difficult points on a weekly basis. Co-working downtown (San Francisco) at least one day a week helps a lot, and the human interaction with other like-minded, small business owners is so helpful.
What I have to keep in check daily (hourly) is the matter of email, whether it’s from a project management system or direct from a client/contractor. Responding too quickly to email starts the spiraling pattern into chaos, when email becomes a chat program, degrading into meaningless chatter. Take a step back, and set limits on email. Checking email three to four times a day should be my maximum, and if there’s more frequency needed, make the phone call or move it to Skype/Jabber. #GTD #LESS
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Inayaili de Leon
@Kevin Davison: Yeah, email can quickly take over your life and become a full time job in itself. I don’t have fixed times when I reply to it, but I am quite reactive, which is not great. Although in my case, I know lots of emails are time-sensitive, and some people treat email as I’d treat a phone call, so I guess you have to adapt. Because I’m home away from everyone, what I try to tell people is that if something is really urgent and I’m not responding, please just call me. May not be a great solution, but at least I know I can focus on something without keeping a constant eye on email, and for me it’s always nice to hear my colleagues voice.
Kevin’s above comment resonates with me (5 month-old boy and 4-year-old girl), as I work from home with my consulting. The email-spiral is never-ending.
I find it’s necessary to turn-off the channels of communication, and actively turn-on (check-email) when able to completely focus. My client pays more for my attention than he does for my time. 8 hours a day is meaningless if my production is awful.
Lately, I even turned off email-notifications on my smart phones, to keep that separate, as well.
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Inayaili de Leon
@unconventure: Yeah, that’s very true. I try to keep notifications to a minimum too, but because I work from home with the rest of my team at the office, my phone is always within reach for any eventuality – I want to be as available as if I were at the office, or as close as I can. My other email account though, I treat differently. I’ve written about it a bit more here http://the-pastry-box-project.net/inayaili-de-leon/2012-october-12/
20 Reader Comments
Back to the ArticleInayaili de Leon
@trosetty: Thanks! :) I find that Skype voice and video calls make it easier to communicate with clients that are across the globe – short and often calls is what I usually do. I’m also usually flexible in terms of time differences too – working a bit later in the day so they don’t have to call me very early in the morning. I know some clients do feel that there has to be at least an initial face-to-face meeting, this doesn’t happen in my case though – a call will suffice.
I think above everything honesty, being up-front and generally letting them know you’re worried about some part of the project, won’t be focusing on their project for a while for some reason, or other stuff that sometimes just doesn’t feel right about a project should be talked about with no delay – I think clients like to hear about things that are not right, because they’ll trust you’re not seeing things “with your pink shades on” – and will feel more positive when things do go smoothly. Hope this helps :)
Alex Singleton
I wonder if there are two important types of communication that designers can receive. One is feedback from individuals – customers, friends etc. This is anecdotal and subjective – but often useful.
And there there is a type of communication that is more empirical. For example, the sales figures as a result of an advertisement. Friends and clients can say that they love a design, but that’s little use if the sales figures say that the design doesn’t sell.
Most designers – certainly the ones that stay in business – are probably very good at the first type of communication. But is there enough measurement of the second type?
Inayaili de Leon
@Alex Singleton: Good point, you mean the distinction between feedback and data, analytics, numbers, right? I think a good design process would take both into consideration.
Top Web Design Company
Great points Inayaili. With so much digital communication going on I think we should always take the option of face to face whenever possible. Even if that face to face is over Skype.
Kevin Davison
Great, timely article for me. I run a distributed company (while working mostly from home [with a 2-month old baby girl]) and my team (and family) encounters most of these difficult points on a weekly basis. Co-working downtown (San Francisco) at least one day a week helps a lot, and the human interaction with other like-minded, small business owners is so helpful.
What I have to keep in check daily (hourly) is the matter of email, whether it’s from a project management system or direct from a client/contractor. Responding too quickly to email starts the spiraling pattern into chaos, when email becomes a chat program, degrading into meaningless chatter. Take a step back, and set limits on email. Checking email three to four times a day should be my maximum, and if there’s more frequency needed, make the phone call or move it to Skype/Jabber. #GTD #LESS
paradox2313
I made the same experience like trosetty! Working with remote clients is not always easy but can free up a lot of time on the other hand!
sevcar87
Thank you for this article. Sometimes we overlook the importance of communication and the effect it has on us and others.
Inayaili de Leon
@Kevin Davison: Yeah, email can quickly take over your life and become a full time job in itself. I don’t have fixed times when I reply to it, but I am quite reactive, which is not great. Although in my case, I know lots of emails are time-sensitive, and some people treat email as I’d treat a phone call, so I guess you have to adapt. Because I’m home away from everyone, what I try to tell people is that if something is really urgent and I’m not responding, please just call me. May not be a great solution, but at least I know I can focus on something without keeping a constant eye on email, and for me it’s always nice to hear my colleagues voice.
unconventure
Kevin’s above comment resonates with me (5 month-old boy and 4-year-old girl), as I work from home with my consulting. The email-spiral is never-ending.
I find it’s necessary to turn-off the channels of communication, and actively turn-on (check-email) when able to completely focus. My client pays more for my attention than he does for my time. 8 hours a day is meaningless if my production is awful.
Lately, I even turned off email-notifications on my smart phones, to keep that separate, as well.
Inayaili de Leon
@unconventure: Yeah, that’s very true. I try to keep notifications to a minimum too, but because I work from home with the rest of my team at the office, my phone is always within reach for any eventuality – I want to be as available as if I were at the office, or as close as I can. My other email account though, I treat differently. I’ve written about it a bit more here http://the-pastry-box-project.net/inayaili-de-leon/2012-october-12/