The choice of the contractor of the site should not be based solely on an attractive screenshot. It is worth checking the way the decision is justified, the scope of cooperation and solutions used outside the main page.
Watch the Working Page
The portfolio shows selected projects, often in the most favorable way. Open the implementation and perform a simple task: find the service, read the details, go to contact. Repeat this on your phone. Only then can you assess whether the composition helps to use the site.
Do not automatically attribute all current performance features to the contractor. The site may have been changed after implementation. Ask what was its scope of work: design, content, programming, integration or later maintenance. A fairer representation of responsibility is more valuable than a long list of undescribed corporate characters.
Compare answers to the same briefing
Send performers a common description of the purpose, materials, functions and limitations needed. Without this, you compare different products under the common name “website”. A cheaper proposal may only include the implementation of the delivered project, and the second can include the arrangement of content and mock-up.
In case of cooperation with a company from Warsaw, please specify the role of meetings. Is there a need for a workshop on the spot, or decisions can be made remotely?
What reasons to ask
A good discussion about the project is about the consequences of the decision. It is worth asking:
- why such a tender structure has been selected;
- how the website behaves with longer content;
- which can later be changed on its own;
- how the mobile view and forms will be received;
- which materials must be prepared by the contracting authority.
For example, extensive animation may emphasize the character of the brand, but you need to know what the content looks like before it is launched and with limited movement. The assessment does not boil down to the question whether the effect likes it.
Save criteria before decision
Prepare a short comparison card covering the scope, responsibility, reception and maintenance. If something is missing, ask for more details. Do not add to yourself that the standard package contains all the expected actions.
Helpful additions are preparation of the design workshop i data needed for the valuation of the website.
