You've worked hard, sacrificed nights and weekends, your site is out there for users to click around in, the beer from the launch party is now flat. And yet, there is an outstanding list of design bugs that goes around the corner. Columns are uneven, colors "off" from spec, fonts the wrong size, links going to the wrong places if working at all. Hmmmm... Obviously, something is wrong. Everyone is saying the site is live and celebrating, but it looks... unprofessional and not representative of the team's best work.

I'll state the obvious that this is not where anyone wants to be in this business. So, how to deliver quality each and every time? This post looks at each major role in the creation process and posits the questions that need to be asked individually to keep professional-level design a strategic priority.


It is important to remember that regardless of the negotiations behind the scenes, the endless meetings, you and the team are only judged by what the consumer experiences. The cliche is true: you only get one chance to make a first impression. As a matter of principle please ensure that every member of the team understands this idea. The user does not know the excuses or the backstory and really doesn't care. If only we could stand behind millions of users while they surf the site and let them know what we're still tweaking or figuring out!

I have broken the questions out by discipline, but it is always important to remember that we all function as a team.

Designers: Designers should ask to see the final schedule and make sure it has proper time for real design work and proper design QA. Please don't let any one else tell you how long it takes to do your job correctly. You know better than anyone. A schedule that does not include all design stages is not a professional schedule and should be called out to the Program Manager to adjust accordingly and reset expectations. Trusting that these things are happening and waiting until the last minute is where the designer is complicit in what can sometimes occur in the heat of battle.

Better yet, be a part of the CSS fixes process with access to front-end code so that you are not conveying design bugs via email but fixing them yourself. Make sure your skills are sharpening and recognize that code is a natural part of the language of Web Design and critical to your growth in the medium.

Developers: Do you already have or are you cultivating a sensitivity to aesthetics and design? In order for designers and developers to "get" each other, each group needs to bend a little toward the middle. Consumer experience is not just about functionality--it is also about appealing to the user's senses (that is why "form and function" are talked about as a couple). Bad design, like a bad special effect in a movie, snaps the user out of the flow and chips at the trust they have developed in our products. And, critical to our business model, advertisers are also looking closely. They are used to consistently receiving world class agency-level work when they put their brands on the Web. They scour our sites looking at their integrations and where their ad inventory is running. Therefore, we have to make sure the aesthetics and functions of the site are as tight as they can be.

Product Leads: Product strategy represents the consumer and the fulfillment of the user's needs. Would we ever go back to a supermarket that had bugs crawling around on the floor? Or imagine if you couldn't find anything in the store because there were no signs of where you were? (the rollovers are not working in the left hand nav, not a big deal right?). Navigational queues, links that pay off on promises, friendly error messaging--each detail serves to build or bust the effort of the team. What may be considered nuances in design will most definitely erode consumer trust. Strategically, the rule is to always go for fewer features at a higher level of quality, regardless of which process is used (waterfall, agile, etc.)

Program Managers: Was there time in the master schedule allocated for proper design and design scrubbing? Have we brought design and development together actively and early in the process to go through expectations on the experience? If you are already doing these things, bravo! Please never assume anyone else is doing this. Program Managers are the first line of defense for quality by crafting solid project plans and backlogs and bringing disciplines together at the right time for level-setting and prioritization. Program Managers also have the authority to hold all contributors accountable for quality deliverables--even the Executives involved. Which brings me to...

Executives: Are they setting a tone that design matters to your group? Is it acceptable to compromise to "hit the date" and "just get it out there", even when you know the experience is looking and functioning poorly? Everyone is watching leadership for the general tone of the project and the "level of acceptance". It is critical for execs to represent the highest level of consumer quality and clear obstacles that get in the way of achieving this goal.

These are just suggestions on how various disciplines can work together to make the work stronger. If you have any other ideas relative to the pursuit of quality in the work, by all means let us know!

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