Published on October 24th, 2020 | by Sumit Bhowal

5 Questions You Need To Ask A Web Designer Before You Hire Them

Unless you run a marketing agency, you probably don’t hire web designers all too often. If you are designing a website from scratch or looking to update yours, it pays to do your research. By taking the time to ask the right questions, you can be sure you hire the best person for the job.

Budget-related questions aside, you also need to ask questions that are specific to the web design field. Here are 5 questions you need to ask a web designer before you hire them to get you started.

What Is Your Experience?

Web designers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are university graduates with 20 years experience, and others are just starting out. While it’s not to say that only the best web designers have been through the education system, you still need to know who you are dealing with.

Ideally, they will have studio or internship experience as a web designer. Even if they are super talented, if the individual has no experience in working on projects with clients it could be a disaster. So be sure they have excellent communication and experience with real life clients to boot.

Can I See Your Portfolio?

A web designer’s portfolio is a highlight reel of all their best projects. The sign of a great portfolio is something that has a lot of variety, especially as each project should be treated with a unique approach. Their work should be fresh, inspiring and most of all in line with what you are looking for.

Their portfolio can also be a great way to get to know the designer. You could ask them what their favourite projects were and how they overcame any particular challenges. It’s a great way to assess their skill and execution level before you hire them, as these are really important qualities every web designer needs to have.

Have You Worked On Any Similar Projects Before?

The reason for this question is not to ask the web designer to create a replica of a previous project. However, given websites vary significantly in types and purposes, you need to be confident that they can execute the vision that you had in mind.

For example, designing an ecommerce website is very different from a blog or even a portfolio website. At this point, it’s great to get their input about what they could see working for your brief. That way you can check you are both on the same page, plus it might give you some ideas that as a non web designer you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of.

How Do You Perfect Your Craft?

Like any creative field, web design is ever-evolving. While the fundamentals remain, trends come and go. You want your web designer to be well aware of the latest practices, especially if your website is to stand the test of time.

Ask them what their inspirations are, and what are their favourite pieces of web design. If they have a real appreciation for their craft, then this is going to show within the work they create for you. The individual should be motivated by creating something spectacular instead of just the paycheque alone.

What Is Your Availability?

Websites aren’t built overnight. Depending on the scope of your project, it could take weeks to design and build your new website. The best web designers are usually booked up well in advance, which is why you need to find out when they can start.

From there, you’ll then need to liaise with other people who may need to work on your site. This could include the likes of copywriters, project managers and of course web developers. Your web designer should be able to give you a rough time frame of how long your site will take to complete too.

To Sum Up

Whenever you need to hire someone to complete a job for you, it always pays to take the interview process seriously. Whether you meet in person or video call, be sure to speak to them face to face.

Asking the above questions will also help you determine if they are the right fit for your new website, which will help you get the most out of the process.

Tags: hire, need to ask, questions, web designer

About the Author

Sumit Bhowal An Internet addict and a MASTAN , Also a lazy Freelancer . I don't try to reinvent the wheel I just like to soak things in Steroid's :p Thanks (y)