This week Daniel covered the new project that we are starting and all the fundamentals of creating a proposal.
The Project Brief – Invoice & Proposal
As a freelancer, create a UX proposal for a brand & website creation to represent the Hill Street area in Belfast’s cathedral quarters.
Consider things such as history and heritage, businesses, tourism, culture and community when determining appropriate features and priorities for the website.
Similar areas to look at are Cathedral Quarter & Titanic Quarters websites.
The project should be done on a designed PDF/Webpage and submitted along with an invoice.
What’s should be included in the proposal?
Title Page
1 Project Overview (What needs done + experience)
2 Project Approach (How it’s going to be done)
3 Scope of Work (Who is involved)
4 Assumptions (What you need)
5 Deliverables (What you’ll produce)
6 Ownerships & Rights (Work for hire / Licensing)
7 Additional costs/fees (Expenses)
8 Pricing & Payment Schedule (Your quote)
9 Acknowledgement & Sign-off (Agreement to start)
Acknowledging my role
Although my vision is not to become a freelancer it is very important to know what it takes to become one and what skills are involved. The above shows many roles which businesses partake in. However, as a freelance UX designer, these roles might involve me doing every single one. This gives absolute creative freedom over any chosen project.
As a freelancer, time means money, this means designers must charge for their times no matter what as it isn’t passive income it’s full-time earnings. It’s almost like doing a full-time job for free, nobody would tolerate doing it. As a hypothetical freelancer, I must not undervalue myself.
One extremely fascinating addition Daniel added to the presentation which I was very happy to see is the pictures shown above. When expecting a designer in circumstances you can’t expect all three as one must be sacrificed to achieve the end goal. This is similar to my work, as sometimes when I’m put on cleaning duties I can take my time and clean rooms properly which may be an extra hour for the employer, or I can go fast yet clean not to the certain length ultimately cheaper. This just doesn’t apply to design it applies to everyday tasks. When planning my proposal I have to think about this too.
Finance
In the field of UX design, there huge wage gap between interns and seniors. Below I will provide some examples:
Intern
0-1 Years
£12 – 18k
Junior – This is where I am
0-3 Years
£19 – 25k
Senior – This is where I am
5-8 Years
£34 – 40k
When handling costs, it may be better to have someone handle them for me.
Get a budget or a ballpark upfront. It can help me determine the time available and the scope of the project.
Conclusion
What are the advantages vs disadvantages of freelancing?
Advantages
Personal Schedule – as you are in control you can propose whatever time you need off for yourself. This can often guarantee a flexible work schedule.
Alternative Working – as a freelancer you have no requirements to work in certain scenarios e.g. work office. This means you can work from home or on the go.
Choice of projects – Additionally, as a freelancer you have the flexibility of choosing your own projects and who you want to work for.
Disadvantages
Personal Schedule – On the other hand, whatever time you take off you will not be paid for, meaning no unpaid breaks. This can cause uncertainty in the freelancer.
Alternative Working – Some freelancers do work at home or on the go which can be quite disruptive and chaotic depending on their environment.
What have I learned today?
Today was a quick overview of our proposed project and how to structure it. Additionally, this helps with the previous week’s UX Guide book Daniel recommended to us. I feel like I have better knowledge in this subject now and feel like I am ready to make my proposal.