Friend-of-the-list and long time reader, as well as a great illustrator, Rad Co, wrote back on 6 misbeliefs.(Shared with permission, slightly edited for clarity)
Here’s the thing
The client is always right. And always wrong.
They’re right in what they want to achieve. They have a desired state in mind. They want not only a solution, but a way to thrive. In that, they’re absolutely right.
And they’re wrong, too.
When they come to you self-diagnosed asking for specific deliverables. With their list of “wants”.
- These features.
- And this website.
- And this look.
- This logo bigger.
- 10 pieces of content.
- This steps to execute on this plan.
You get the idea.
Odds are, they’ve come to these conclusions based on their research (that might be shallow or inexperienced). Or someone told them to do this. They might be wrong. Or right.
But only when you ask the right questions, you’ll be able to see the way forward.
Your responsibility is to lead them.
And you can only lead from curiosity.