The first conversation I have with a new client almost never goes the way they expect. They come prepared to talk about what they want to build. I want to talk about why they want to build it, what's changed, what isn't working, and what success actually looks like for them. It can feel like I'm putting off the fun part. I'm not. I'm trying to make sure that when we do get to the fun part, we're building the right thing.

Questions aren't a delay tactic. They're the work. The answers shape every decision that follows – what goes on the page, in what order, with what emphasis, for what purpose. A designer who starts without those answers is guessing. They might guess well. But they're still guessing.

The questions I ask most often are also the ones clients find most uncomfortable, because they require real answers rather than aspirational ones. Not "who is your target audience?" but "who actually buys from you, and why?" Not "what do you want the website to say?" but "what does someone need to believe before they'll get in touch?"

These aren't trick questions. They're the questions your website is already answering, whether you've thought about them or not. If you haven't, the website answers them badly – with generic copy, unclear structure and a call to action that nobody follows.

The discovery process isn't something I do to clients. It's something we do together. It's often the most valuable part of a project – you can read more about how it works in both the Webflow process and the branding process. It produces clarity that survives the design process and goes on to inform everything from how you write your emails to how you introduce yourself at a meeting.

That's worth an uncomfortable conversation or two.