Feeling confused? 4 Questions to get clear with a client

Do you find yourself frustrated by a lack of clarity from clients? Are you constantly re-doing work because of miscommunication around objectives and priorities? Here are four questions to ask.

These four questions don’t take long to ask and will increase understanding and allow you to deliver amazing results clients will be crazy about. 

1. Who is the end user and what experience do you want them to have?

   This might feel like an abstract question not yielding much concrete information, but it is VITAL to understanding what impact your client wants to make. Knowing the end user experience will help you understand if a feature is supposed to be entertaining or purely functional. It will give you an idea of the value to the user, and may lead to further detailed questions about the work itself, especially if their answer is different than what you were initially expecting. 

2. If you had to pick just one, which feature is most important to you?

   Clients hate this question, but don’t let them off easy. Make it hypothetical if you need to, but press them to identify their ONE most valuable feature. This will tell you a lot in terms of their priorities and most importantly the impact they want to make. 

3. Are you more concerned with speed or quality?

   Of course clients will want to say both - but knowing which they are more concerned with will help you understand which one they prefer to sacrifice if it comes down to it. This is where leaving ego at the door is important. If they want speed and are willing to sacrifice elegance of code, the client is the one who calls the shots. Knowing what they prioritize and delivering that will increase your value in their eyes and keep you from guessing what they really want. 

4. Can I describe back to you what I’m understanding about this project?

   It’s a humbling practice, but one that I have found immensely valuable. When you repeat back to a client (or project manager or tech lead) what YOU are hearing them say, in your own words, it’s amazing how much clarity you will arrive at. And by clarity, I mean, lack of clarity. I am almost always misunderstanding some component of a project the first time I hear it. This gives the client a chance to adjust your understanding, usually it takes all of 10 minutes to discuss and can save HOURS of work. 

   Taking a bit of extra time to ask these clarifying questions on the front end will save time and frustration. Not to mention build trust with your client and reduce the chances of having to re-do work later. It’s one of the main distinguishers between mediocre software developers and exceptional ones. 

   

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