Simultaneous translation of the most… poetic client requests.<\/p>\n\n
There is a phrase that makes developers shiver, much more than a bug in production or a client saying, “I just changed two things in the code, now it doesn’t work anymore.”<\/p>\n\n
That phrase?<\/p>\n\n
Spoiler:<\/strong> “Just,” “small,” and “simple” are words that usually hide a sprawling 23-step project, 8 of which are unplanned, 3 mystical, and 1 involving a form with PDF teleportation.<\/p>\n\n Here is a guide (non-exhaustive, but very liberating) to decoding those beautiful phrases full of innocence… or traps.<\/p>\n\n “A 5-page website… but also a filterable gallery, an interactive map, an animated FAQ, Google Maps integration, and a blog. Oh, and it needs to load fast. Very fast. On all devices. Even on a smart fridge.”<\/p>\n\n “With 17 mandatory fields, 30 logical conditions, a file selector, a smart captcha, sending to two different email addresses, a copy to the user, and automatic saving to an in-house CRM. Simple, right?”<\/p>\n\n “Create an intuitive administration interface, customize the CMS, plan modular blocks, secure access, document everything… and cross your fingers that no one accidentally deletes the homepage.”<\/p>\n\n “Reproduce a design made by a team of 12 people with a $100,000 budget, but in 48 hours, with a maximum of 2 revisions, a $3,000 budget, and IE11 compatibility (just in case).”<\/p>\n\n “Create a mockup that makes Figma weep with joy, code as fast as an SSD, a design as trendy as a 2019 startup, and a website as light as a mojito on a terrace.”<\/p>\n\n Let’s be clear: in 80% of cases, the client doesn’t want to be difficult<\/strong>. They just don’t realize what their words actually imply<\/strong> on the technical side. <\/p>\n\n A good developer is also a teacher<\/strong>, a translator of vague needs, and sometimes… a bit of a therapist.<\/p>\n\n Are you a client who has said “simple” lately? Pas de panique. We do not hold it against you. Tell us about your “small project.” Simultaneous translation of the most… poetic client requests. The great illusion of simplicity There is a phrase that makes developers shiver, much more than a bug in production or a client saying, “I just changed two things in the code, now it doesn’t work anymore.” That phrase? “It’s simple, I just want a small website.” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-strategy-digital-consulting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1971"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2682,"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971\/revisions\/2682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkhame.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}CMS: your website’s conductor (but without a baton)<\/h2>\n\n
“I just want a showcase website.”<\/h5>\n\n
Developer translation:<\/h6>\n\n
“It’s just a contact form.”<\/h5>\n\n
Developer translation:<\/h6>\n\n
“I would like to be able to modify it myself later.”<\/h5>\n\n
Developer translation:<\/h6>\n\n
“I found an example on a site; I want the same thing.”<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
Developer translation:<\/h6>\n\n
“The site must be simple yet modern, fast yet complete.”<\/h5>\n\n
Developer translation:<\/h6>\n\n
It’s not (always) bad faith<\/h2>\n\n
And that’s normal!<\/h4>\n\n
The right approach: setting boundaries without frustrating<\/h2>\n\n
A few magical tools to survive these requests:<\/h4>\n\n
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In summary:<\/h2>\n\n
Client phrase \u2192 What it often means<\/h5>\n\n
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What now?<\/h2>\n\n