Design And Build Contract Pdf: Fill & Download for Free

Sure - User Centered Design is completely obvious. Everything is obvious once you know the answer. The truth is, a lot (an awful lot) of things are designed without ever talking to a real user. Ever. Trust me. I know. I spent the first days of every single project talking about the importance of user centered design. But what are the alternatives you ask?Technology Centered Design - This is where it starts. We build what we are ABLE to build. In the early years of a technology, it is all engineering and not user centered at all. Think of the telegraph for example. Morse code is NOT user centered. Any system that requires training to use or look up tables to interpret or experts to operate - is not user centered. We do what we are able and the user's preferences take the back seat. The technology has to mature to give more options before we can actually accommodate their wants and desires.Business centered design - we do what we think will make the most money. When websites add pops ups to sign up for their newsletter, it is not because users want them to. When youtube makes you watch a commercial before you can watch cats play piano...yeah...not user centered. User centered is what the user would do if they were in charge. The first thing the users would do if they seize control of most websites - remove the ads and remove the paywalls.On an airplane - First class is user centered:While coach is business centered:Designer Centered Design - This is where I do what I want..because it looks cool. I have my own website for that kind of ego work, so should you. Another word for this is "art".Executive Centered Design - The boss wants his cat featured and so...we do that...even though...realistically, he has never used this site and never will...Ghost User Centered Design - The is the most heinous because everyone PRETENDS its user centered but really it's on the above, someone just calls themselves the "user advocate" and pretends they know enough about the "other guy" to talk for him. There is alsoGhost Executive Centered Design - where "I like it, the users like it, but my boss won't like it, so let's not do it."Feature Centered Design - or Shiny object syndrome. Right now, as we speak a million bad designs are being influenced by a love of Tiles from Microsoft Sharepoint. I personally call this design by the acronym S.H.I.T - stuff hidden in tiles because of the way most people use it.Business Requirements Centered Design - or Contract Centered Design - This is where well intentioned methodology that includes gathering requirements, signing off on these requirements and handing them to the design team as a CONTRACT of what the site must do drives the design and becomes the primary force. It is compounded in most organizations because no one actually on the project has authority to change the contact regardless of how many screaming users protest outside the office.Wrong User Centered Design - This is where you actually do user centered design, but for the wrong user because your market research was flawed.Fear Centered Design - What if someone uses a quantum computer to crack Joe's password. We better make password change every three days and require 15 characters and a letter from the ancient phoenician alphabet.Ignorance Centered Design - We don't know what people want, so let's try a little of everything and see what sticks.Competition Centered Design - This is what our competitors are doing, so we need to do it too.And of course - Cow Centered Design - or No design at all - this is where you "pave the cow path" and build things with new technology modeled after the old technology ways (so you don't have to think or change your business process). For example, in the old system, (warning: sarcasm ahead) we mailed them this form (hey - we can put this form online!) they filled it out (hey - we can make it a pdf and they can print it!) they mailed it back to us (hmmm..no one uses mail, let them fax it in!), someone opened the mail (we can send the faxes through internal email!), then we entered into the database ... and so on...This is what the enemy looks like and what user centered design was sent here to destroy.The POWER of user centered design is that, like democracy, it establishes a source of credible authority. The design forces above still exist and always will. There is always some executive who will storm into the room and demand a change. User Centered Design gives you small buffer against that Design by Executive Fiat to be able to say: Ok - great idea. We have a process to follow to incorporate just this kind of thing. We will mock it up and show it users and refine it based on their feedback. Can I schedule some time with you say...next monday to show you the results?That should calm him down, and give you some time, then call us at Base22 - I'll send you the powerpoint.

In the span of 5 months (Oct 2014 to Feb 2015), I reached out to over 50 companies and tracked how far I made it into the recruiting process.Funnel stats summaryApplied: 50First round interview: 15Second/third round/onsite: 7Offers: 3The strategies I used, from most effective to least, based on how many applications turned into a conversation with the recruiter. The number don't add up because I contacted several companies through multiple channels.Recruiting Agencies (6/6, 100%)Pretty straightforward. You sign up. If your application is approved, you are in their candidate pool. If companies are interested, they will reach out. Watch out for fees. There are online and offline agencies, see: Hired, Aquent. Many of these jobs are contract work, with contract-to-hire opportunities depending on the company.VC Talent Sourcing (7/7 responded, 100%)Some venture capitals have a division that sources talent for the companies they fund. Look for information on their about pages. If they like you, they'll put you in touch.Note: These first two metrics aren't completely accurate. It's not that all companies I were interested in necessarily got back to me, but that I only had to submit one application to get a response from many companies.Tech conferences (4/5, 80%)The most expensive of the bunch, but some tech conferences have career fairs that's not unlike college career fairs (see below for more info.)Referrals (4/6, 66%)Referrals are still one of the most effective ways to get through the door, but they won't get you the job. Make sure you have good relationships and good work. Your connection shouldn't feel embarrassed to make a referral. Ask now, and when you are in the position to do so, give back.College Careers Fairs (5/15, 33%)As a student this was a pretty good resource to talk to companies, learn about their opportunities, and pass my resume out like water. Depending on where you live, there are career/recruiting fairs focused on working professionals. Unfortunately, the company reps typically come to recruit for engineering and don't have information on design recruiting. They'll offer to pass on your resume, but make sure to get their contact information and follow up.Cold email (2/9, 22%)Sometimes, I would find a generic recruiting email address or a personal address and just write a casual cover letter with my portfolio link and resume attached. You may want to use sparingly though, particularly for personal email addresses.Online applications (1/20, 5%)The old-school way and possibly one of the worst experiences due to ancient web design UX. One explanation of why the conversion rate is so slow—besides that this is in general the most impersonal method—is that my PDF resume wasn't optimized for parsing. Always keep a plaintext version of your resume for easy copy & paste.Hackathons (0/0, NaN)So I wasn't actively looking for job opportunities at hackathons, but I go to a lot of them, and have heard anecdotally of design colleagues that have received interview offers from attending—and building kickass projects—at hackathons. If nothing else, it's an opportunity to push out a portfolio piece and make connections.Other methods I didn't cover:Design communities/social mediaI'm a huge believer in joining communities. Many design communities are dedicated to—or have a subcommunity dedicated to—job offers. They are especially great for finding remote or contract work.Check out: The Designers Guild on Facebook groups, @IA_UXJOBS on Twitter, /r/userexperience, Designer Hangout Slack UX community.Passive searchingUpdate your social media profiles and LinkedIn. I get a few messages a month from recruiters and hiring managers without even trying.Job boardsDribbble, Behance, and AngelList are reputable sites for design-specific job opportunities in tech.Personalized "resumes"While not really common enough to be a trend, I have seen many people go over the top to create custom, targeted websites for the companies they want to work for. This works best if you really, really know who you want to work with, though. And like anything else, it'll get you the interview, but not the job. It's a nice way to demonstrate how your skills will apply to the role you're looking to join. See: nina4airbnbDesign bootcampsIf you don't think your skills are up to snuff, consider a 3-6 month UX bootcamp. Some of them offer job introductions for successful graduates.Join the right mailing listsPrevious to 2015, I had gotten great internships just by opening my emails. Many people will ignore mailing list emails in their inbox. I have a few that I always open. I helps to a portfolio link and resume handy, so you can apply quickly and effortlessly.Takeaways:Follow up! Rule of thumb if there's no reply: An email every week for up to 3 attempts.Contacting designers can be more effective than contacting the recruiters. There's nothing more reliable than a future co-working vouching for you. If nothing else, buy them a coffee and ask for a portfolio review. Designers love it when strangers ask them for help.Try multiple channels. Make sure you knock on all the doors before you give up.Give back. Came across an opportunity that's not right for you? Share it with someone else. It's good design karma.Say thanks.Didn't get the offer? Say thanks, keep it touch, and move on. Little interactions mean a lot! Always keep in mind that you might be looking again in a year. :)YMMV. Good luck!

You talk with your client and work out what their needs are - basically, what pages and functionality they need (what is website about, and what do they want it to do - have a Home page, contact form, About Us page, online store, online booking or purchases, you get the idea). Are you getting stock photos (you usually have to buy them), or are they supplying images, and what’s the quality (I once had to edit each and every photo of a horrible quality for an online store with hundreds of items… make them pay for stuff like that). How soon do they need it? Who’s getting the hosting account and who’s the host (some hosts are more user friendly than others). Are you going to be doing SEO too?Once you have all this info, figure out how much time it’ll take, what you’re going to charge per hour, what if any expenses you’re going to have (buying hosting/domain, scripts, stock images or?), add it all up and add at least 15%, because it always takes longer than you think. Take also into consideration whether you need this job to pad your web design resume or not, or want to offer a discount for that reason. Make sure the client knows they’re getting a discount in that case though, so they wouldn’t quote the same price if they recommend you to someone else. I, for example, have a major discount for friends and family, and another for activist, non-profits and charity organizations.Then, give them a contract specifying deadlines, copyright and other ownership of images, domains, layout itself etc. (I always make sure client knows they’re the owner, not me - I know too many customers who were burned on this by others), spell out exactly what you’d be doing and how much you’re going to charge for any additional work, and what happens if the deadline is missed because the client didn’t give you materials in time, specifications for payment(s), reviews etc.I usually take 50% down for small projects, 30 (downpayment)/30 (after first review)/30 (upon completion), or a longer payment plan based on milestones for bigger projects. I usually offer at least one rough and one final review to client, during which they can ask for changes and additions.Finally, leave a back door admin account, or build the website on a separate, “staging” host and do not move it to final destination until you get the last payment. Hate to say it, but in more cases than you think, you won’t see that last payment until you suspend/remove the website; especially in case of small mainstream businesses.Here’s a sample contract (Quora won’t let me upload a pdf):========================WEB SITE DESIGN AND/OR PROMOTION AGREEMENTThis Web Site Design and Promotion Agreement (this "Agreement") is entered into as of_________________, by and betweenCompany Name(Provider)and ________________________________________("Client").For good and valuable consideration, the receipt, adequacy and terms of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:1. Services and Fees.Client hereby retainsCompany Nameto design and/or promote as indicated below, a World Wide Web Site (the "Web Site") for Client. Provider shall perform the following services for Client, and Client shall pay Provider in consideration therefore the following fees:Custom layout for an online Internet store/monthly member club connected to a payment system of customer’s choice, currently PayPal, and the entry of up to 20 products, with the needed image development & editing. In addition to the store, web site will have Homepage, About Us, Testimonials, Contact Us pages, with a product slider on the Homepage.Installation & customising of the membership software, including the main product categories and attributes as specified by client. PayPal recurring payments will be used to handle member signup, rebilling and track sales. WordPress software will be used to develop the product & company pages. Constant Contact service will be used used for newsletter handling purposes, with each level of membership being signed up for a separate mailing. An account will be created at Constant Contact for these purposes, and the separate mailing lists set up.Design includes optimization for search engine placement and help with the new hosting company setup if the current hosting company does not have the features needed.Including:Image preparation related to the web site layoutHelp with copy writing for the front and company info page if needed.Auxiliary image development (backgrounds, buttons, lines, clipart and/or other visual elements)A site maintenance training session and/or phone/email support during the first month (regular business hours) is included.for the sum of the$ at the estimated time of X hours at $ /hourDeadline for the first draft is 10 workdays from the complete material receipt. Deadline for the final draft is 5 workdays from the completed site review.**Customer understands that either deadline may be extended due to circumstances out of our control, such as if the web site needs to be moved to another host (typical wait for domain transfer is 12-24 hours), or if all the materials are not made available by the customer in a timely manner.If Client requests services in addition to those set forth above, including additional training or periodical additions/updates to the said site (Webmastering) Client shall pay additional fees to Provider as follows: Each additional hour $____Initialed: Client __________ Provider _______________2.Ownership, Responsibility and Control.Provider guarantees that all the visual/aural sources and materials used on the site and not provided by the Client are original copyright property of Provider or legally available for use clip art. Client guarantees that all the visual/aural sources and materials used on the site and provided by the Client are original copyright property of Client or legally available for use clip art. At the time of the final payment, the ownership of the original artwork developed SPECIFICALLY for the Web site being designed for the Client will be passed to the Client for the exclusive purpose of display on the World Wide Web. This does not constitute a permission to use the said images for any other purpose or medium, such as business cards or other printed materials without the express written permission by the Provider. Any and all domain names registered in the name of the Client are the exclusive property of the Client.The development of company/corporate identity symbols (i.e. Logos) and their ownership are not included in the basic rate written in this contract and shall be discussed separately.3.Term of Agreement.This Agreement shall continue in force for 6 months from and after the datehereof except if terminated as described in the next sentence. Either party may terminate this Agreement by delivering written notice of termination to the other party no later than 10 days in advance to the designated date of termination with any fees and refunds being calculated on the base of the percentage of work already finished at$XX/hour and any hosting/software purchases.4.Payment.Client shall pay 30% of the total sum in advance and the rest as designated below:30% after the first draft review and %30 after completion. Any software and/or hosting purchases will be charged at the time of purchase.5.Indemnity.Client hereby agrees to indemnify, defend with counsel selected by Provider, protect and hold harmless Provider, its general partners, officers, directors, employees, agents, assigns and successors in interest (collectively the "Indemnitees") from and against all claims, demands, suits, causes of action, legal or administrative proceedings, actual damages (including but not limited to special and consequential damages), punitive damages, penalties, fines, charges, costs, liens, injuries, losses, debts, liabilities,and expenses of every kind whatsoever paid, incurred or suffered by, or asserted against, any of the Indemnitees directly or indirectly (1) attributable to any breach of this Agreement by Client or (2) concerning product/service liability or alleging breach of the warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose, and related in any way to any product or service sold or offered by Client at the Web Site.Effective upon Client's approval of all Web pages and/or changes and add-on to the said Web site designed for Client by Provider, which shall be deemed to have occurred on the date of the final payment unless Client notifies Provider otherwise in writing. Client shall be solely responsible for the content of the Web Site. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Web Site shall be deemed to be exclusively "under the control" of Client and not "under the control" of ProviderIN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first set forth above.PROVIDER: Name of Company, if anyRep. Name_______________Rep. Signature __________________________CLIENT REP.____________________________Signature:______________________________