Always Ask and Share.

Once a project is started, the contract is signed and the expectations are all laid out, the work begins with sketches and concepts. These are very rough renderings, often just to test or understand one aspect of the design, or to start to see how to incorporate two or more features as a basis to move forward.

Very often these preliminary bits can send the wrong message. Certainly, no inventor or client wants to see most of his idea trivialized at the expense of one feature. But important questions come up during these early sketches, so the quandary is whether to share the images and ask the question, or to wait until a more fully-realized version is available to share.

I opt for the former. Asking the question is paramount, and it's all in the communication. I make sure the focus is on the one feature we're discussing, and go to great lengths to assure the client that the rest of the design is coming, and that the simplistic and non-functional bits of the model I am sharing with them are just place holders. It's far better to have a clear answer early on, especially if it's a crucial aspect of the design, before committing a lot of modeling time to something that may change drastically once the discussion happens.

If you contract with me, expect a lot of pictures very early on in the process. The business of product development is a collaboration, and the more I show you the better focused all our efforts become.