The Client’s Role in a Web Design Project—Time and Expectations
When embarking on a web design project, clients often wonder how much involvement it will require from their end. Will they need to spend hours or a few minutes to ensure a good result, or something in between?
The reality is that most business owners underestimate both the importance of their involvement and the impact their participation has on the final outcome. Many assume that hiring a web design agency means they can simply hand over their requirements and wait for a finished product.
While agencies handle the heavy lifting of design and development, strategic client participation at key moments makes the difference between a good website and a great one.
Let’s learn more.
Your Time Investment Matters More Than You Think
Let’s be honest about what “client involvement” actually means. You’ll need to dedicate a few hours of genuine engagement throughout the project.
To put this in perspective, most successful web design projects require approximately 10-15 hours of client time spread across 6-8 weeks. This includes discovery sessions, design reviews, content review, and final approvals. While this might seem significant, it’s a minimal investment compared to the years your website will serve your business.
The Critical Moments That Define Success
The most critical moments require your prompt attention, especially during the review phases.
When we present designs for feedback, your timely response keeps the project moving forward. Delayed responses don’t just push back deadlines—they can completely derail momentum.
Think of your web design project like a relay race. When it’s your turn to provide feedback or make decisions, the entire team is waiting for your input before they can continue. A 48-hour delay in feedback can easily become a week-long delay in project completion, especially when you factor in designer availability and development scheduling.
Web Design Client Process: How It Actually Works
Every project follows a structured path, though the specifics vary based on your needs and industry.
Phase 1: Onboarding
We start with a comprehensive sales and discovery phase to understand whether we’re the right fit for you. This is also a time to see if our personalities fit. The more thorough you are here, the smoother everything else becomes.
Phase 2: Visual Design
Design work kicks off with your desktop homepage in Figma. We tackle this first because it establishes the visual foundation for everything else. Your feedback at this stage is crucial—we collect it, apply it, and only then move on to designing interior pages.
Mobile design receives equal priority, including specific details like hamburger menu behavior and navigation flow. This isn’t an afterthought; it’s a core part of the user experience.
Phase 3: Development
Development only begins after you’ve approved the complete design. This sequence is deliberate, as changes made during development are exponentially more expensive and time-consuming than changes made in Figma.
Phase 4: Pre-Launch
Finally, we move through QA and launch, handling minor adjustments based on your feedback. The pre-launch phase is your final opportunity to identify and address any issues before your website goes live.
Phase 5: Post-Launch
Following the launch, we provide support to help you manage your new website effectively.
Figma as Your Collaboration Hub
At Sage Digital Agency, Figma serves as the central platform for collaboration, feedback, and approvals, allowing real-time interaction between clients and design teams. We use Figma because it allows for consolidated feedback and faster iteration.
Figma eliminates the confusion of feedback scattered across emails, phone calls, and sticky notes. Instead, you can click directly on design elements and leave specific comments. This precision prevents misunderstandings and ensures nothing gets lost in translation.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Scope Creep
Scope creep is the silent killer of web projects. It happens when clients change requirements after designs are approved, often without realizing the cascade effect on the timeline and budget.
Scope creep typically starts small—adding an extra page here, changing functionality there—but these changes compound quickly. A project that should take 6 weeks can easily stretch to 12 weeks when scope creep isn’t managed effectively.
The solution is simple but requires discipline: thoroughly review and approve designs before development begins. Following the agency’s process prevents unnecessary rework and delays that can frustrate both parties.
Uncertain Brand Identity
Clients who are uncertain about their brand identity or messaging need more time upfront. This isn’t a criticism—it’s reality. Rushing through brand decisions to meet a launch deadline usually backfires.
If you’re unsure about your brand positioning, target audience, or key messaging, consider investing in brand strategy work before starting your website design.
This foundational work ensures your website accurately represents your business and resonates with your ideal customers.
Client Distracted By Other Priorities
One common pitfall in web design projects is limited client involvement—not from lack of interest, but because clients are juggling higher-priority demands. While that’s understandable, minimal input can delay timelines or lead to a site that misses the mark.
Even small, timely contributions—like providing content, feedback, or approvals—make a big difference in keeping the project aligned with your goals and running smoothly.
Not Sticking To Agreed Deliverables
Successful projects require clients to stick to agreed deliverables and follow the agency’s established process.
Deliverables are the foundation of a successful partnership. They help us allocate resources effectively, maintain quality standards, and ensure your project gets the attention it deserves. When changes arise outside these agreements, it’s not that we can’t accommodate them—it’s that we want to be transparent about how those changes impact timeline and budget.
While iterating in Figma is relatively easy and cost-effective, making changes after development has begun becomes exponentially more expensive and time-consuming.
Asset Preparation: Setting Yourself Up for Success
With this in mind, an essential best practice for success is to provide all creative assets upfront. This includes images, inspiration examples, existing branding materials, and any other visual references.
The more complete your initial brief, the fewer rounds of revision you’ll need.
Remember, our goal isn’t just to build functional websites. We’re aiming for best-in-class results that serve your business objectives and delight your users.
The Creative Reality
Design is inherently creative and variable. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach because every project involves different personality dynamics and subjective preferences.
Understanding Design Subjectivity
Some clients prefer to give us full creative control and trust our expertise. Others want to be involved in every decision. Both approaches can work beautifully—what matters is establishing clear expectations upfront.
The key is finding the right balance between creative freedom and client input. Designers bring technical expertise and industry knowledge, while clients bring business context and brand understanding. The best results come from combining these perspectives effectively.
Industry-Specific Considerations
Some clients spend extra days sourcing their own images—it’s rare but sometimes necessary for highly specialized content.
In projects like a midwifery website, the client’s expertise is essential for accurate, trustworthy content.
Good content is often repurposed and restyled rather than written from scratch. Your existing materials usually contain more value than you realize.
Different industries have unique requirements that impact the design process. Healthcare websites need to comply with accessibility standards and medical regulations, while e-commerce sites require complex functionality for payment processing and inventory management.
Our Internal Standards
Although we welcome your input, you should never feel the need to ask, “Where are we in the process?” Our team maintains structured communication to keep you informed throughout development. If you find yourself wondering about project status, that’s a sign we need to communicate better.
Effective project management includes regular check-ins, clear milestone communications, and proactive updates about any changes to timeline or scope. Clients should always know what’s happening with their project and what’s coming next.
The Real Truth About Website Design: Final Thoughts
Building a website isn’t just about pixels and code. It’s a collaborative journey that requires a real partnership between you and your design team. After years of working with clients across industries, we’ve learned that the most successful projects share common traits: engaged clients, clear communication, and realistic expectations.
The Long-Term Perspective
Successful website projects require partnership, not just service delivery. Your engagement, timely responses, and trust in our process directly impact the final result.
When clients embrace this collaborative approach, the results speak for themselves—websites that don’t just look good, but actually drive business results.
The question isn’t whether you have time to be involved in your website project. The question is whether you have time to do it right the first time, or if you’d prefer to deal with the consequences of rushed decisions and poor communication later.
