F.A.Q
Why STUDIOWRX?
At STUDIOWRX, we’re all about the experience. We design simple, compelling, and functional websites that make it easy for users to quickly find exactly what they’re looking for when they arrive at your site and then convert them into paying customers. It’s about creating an online experience that transforms users into followers, customers into ambassadors.
We do this by listening to you, understanding your target audience, and putting our extensive online knowledge to work on a plan that will improve your business goals and change the way you think about the potential of the internet.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, we’re mobile first. It’s not just the way of the future. It’s the way of right now.
When is my bill due?
Most projects are composed so that payment is due before we can start work. If you receive an invoice you will have 15 days to pay it from receipt date. In the event payment is not made within 15 days, STUDIOWRX will charge a late payment fee of 1% per month on any overdue and unpaid balance not in dispute, but to cover the manpower, interest, and other costs STUDIOWRX pays for carrying overdue invoices from you (the client). In addition, STUDIOWRX reserves the right to stop work until payment is received.
Can we make a monthly payment arrangement?
Yes, we are open to making payment arrangements prior to agreement of work.
Do you offer hosting?
Yes we do! Please see the options here: http://studiowrx.com/pricing. Our prices are a little higher than other competitors because we are not a large corporation, just a small local business like you. However some may feel that it is more convenient to have all of their digital needs taken care of in one place.
What if I already have a domain but no host?
We can host it for you or we can set you up with a host that makes the most sense for you.
Do you offer technical support?
Yes we do at $105/hour or this can be covered with a maintenance package seen here: http://studiowrx.com/pricing.
Will you inform me prior to the work scope increasing?
We will never increase the original scope with out your okay in writing. Either in a contract, or in an email, we will never work unless we have payment or a trusted written agreement to move forward.
Can you work on other CMS platforms other than Wordpress or Magento?
Yes. Our developers have yet to meet a platform that can't quickly adapt to. You have a weird proprietary CMS? Awesome! We love challenges!
Do you offer business planning guidance?
Going through business planning first hand, our CEO would be honored to help guide you in a successful direction in starting your own business.
Will you do research to inform your design and development?
The first step is we need to thoroughly understand your business, your business goals, your customers and their expectations and behavior, and how your website factors into all of it. We’ll also look at the competitive landscape to establish context and benchmarks for how your site should function and then improve on that. This stage will give us the foundation for moving forward with just the right recommendations for the design and development of your new responsive website.
Some of the research will been done prior to the kick off meeting to better understand how and what should be proposed. In-depth research is not part of every scope and will need to be added if needed.
What is the design process?
Once we’re armed with the information from research, we’ll set to work sketching out interface layouts for 3-5 different views, including the home page, sub page, the blog template, and any additional templates needed. Wireframes look like simple skeletons of your website without the visual polish of the finished design, allowing us to experiment and iterate on solutions quickly so that we have a good sense of how content should be laid out across different screen sizes.
We recommend having all of your content ready by this stage which will inform the design and make it faster to load the initial content on the development server so content doesn't hold back the launch. If you won't be able to provide professionally written content by this stage we recommend having our in-house copywriter create the content for you.
Next we’ll design high-fidelity comps that show what the final designs will look like on desktop, tablet, and smart-phone screen sizes, providing up to two rounds of revisions on the design.
What is the development process?
After the design is finalized we'll set to work making your design a reality by building the site using standards-based technology. We'll build the front-end templates in HTML5, CSS, and use JQuery for simple behavior and effects like animations and form validation.
Some scopes may skip design and create the design at the same time as development to minimize costs. However skipping this important step is a risk and can lead to more time. If you, the client is not sure about the aesthetics that they want, then skipping the design process could add more hours to the scope, making it more expensive. For the less picky clients, skipping the design process could work for you.
Why WordPress and what will it entail?
We recommend WordPress as your content management system (CMS) so you can update the content yourself, if you so choose. WordPress is the most popular open-source CMS in the world and has thousands of developers constantly improving it and contributing plugins to extend it's functionality.
We'll install WordPress on your server, set up the admin panel for you and then create a custom WordPress theme that will mirror the design we created for you.
Your website will initially contain between 5-10 static pages (ie: pages that don't change often) including the home page, about us, our services, our team, and contact us. We will then be able to add new top level and secondary pages to the site navigation if needed. We also recommend setting up a blog to publish posts that will be displayed in a reverse chronological order with pagination, search, tagging and category filters.
The website will include a social media icons on the home page to display your Twitter feed, social share buttons on your blog posts, a simple email form on your contact page, and an email newsletter sign up form which we'll hook into your Mailchimp account.
Plugins are a way to extend the functionality of WordPress and make the admin panel easier to manage. We'll install a limited number of plugins for launch, which will include a simplified way to manage the navigation, automatically backup the database, SEO tools so you can manage the title and meta description tags, and an XML site-map generator which will help Google index your pages automatically.
What does the testing entail?
We'll test the website in a variety of browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer 9. We'll also test the responsive design on iPhone and Android devices. We'll lightly test the functionality of the site to ensure there are no errors or broken links and then hand it over to you for review on a test server.
You'll have two rounds of minor revisions or tweaks to the sites, and then we'll launch.
If keeping costs down is your jam, most of the QA will be your responsibility. You (the client) will be responsible for testing links, images and over all functionality.
When do we launch the new site?
Once you’ve tested the website and are happy with its functionality, we’ll make the WordPress theme live on your website and point your domain over to the new site. Launch time!
Do you offer business planning guidance?
Going through business planning first hand, our CEO would be honored to help guide you in a successful direction in starting your own business.
Tell me about inbound marketing?
We are experts in online marketing. A retainer with us ensures that you are regularly publishing content, engaging prospective customers on social media, and otherwise driving people into your service funnel. This is guaranteed to grow your sales.
Are you able to help with copywriting?
If you find producing content is difficult, we have copywriters in-house who are training in writing for the web and in writing persuasive sales copy that will drive more conversions on your landing pages.
Is a Maintenance Package important?
We recommend retaining our services after the site is launched to assist with any further support issues that arise. This continues to ensure top security, latest functionality updates that enable the website to run seamlessly, and keep the SEO updated to remain at the top of Google.
We have 2 different options available.
Is user testing important?
Although not required, testing the designs with real users will greatly improve the quality of the finished design and help catch usability issues before time is spent building out the designs. User testing involves our usability professionals recruiting up to 5 users and asking them to perform tasks. We record the results of the test and then deliver the video to you along with a list of usability issues or comments that our design team can implement. It’s like the digital version of the old adage “Measure twice, cut once.”
Are you Developers or Designers?
BOTH! We create look-and-feel designs, and flexible layouts that adapt to the capabilities of many devices and screen sizes. We create designs iteratively and use predominantly HTML and CSS so we won’t waste time mocking up every template as a static visual. We may use static visuals to indicate a look-and-feel direction (color, texture and typography.)
When do we give you feedback and is there a restraints on rounds of feedback?
Depending on where we are in the stages of design and development you will usually have two or more weekly opportunities to review our work and provide feedback. If, at any stage, you’re not happy with the direction our work is taking for whatever reason, you will pay us in full for everything we’ve produced up to that that point and then cancel this contract.
Can I change my mind after we start the project?
We know from experience that fixed-price contracts are rarely beneficial to you, as they often limit you to your earliest ideas. We don’t want to limit your ability to change your mind or make decisions later when you might be better informed. The price at the beginning of this contract is based on the length of time we estimate we’ll need to accomplish everything you’ve told us you want to achieve, but we’re happy to be flexible. If you want to change your mind or add anything new, that won’t be a problem as we’ll provide a separate estimate for to cover the additional work.
What if I find errors in the work?
We can’t guarantee that our work will be error-free (we’re human!) so we can’t be liable to you or any third-party for damages, including lost profits, lost savings or other incidental, consequential or special damages, even if you’ve advised us of them. However, if there are errors after QA is done by us and you, the client, we can always fix it as long as it is not a third party error.
What is it that you mean by mutual cooperation?
We agree to use our best efforts to fulfill and exceed your expectation on the deliverables listed above. You agree to aid us in doing so by making available to us needed information pertaining to your website and to cooperate with us in expediting the work.
Can you write and help us with copy, find images and other content?
If you’d like us to write new content or input text for you, we’re happy to provide a separate estimate for that.
Most of the time we will refer you to finding a local photographer otherwise you will need to supply graphic files to us in an editable, vector digital format. Photographs must be in a high resolution digital format. If you choose to buy stock photographs, we will include the suggested stock images in our design. If you would like us to include stock photographs for you, we can provide a separate estimate for that. Cost of buying stock photographs or a photo shoot is not included in our standard contract.
What are the deliverables for a new website if we are not hosting with you?
We deliver templates developed from HTML5 markup, CSS2.1 + 3 stylesheets for styling and unobtrusive Javascript for feature detection, poly-fills and behaviors along with all of the template and image files.
What does a WordPress Integration/Installation entail?
We'll setup, install and configure WordPress on a hosting server as described in the scope of work section. WordPress is a third-party tool and therefore we can't be responsible for any bugs associated with WordPress or it's plugins. If any bugs are found during the development phase or 30 days after launch we'll fix it (if possible) or update Wordpress or the faulty plugin if it's available, but after the 30 days we'll charge at our hourly rate of $105 if no maintenance package is selected.
What type of QA testing do you cover?
We test our work in current versions of major desktop browsers including those made by Apple (Safari), Google (Chrome), Microsoft (Internet Explorer), and Mozilla Firefox. We’ll also test to ensure Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 for Windows users get an appropriate, possibly different, experience. If you need an enhanced design for an older browser, we can provide a separate estimate for that.
Testing popular small-screen devices is essential in ensuring that a person’s experience of a design is appropriate to the capabilities of the device they’re using. We test our work in:
iOS: Safari
Android 4.1: Google Chrome, Firefox
Android 3.2: Browser, Firefox
We currently don’t test Blackberry OS or Blackberry QNX, Opera Mobile, Symbian or other mobile browsers. If you need us to test using these, we can provide a separate estimate for that.
What happens if charges for services are performed?
Functionality or feature requests above and beyond those listed in the budget and/or the functionality specs may be considered out-of-scope and an amendment to the budget will be recommended. Projects that go dormant for longer than 45 days will incur fee to resume work at the discretion of STUDIOWRX.
What happens if my account goes into collections?
In the event that we incur legal fees, costs and disbursements in an effort to collect our invoices, in addition to interest on the unpaid balance, you agree to reimburse us for these expenses.
What happens if I want to cancel?
You have the right to modify, reject, cancel or stop any and all plans or work in process. However, you agree to reimburse us for all costs and expenses we incurred prior to your change in instructions, and which relate to non-cancelable commitments, and to defend, indemnify and hold us harmless for any liability relating to such action. We agree to use our best efforts to minimize such costs and expenses.
What is it that you mean by mutual cooperation?
We agree to use our best efforts to fulfill and exceed your expectation on the deliverables listed above. You agree to aid us in doing so by making available to us needed information pertaining to your website and to cooperate with us in expediting the work.
Can you write and help us with copy, find images and other content?
If you’d like us to write new content or input text for you, we’re happy to provide a separate estimate for that.
Most of the time we will refer you to finding a local photographer otherwise you will need to supply graphic files to us in an editable, vector digital format. Photographs must be in a high resolution digital format. If you choose to buy stock photographs, we will include the suggested stock images in our design. If you would like us to include stock photographs for you, we can provide a separate estimate for that. Cost of buying stock photographs or a photo shoot is not included in our standard contract.
What are the deliverables for a new website if we are not hosting with you?
We deliver templates developed from HTML5 markup, CSS2.1 + 3 stylesheets for styling and unobtrusive Javascript for feature detection, poly-fills and behaviors along with all of the template and image files.
What does a WordPress Integration/Installation entail?
We'll setup, install and configure WordPress on a hosting server as described in the scope of work section. WordPress is a third-party tool and therefore we can't be responsible for any bugs associated with WordPress or it's plugins. If any bugs are found during the development phase or 30 days after launch we'll fix it (if possible) or update Wordpress or the faulty plugin if it's available, but after the 30 days we'll charge at our hourly rate of $105 if no maintenance package is selected.
What are the agency's responsibility for releases?
We shall obtain releases, licenses, permits or other authorization to use testimonials, copyrighted materials, photographs, art work or any other property or rights belonging to third parties obtained by us for use in performing services for you (If applicable).
What are the client's (me) responsibility for releases?
You guarantee that all elements of text, images, or other artwork you provide are either owned by your good selves, or that you have permission to use them.
Then when your final payment has cleared, copyright will be automatically assigned as follows:
You’ll own the visual elements that we create for this project. We’ll give you source files and finished files and you should keep them somewhere safe as we’re not required to keep a copy. You own all elements of text, images and data you provided, unless someone else owns them.
We’ll own the unique combination of these elements that constitutes a complete design and we’ll license that to you, exclusively and in perpetuity for this project only, unless we agree otherwise. We can provide a separate estimate for that.
Is it my responsibility for accuracy?
You shall be responsible for the accuracy, completeness and propriety of information concerning your products and services which you furnish to us verbally or in writing in connection with the performance of the working agreement. (The working agreement is active on the receipt of the first payment of work.)
Can our business together be confidential?
STUDIOWRX acknowledges its responsibility, both during and after the term of its appointment, to use all reasonable efforts to preserve the confidentiality of any proprietary or confidential information or data developed by STUDIOWRX on behalf of you, the client, or disclosed by you, the client, to STUDIOWRX.
What are the terms and termination rules?
This Agreement shall becomes effective when a contract is signed or when the first payment for work is recieved and shall continue until terminated by either party upon not less than 60 days’ notice in writing given by either party to the other.
What is the termination for cause rules?
Either party to the Agreement may terminate the Agreement if the other party defaults in the performance of any of its material duties and obligations and the default is not cured within thirty (30) days of the receipt of notice of said default, or if the default is not reasonably curable within said period of time, unless the defaulting party commences cure within said period of time and diligently proceeds to cure the default.
In addition, either party may immediately terminate the Agreement by giving written notice to the other party if the other party is insolvent or has a petition brought by or against it under the insolvency laws of any jurisdiction, if the other party makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, if a trustee, or similar agent is appointed with respect to any property or business of the other party, or in the case of the Client, if the Client materially breaches its obligations to make payment pursuant to the Agreement.
What happens if you have to purchase something for the agreed project and what if it is a non-cancelable material?
Any non-cancelable materials, services, etc., we have properly committed ourselves to purchase for your account, (either specifically or as part of a plan such as modules, photography and/or external services) shall be paid for by you, in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. We agree to use our best efforts to minimize such liabilities immediately upon written notification from you. We will provide written proof, upon request of the you, the client, that any such materials and services, are non cancelable.
If upon termination there exist any materials furnished by us or any services performed by us for which you have not paid us in full, until such time as you have paid us in full you agree not to use any such materials, in whole or in part, or the product of such services.
Will you transfer materials after termination?
Upon termination of the agreement, provided that there is no outstanding indebtedness then owing by you, the client, to STUDIOWRX, STUDIOWRX shall transfer, assign and make available to you, the client, all property and materials in its possession or control belonging to you, the client. You, the client, agrees to pay for all costs associated with the transfer of materials.
What is the state of the Governing Law?
The Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States of America.
Do you have case studies available?
Yes, we do. Due to the nature of these studies, we do not publish them but are happy to share them with you at the next meeting. So please ask!