Initial Contact/Screener
The process begins when you fill out the brief "Request for Consultation" form. This form helps to determine if Sapient Design might be a good match for your specific project goals, your time frame, and your budget. Your time is valuable and shouldn't be wasted with further meetings if we are not the right design shop for your needs. We may be able to refer you to another solution provider if necessary.

Complimentary Consultation
If it appears that Sapient Design may be able to provide the research, design, and/or development needed for your web-based project, we will setup a complimentary one-hour consultation with you. This can be in person if you are local to Santa Cruz or Santa Clara counties, or by phone or web conference if outside the area. During the consultation, we will take a few minutes to answer any questions from you about our previous client projects, knowledge of various technologies, how we work, etc. However, the bulk of this meeting is intended to find out as much about your business, your clientele, your project, your time frame, and your budget as possible. This information will be used to prepare a detailed Proposal/Cost Estimate, which you will receive in 24-72 hours following our meeting (depending on the complexity of the project).

Proposal Negotiation
We will follow up with you by email or phone, to discuss the prepared proposal. If it is acceptable as is, we will move to the next phase. If, however, there are problems with the pricing, timelines, or details of the work to be completed, we will work with you to try to customize the scope of work or other terms.

Contracts
A contract will be created that outlines the description of work, deliverables, due dates, and pricing. The contract will additionally outline payment methods and terms, process for changing scope of work or timelines, and other details of a legal nature. A signed contract is required before any work can commence.

Project Discovery The key players on your end will meet with Sapient Design to determine next steps, gather information, and to kickoff the work as outlined in the proposal and contract. The process from this point on varies considerably with each client's unique project.