I think all designers at one point did moonlighting on the side, or worked for themselves. My primary function is to do the analysis and design for front-end web based applications for a medium sized business, however there was a time when I used to design web sites when I came home for work every night. I have a feeling that due to the economy the moonlighting and self-employment trend is going to become popular again. With a surplus in the workforce, and everyone trying to save money, I see small business owners reaching out to individuals to handle their website, or their web marketing instead of hiring larger businesses.

I personally learn the best from doing, so I will occasionally build a website from start to finish just to keep my tack sharp, or to learn a new technology that I haven’t tried before. I also continually upkeep my own personal website which I use as an outlet for expression, and so I don’t become a slave to all of the social networking websites.

So today I put out there on Twitter, “what is the #1 piece of advice you see yourself giving to people about their website?” I was not bombarded with a slew of responses, however  snoebiz responded:Today it would be “consider your end user, not your sales team”. I personally think that is some great advice. I think the biggest piece of advice that I give to people about their websites is to create a “creative brief”. It’s really important to make sure that the message of your website is on mark.

I learned about using a creative brief when I worked at Office Depot. You can find templates for them on line. A creative brief is usually a one page paper that gives you the following: a paragraph about the project, who is the target audience, information about perception, tone and goals, a communication strategy, competitive positioning, and a single-minded message. A single-minded message is a word, phrase or sentence to describe the site. OK, so it might be a little longer that one page. The important thing is that you get these items defined and on paper, and then use this as a guide throughout the design process.

Not everyone can afford the time or money to do extensive human factors related work, user interviews, mental models, and personas, but as long as you do a creative brief you should be able to be on a good start with your website design. It’s also helpful to do a Information Architecture, or a site map of what content will go where. Then of course it’s important that you follow good design practices, like being consistent with navigation, and typography.

If you can’t afford to do full-blown user testing with a one-way mirror, or recording devices, just recruit a few people to go through the website. Take some notes with pencil and paper. Talk to some users to see if you effectively communicate the feeling that you were looking for in your creative brief to make sure your message is on target.

Ironing out these details can help save time and money further down the line.