One of the least favorite stages for freelancers is the revision phase.
Some clients need a few days to analyze the mockup, while others are ready to provide feedback immediately.
Some send a fifth volume of "War and Peace." For others, minor adjustments from the designer are enough.
Some clients start bombarding the chat with requests so rapidly that the incoming notification sound makes your head spin, while others compile a neat list and wrap it up in a Word file.
Don’t Panic!
Many designers have a clause in their working conditions stating that they only accept 3-5 sets of revisions, and anything beyond that comes at an additional cost: "I value my time and blah blah blah."
I used to work on this principle as well, shifting the responsibility onto the clients! Like, what do I have to do with it?
It's them who don’t know what they want; they’re driving me crazy!
This way, I lost potential future projects for no reason. In any case, such conditions, especially the wording, come off as off-putting!
Time!
I didn’t understand the main point:
Revisions are normal, and the client has every right to request them!
One day, I completely re-evaluated my attitude toward this matter. It was probably one of the most significant turning points in improving my communication skills.
Instead of that phrase, I wrote:
"I am very open to criticism, suggestions, and requests. Don’t worry: we will make everything right, and everyone will be satisfied!"
And immediately, I won over those people who were initially wary of my working conditions.
I realized that any revisions would eventually come to an end. And most importantly! With each new project, the number of revisions decreases because both my design and communication skills are constantly improving.
And over time, you’ll start collecting projects that require no revisions at all!
Even if clients start to get a bit demanding—hang in there! Because that’s already a revision! REVISIONS! The end! You won’t be turned away with your design, being yelled at that you’re the worst and your works don’t belong in your portfolio, while they demand a refund! Just a little more tweaking, and you’ll receive the final payment, a satisfied client, and a review.
Figma
And if you’re using Figma, making revisions is actually a pleasure.
So why take a stand and deflect responsibility?
Sometimes, a list of revisions looks intimidating, but in reality, it only takes 5-10-30 minutes. Often, it’s even quicker to fix everything than to argue about which iteration it is for the client.
Revisions
It’s also important to learn the difference between revisions and refinements. But it’s even more crucial to figure out how to explain this difference to the client calmly and without stress.
Revisions involve changing something you’ve already created: recoloring, moving, swapping, changing text, or selecting a different illustration, photo, or icon.
If you didn’t hit the mark with the design and the client doesn’t like some elements, that’s okay because we’re designing for them:
Adjust the mockup so that it pleases the one who’s paying for the feast!
Refinements
Refinements are about adding things that came up "along the way" and weren’t included in the initial technical assignment.
“Ah! I forgot that we also need a testimonials block! Should we add that?!”
Or “Okay. Let’s also add a benefits block to the homepage. Eight items. It’s all simple. You know!”
Of course, creating a new block is a piece of work. Especially since it’s not just one block, but five (desktop + 4 adaptations). This is what needs to be communicated to the other side of the line. You should also have a good attitude toward refinements! If you can explain everything to the client without escalating the situation!
But even here, there’s no need to rush. Refinements can be a great ace up your sleeve during negotiations! For example, when asking for a review. You spent 10 minutes, and now it’s the client’s turn!
There are also minor refinements: “Oh, I forgot! We also need menu items: a calculator and purchase history” or “I just found out that our phone numbers have changed. Can you update them everywhere? Well, in the headers and footers.” This wasn’t there five minutes ago, but such refinements will only take (especially in Figma) a few clicks. This is more of a request than a refinement since both sides understand that it wasn’t in the original TA.
So why argue and start being negative over 5 minutes of work time?