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You never want to be guessing or making assumptions when it comes to client work. In architecture there are a lot of questions you need to be asking. Get the answers you need to be successful with the project.
When it comes to getting information don’t hold back. It will feel like a lot of questions. One after another. But you need the information to get the best result. What kinds of questions do you ask as part of your process?
I ask things about their lifestyle. How they use the space currently. What’s not working about the space? What does success look like on this project? What would failure look like? How would they feel if this project never happened? Why have they decide to start now? Why do they want to work with me specifically?
These questions are trying to get to the inner desires for the project. Why they finally got motivated to make the change and why they have selected me to work with.
I’ve found a lot of people struggle when it comes to giving feedback on their passions. Ask someone what they are passionate about and it will result in a very stunned look. They either know and are too timid to tell you because they’re not used to others asking or they have no idea.
No one has asked about their passions before. Or their current relationship with their family. Or their financial situation.
Do they have the financial planning to take on the project? Not only the project, but to also meet other financial goals for their household.
The last thing I want to do is contribute to someones financial stress. I would rather them save up and hold off on the project or not do it at all, than to get into more unmanageable debt.
A family in financial strain will tear it apart.
Any clever design we come up with would be weight against the worry and suffocation debt causes.
I feel strongly about this. You have to get deeper. How will this project impact other areas of their life? Are they best served by doing this project now?
Find out what goals your clients have outside of the project. Life goals.
These will drive a project as much as or more than surface level goals of more storage space in the kitchen.
Dig deep. Ask questions then ask more questions.
