Web development patterns and workflow

Clients Rights and Developer Responsibilities

Liability, insurance, limiting risk, and an understanding of the legal relationships we have as service providers are important areas of knowledge for web design agencies and freelancers alike. Working at the corporate level requires knowledge of these areas in order to safely navigate through projects and clients while protecting your company’s credibility, reputation, and financial stability.

When you engage with a client as a web designer you officially take part in the service economy, the fastest growing area of international commerce. You become a service provider, and the client a customer or service recipient. This relationship can be compared to a whole variety of service industries, such as a banker providing advice to a client, an IT technician fixing a computer problem, or a gardener trimming the weeds. In each of these, commonalities arise in the relationship that exists, as well as in the responsibilities of each party.

As such a large contributor to the GDP of most developed and developing countries, the services sector falls under significant legal attention and standards of rights and responsibilities. When you as a web developer or web design agency officially enter this arena, it’s important to understand how the fish are swimming in this giant ocean of industry that you will call home.

Rights of Clients
At its most basic, clients have the right to a service which they pay for, or are promised under a legally binding contract. While most enforceable rights that clients hold should be carefully documented in a contractual agreement (which will be discussed shortly), there are several that are taken to be self-evident.
• Courtesy, Consideration, and Respect – without discrimination
• Transparency and honesty
• General quality of work
• Services provided in a timely fashion
• Right to privacy and confidentiality

Responsibilities of Clients
Beyond enforceable rights are responsibilities, these are presented within the context of professional industry and business, and although they can be difficult to enforce or use as grounds for a lawsuit, they are important to the agreeable completion of service transactions.
• To share concerns or questions with the service provider
• To make the service provider aware of situational changes which will affect the project/service
• To provide adequate payment for service in a timely fashion
• To act professionally and courteously
• Honoring agreements and upholding regional standards of business

Duty of Web Designers
Web service providers have similar duties which must be upheld under a service transaction. Imagine a doctor showing up late and providing an incorrect diagnosis to a patient. This example sounds far more serious than web design work, you may think, but what if a mistake on our part caused eventual sales losses of millions of potential revenue dollars, negatively affecting both employees and the company? It’s important to regard ourselves as professional service providers, and to take seriously the rights and responsibilities of all involved.