According to Wikipedia, “Like any human undertaking, projects need to be performed and delivered under certain constraints. Traditionally, these constraints have been listed as “scope,” “time,” and “cost”.^[4] These are also referred to as the “Project Management Triangle,” where each side represents a constraint. One side of the triangle cannot be changed without affecting the others. A further refinement of the constraints separates product “quality” or “performance” from scope, and turns quality into a fourth constraint.”

Though it’s possible to have all three requirements, usually one quality will be affected or strained over another. When working with clients, I often times recommend that they take the time to select the right designer to work on their project. Each project is unique and requires time and money. Rushing through a project can result in sloppy work and much worse, a failure where everything needs to be done over again.

DigiDave goes on to say that you should also pick two options when starting a startup. Sometimes the choice is made for you (i.e. If you are bootstrapping).

How would you like your graphic design? (Photo credit: Colin Harman)

Let me explain. It bothers me when clients say they just want a Designer to do wireframes or cute designs. Good design should always be smart. Designing for the sake of designing can be like shooting in the dark, but really, does it accomplish anything else more than just a good looking piece of art? Design should be smart. And by smart, I mean that the design should reflect and achieve a few things in alignment with the business itself.

The truth is that ANY design should be able to achieve tangible goals set forth by business itself. If the objective of good design is just something pretty, then we’ve practically just thrown a bunch of money in a bucket and sent it off down the river. Our primary goal as a User Experience design is to meet any business objective needs set forth by our clients.

Usually, a first few questions as such follows:

• Is there a marketing strategy?
• What is the objective of this design?
• What is the goal of the business?

By answering a few of these questions (just a sample list above), we can help our clients define what it is they are looking to achieve through their business. Our roles as User Experience designers are to help our clients

1. Understand what an organization wants
2. Why they have chosen to use a specific method (website, app, print etc) as a means to extend their messaging
3. Set goals and objectives that can be achieved through all marketing needs
4. Define an experience for a customer that is in alignment with the business strategy
5. Create value for a customer so that they would WANT to share it with others

Like I said earlier, smart design is more than just beautiful design. Smart design is the ability to create a streamlined and friendly user experience for a customer while achieving business and marketing objectives. At the end of the day, your customers should be able to relate and advocate for your business because you’ve provided something of value that doesn’t smell like a sales pitch.

So, clients, next time you hire a User Experience designer, ask yourself “Is my designer is working in the best interest of your business? Is he or she asking the right questions? “ Make sure that your designer understands that the objective is to take care of your business needs to create a holistic experience, not just fulfill pretty designs needs.