4 Tips to Make it Easy to Work with Shopify Designers & Developers

The internet has made it easy to stay connected worldwide. This has given entrepreneurs easy access to resources for better ecommerce solutions. There are times when you may not have sufficient hours or the desired skills to complete a job effectively to keep up with ever changing business demands. This is when outsourcing becomes a good fit.

But outsourcing also brings certain challenges for the entrepreneurs. When we talk about outsourcing web services, finding the right person or firm from the multitude of available options can be daunting. It is important to have a certain level of trust between you and the person you are giving responsibility to create something for your business.

Fortunately Shopify experts are already vetted by Shopify. They are trusted web design and development agencies and freelancers who know and understand the platform completely. Choosing the right person for the job is half the battle though.

An effective and efficient collaboration with them is very much important for the desired result. So what simple yet effective steps can you take to ensure things run smoothly?

1. Have a Clear Communication

Tell your designers clearly what you want. What doesn't help however, is when you tell how they should do it. They are experts and know how to do it.

The possibility is very low that we are better at designing than the designer we hire. After all that is the reason we hire a Shopify designer, isn't it?

However, when we communicate with them it often comes as directions or instructions. Like, "increase the size of the logo", "Change the size of the text", etc. This is completely a wrong approach. We simply turn them into a production assistant. Instead of dictating them on design, we should help them understand what we want to achieve. So that they can utilize their skill and expertise to help us achieve the objective.

You can do this by collecting visual samples of other designs and discussing with them the elements that you like and how it identifies with what you want to achieve.

Unlike with designers, communicating with Shopify developers is a little different. Unless you are a coder yourself you can't tell them how to solve a problem. Which probably works for your best interest. It's best to leave web development to the experts.

Experts already know how to achieve what we want, so we just need to maintain the right approach with them.

2. Make a Creative Brief for Clear Objectives

Modern methodologies may have overshadowed the traditional methodology of documentation. There is less priority given on documentation, and we believe less is better. However it isn't always the case.

Write a creative brief, which will provide an objective baseline. This will ground the entire project and keep you and the expert working on your project on the same plane in terms of deadlines, budget, audiences, expectations, and goals. This helps in better collaboration, working on projects more strategically and prioritizing the things.

After filling a creative brief do not just consider that you are done with that. Remember communication plays the most vital role in project success. Hence it must be ongoing and your availability is important. In the larger projects, especially where questions and challenges are more likely to emerge. Creative brief is a beginning stage, also be prepared to handle things that were not addressed in the brief.

3. Set A Realistic Project Deadline

A simple task may quickly finish and take just a few days to be done with it. Unfortunately, with larger projects this is not the case. Ensure that the deadlines you have set give enough time to the designers and developers to implement the features and you are left with back and forth time for questions.

No doubt you must set an expectation and time frame for the completion of your project, as it is not wise to work in a goalless state. However, when you do so set a realistic project deadline.

Before you sign a contract ask them for a deadline. If needed give them a little leeway.

4. Build Trust and Collaborate

As we mentioned earlier, Shopify experts are vetted experts and are believed to know the platform. Although it is normal to be a little apprehensive, working with a stranger but a certain level of trust already exists. These experts understand how important your business is to you. On the other hand you need to keep some trust in them rather than doing micro management. People tend to perform better when trusted, so daily check-ins are not required.

Collaborate with them and work together towards a common goal. When you treat the designer and developer as a skilled and insightful person your goal can largely be accomplished.

You can do a paid test task, if you want to find out if the agency or freelancer will be a right partner to work with or not.

How to find the right person for your Shopify website project?

It is quite obvious that you look for the right person to build the working relationship. Here are the things you should check before hiring an expert to create or improve your Shopify store:

• Pay attention to the portfolio of the designer or developer.

But remember not to base everything on it.

• Check reviews from the customers who have worked with them.

An agency's or freelancer's online reputation is as important to them as it is to the people who see it when looking for someone to complete their next project. This system of social proof motivates everyone to work together and collaborate for the desired outcome.

• Ask the right questions before you sign the contract and start working with web design and development services for avoiding surprises in the final deliverables.

This gives you a clear idea if the person you will hire can do justice to your requirement or not. Research if the skills and availability is right for you or not.

Once you do your due diligence, and commit to working together, put your trust in them. If you are looking for a trusted agency to work on your Shopify store, then look no further than StorePlace. We are a trusted web design and development agency and have lived up to the expectation of many Shopify web entrepreneurs across the globe. Please feel free to reach out to us at .