Web Developers Nightmares

Nearly all great websites start with an idea. Working as a web developer you will have to interact with clients who have brains full of ideas. As a developer, you want to provide the best service out there. You also have to be quick to respond, easy to talk to, and great at meeting deadlines. Of course, you won’t be the best out there.

You’ll never be the best. Your goal is to be one of the best. There will always be someone better than you out there, and there will always be someone who won’t be as good as you. The key is to know that you know your stuff, and you know that you can provide great service. If you are new to the Developing World, we will be discussing what Web Development is, clients you will encounter along with the way, and nightmare clients, as well as nightmare situations and how to avoid those situations.

What is web development?

For those who are new to the topic, I’ll give you a brief explanation. Web development, in general, are tasks a web developer does that creates websites on the internet. The web development process includes many aspects, from web design to web development, to client-side and server-side scripting, and network security configuration, among many other tedious tasks.

Web development encompasses all tasks required to manage a website. Web developers, or web devs, are the professionals that create, build, maintain, and continue to update websites. Web development doesn’t just stop there. Not only does a website need to be informative and working. A website needs an excellent graphic designer. A web developer who is also a graphic designer is a treasure! Graphic designers keep websites trendy, smooth, and beautiful.

Web Designer

What is a web designer? A web designer is someone who has skills in the creation and management of websites. There are many different sects in web design; ranging from graphic design, UI design, standardized code, software, UX design, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). A web developer can also be a web designer as well as an SEO expert.

Web Developer

As a website developer, you will encounter clients who think you can code like you are from the Matrix; code running down the screen, anything they can think of will appear on the screen. They will think you can create a website out of thin air. Sometimes a client will ask you to make a gradient color scheme for the entire background on their GoDaddy website. You will have to nicely explain to them that a gradient background is no longer an option on GoDaddy but you can attempt to make a gradient color theme by editing the top of the section to the bottom or vise versa. This is just one of the issues you can have with a client.

Non-Web Developers

What is GoDaddy? GoDaddy, Shopify, Wix, and many other sites like this are website builders. They are for non-web developers who want to create a website. They can go to website builders and put together a fairly simple, working website. Website builders are not only for non-web developers. They are also for web developers. Web developers can easily edit, manage, and build websites on these website builders. They can also get jobs working as a developer on these types of software because HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can be used in specific sections on these websites.

You will encounter many different clients when you step into the web developing world. The career path of a developer is a rough path. You’ll encounter clients who don’t have a vision in mind. This can be good and this can be a very bad thing. These clients can be easy to mentor and help when choosing how their website will look but you can also have clients who can’t figure out which one they would prefer, where they want sections to go. This is why I highly recommend drawing out a wireframe!

Initial Design & WireFrame

What is a wireframe? Every building, store, house, every design needs a wireframe. That’s how it all starts. It is an important part of the workflow that helps determine the success of the project. For the developers out there, GitHub is not the only important thing to have up and ready when developing a website.

A wireframe is equally as important because a wireframe tells the developer what the client wants in each section, on each page. Without a wireframe, a developer is coding blind. You’ve basically got to discuss daily or have a weekly checklist of what the client wants per page. You could have the client who doesn’t want to take the time to do a wireframe and would instead prefer you look at their Pinterest. If you have a client who doesn’t want to work on a wireframe, ask them to give you 3–5 websites that they liked. That way you will have examples to work with. Web design nightmare averted!

Clients that have a WireFrame

With that nightmare dodged, you can also encounter a client who already has their wireframe already drawn up! These clients we love but this isn’t the article about the clients we love. This is the article about nightmare situations, nightmare clients, and how to avoid or fix these situations!

Clients That Know What They Want

We are talking about clients who think they know what they want and when you can somehow grasp a straw of what they want, you’ll code it up and they will say but make it look like this. A good way to start a job is to create a wireframe and continue to work on that wireframe until you can come up with a website that your client is happy with; and that you can picture and code out.

Uncomfortable Developing

Sometimes, you will have a client who will request a not so typical website. You may be asked to develop a website you aren’t comfortable with. You may be asked to develop a website for a nude company or you could be asked to develop a website for an adult store. The list of awkward sites goes on and on. The question you need to ask yourself is, do you want to handle these awkward circumstances or do you want to take on a new client and rock at your job? It can be a nightmare or it can be a rewarding experience. The choice is yours!

Know-It-All Clients

Another nightmare client you could encounter is the Know-It-All. What is a know it all? They are the client that has been to a few seminars or read an article on best design practices from 2000. This client will forget who the designer is and will start editing your work and demanding change. In fact, some may also tell you they know everything about online marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)! Don’t let them scare you off! You are the developer and you need to be clear with the client and stand your ground. Be assertive but remember, they are your client. The customer is always right. Be confident and explain your work thoroughly throughout the design process. Keep them updated and informed on what is going on at all times.

Unavailable Clients

A truly frustrating client is the one you can’t get ahold of. You may have a question or a list of questions you need to ask your client about. What’s the best course of action? Reach out to them via the best form of contact. For some clients, it is through text, call, or email. This client won’t respond for days or even weeks on end! It’s frustrating because you can’t get everything that you need to get done without a steady line of communication. The best way to deal with this client is to do your best to reach out to them and get a hold of them. Be assertive, let them know you’ve done everything you can to reach them. You may have to stop working until they can give you the information or data you need.

Kraken Clients

A legendary nightmare client I almost don’t want to mention is The Kraken. This client is known to show up mid code or mid-project and switch requirements or ask for a complete change in what was originally agreed on. This client doesn’t see an issue with multiple add-ons or understand that some things aren’t possible. They are unaware of the fact that they are holding up the project.

The best way to handle this client is to reinforce the first agreed-upon terms. Talk about what they would like officially done and do it. When they ask for more add-ons, let them know it’ll take longer if they want to add so many things to the project. Make sure you are firm and confident in your work and what was agreed upon. As for the issue of wanting things added on that aren’t feasible, let them know that you can help them find an alternative to please them. Never forget, that the client is always right!

The Perfect Nightmare Client

A client that I’ve worked with that I consider a nightmare client is a perfect client. I call this client the perfect client because they are friendly, fun, and easy to talk with. The perfect client has a wireframe and seems to have everything ready to go. When you start working on the website, happily coding away, this client decides to change the color scheme. That’s not too bad, right? So you change the color scheme and complete the first 2 pages. Then the perfect client pops in and says they want it reorganized and has wanted the content to show other information.

They may not seem like a nightmare client? Oh but it’s just the beginning. They continue to change each page, each section, color schemes, images, and asks for map plug-ins you’ve never heard of before. They ask for plug-ins that don’t exist! This client doesn’t want a website. They want to design and change the site continually, forever. This client may take months and hold the project to make any progress.

Don’t fret! This situation may seem lost because it is. In this setting, you as the developer, need to decide if you are going to stay with the client and rack up the experience, and money to continue to make these changes. While having patience and keeping the best mentality. Or you can decide to end things if you don’t think you can continue to be professional.

Clients of All Types

Don’t give up! There are many clients out there who will give you headaches and stress you out until the project is finished and done!

Always keep in mind that you are not stuck. You can leave at any moment.

Just be ready to walk the path of a web developer! Don’t forget to always be coding and designing!