Whats some good question to ask a web designer?

[shahab6]

Whats some good question to ask a web designer?
I have to interview one.

[Dan Williamson]

What are the most important aspects of a successful webpage? It can be a broad answer, a short answer and can have many different bases of opinions but theres always the general structure, and if you don't know that then there's no point in attempting to become a webpage designer.

[3ncryptabl3_lick]

Ask him if he owns a computer. That'll help you decide if they can do the job or not. There are others, but thats a good one I think...

Oh and if they prefer meetings at the tittie bar or Pancake house. That's kinda'a no brainer though.

Hmmm... What else...

[scottdizzle]

Hey I'd like meetings at a tittie bar but that doesn't mean I suck at making websites

Ask if they've ever made and completed a website, then ask to see AT LEAST one of them. If they can't show you something they've designed and created working in 100% then don't even think for a second you're going to end up with a 100% working website from them.

[shahab6]

This is real interview on Persian Radio. Any more serious questions to ask?

[sitetutor]

"Do you use any recreational drugs?"

[Boogle]

Paris Hilton or Katie Price?

...

Ask them what they use to develop with and why?

[Turbine]

There are many good and informative questions you can and should ask a potential designer.

1. "What tools do you use to produce your work?"
2. "Typically what is the process in which you go about designing and producing your designs? Can you walk me through the design process?"
3. "How many years have you been designing and developing websites?"
4. "Are you a good web designer?"
5. "What do you offer that sets you above the rest?"
6. "What is good web design and what is bad web design? What makes bad design bad?"
7. "How did you get into the field of web development?"

And pointers for each question:

1. This answer can vary heavily, but ultimately you should look for Photoshop experience, if anything. Paint Shop Pro is fine, but ultimately what it comes down to is Photoshop combined with Dreamweaver (Now owned by Adobe as well) is the industry standard.
2. How the applicant answers this question will give you a very clear idea if the person is experienced in designing. This should include a few steps, and bonus points if their first step is visualization/sketching/or drawing out the design.
3. A very neutral question. Something to test the applicant's ability to answer a straight question. Lots of double-talk, backstepping and stuttering can be a sign of poor communication skills, deception, inexperience or just butterflies in the stomach.
4. This is an interesting question to pay special attention to. You are engaging the designer to give their personal opinion on their own work. Confidence is VERY important in the web design industry, so look for confidence, but cockyness is confidence's ugly cousin. They should give a very strong answer, and they should react accordingly. If they react in a way that suggests they have insecurities about their work that can be an indication to keep an interest in their habits further. If a person feels they are a moderate designer, they will produce designs they will personally think are of moderate quality, and if they produce in such a way they will find themselves second-guessing more than someone that is confident, and this can lead to mis-match in design, delayed production, deadlines being missed due to indecision, and overall the designer may feel that they can't stand behind their work.
5. This answer will give you a hint to see where the designer's priorities of design are. If they say they offer a unique style, that can sometimes mean they like taking chances with their design and like to work outside of "the box," but it can also be the applicant telling you what you want to hear. Different replies can tell you different things about the applicant, so pay attention to this answer.
6. Another question to pay attention to! Find out what THEIR goals are and how THEY will operate. If they feel navigation is the key to a good website you can expect this designer to pay special attention to their design's nav system. If they say a bad website is poorly compressed graphics, this person has probably researched .gif compression techniques. Pay attention here!
7. This will give you some look into the designer's person. Finding out where the designer has come from will give you some information about their thoughts and their motivations for diving in. A designer that tells you his parents forced him into the computer field probably isn't going to offer the kind of interest that someone who got into the field because they had personal interest. Listen up!

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes. Hiring a web designer can be an interesting process, and can be a wonderful experience if you shop accordingly! Don't be afraid to paid a higher price for work if the designer is a blast to work with! Sometimes the WORST people to work with are the cheap ones because they can't find work with their poor attitudes, so they have to lower their prices to get contracts. Not ALWAYS the case, but just in general that can be the situation.

Make sure the person you're interviewing does not take advantage of the fact he is being hired for his technical knowledge. Allow NO talking over your head or try to press some superiority by using technical terms he knows you won't understand. Many times web designers will try to avoid very bad situations by making up pure fabrications and covering it all up with technical jargon he knows he won't be questioned on. Make sure to pick a designer with good communication skills and good listening.

When I say good communication skills I don't just mean capable of saying "Yes" and "No," I directly mean is this person capable of expressing problems properly? Is this person capable of asking the right questions? Is this person understanding what I'm saying? Someone who can understand what you're saying and make it happen is very important. Good luck with your interview! Hope everything works out well!

-Turbine

[D3n!ss3_gÜrL]

Good list of questions there Turbine!

*thumbsup*