Pros and Cons of Crowdsourcing for Web Design

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Crowdsourcing, a term derived from the merging of ‘crowd’ and ‘outsourcing’, first came to prominence in 2006 and its use has grown rapidly in tandem with the growth of the online population. Crowdsourcing differs from outsourcing as knowledge, services or content are requested and obtained from an undefined collection of individuals rather than a specific individual or company as seen in outsourcing.

One of the earliest and best examples of crowdsourcing is Wikipedia which is created by hundreds of unrelated writers and researchers. It would never have become the largest encyclopedia that ever existed without the owners of Wikipedia empowering a crowd of unrelated individuals to create and moderate content on the site.

Another variation on the model is crowdfunding, as seen in sites like Kickstarter, which has started growing exponentially in recent years. This also derives from the ‘power of the crowds model’ and has been hugely successful in getting projects off the ground that would never have seen the light of day had traditional funding methods been used.

Traditional Crowdsourcing vs. Crowdsourcing Design

Although the basic principle for crowdsourcing is more heads are better than one there is a big difference between crowdsourcing web design services and crowd sourcing knowledge, content or money from from multiple unrelated individuals. Crowdsourcing for web design and other design services (i.e. graphic design, branding, logos, furniture design, video, product design, print design, etc.) has a competition element whereby multiple designers submit draft designs for the same project before only one is selected for the paid work. Therefore, the final paid design is completed in the traditional manner whereby an individual or business has a contract with only one designer.

Crowdsourcing definition
Crowdsourcing definition (Investopedia)

People and companies who use crowdsourcing websites are hoping that by having multiple talented designers develop concepts and draft designs before selecting a winning design they will end with a much better result than if they had chosen just one person or company to start from scratch. There is some debate as to whether this is the best route to when you need design work done and whether the designers themselves get a raw deal. However, there are plenty of advantages for both parties and the pros and cons for both parties are summarized below.

Pros & Cons from a Buyers Perspective

1. Minimize Risk

If you need design services it is very hard to predict what you will receive from a certain designer or design company even if they have substantial portfolio to show you. By using the crowdsourcing model you can have multiple designers spend time developing draft designs and concept ideas with you over a period of time allowing you to single out one or two who have demonstrated they have the skills and vision to turn your vision into reality at a price you are happy with. You will therefore be far more certain you will end up with design you are happy with before agreeing the fee.

2. Save Time

Putting up a project on a popular crowdsourcing website means that designers will come to you rather than the other way round. It would take you several days to contact all the designers who are likely to submit designs but using this method you only need to write one project brief and publish it on one of the popular crowdsourcing websites shown below.

3. Effective Long Term Recruitment

Setting up one or two crowdsourcing projects is not only a great way to find talent for a specific one-off project, it is also a great tactic to find fantastic designers that you can use on an ongoing basis. This is a great method if you want a full or part time designer but don’t want to commit to signing a contract until you have worked with them on a few short term projects first.

4. Price

Whilst is certainly possible to get work done cheaper than normal due to the very nature of having designers compete with each other it is also very possible that you pay more for the designs you end up with due to two reasons. Firstly, a percentage of your fee will go to the crowdsourcing website and not the designer. Secondly, it is likely many designers will add require a little more money to compensate them for the the risk of not winning the paid job. For example, if a designer would normally charge $1000 for a certain job if you went to them directly, they may only enter a crowdsourcing contest for the same job if there was a guaranteed payment of $1300 to the winner.

5. Limited Participation of The Best Designers

There is no doubt there are some amazing designers who use crowdsourcing websites to find work. However, as designers are required to put in plenty of unpaid work in order to have a chance of being hired many of the established top quality designers simply don’t use crowdsourcing websites. They feel they get enough work from referrals and from showing their portfolio of work and the work involved in winning crowdsourcing contests is not cost effective. Therefore, whilst you will get dozens of designers submit various draft designs to you, you are unlikely to get the cream of the crop unless you budget is sufficiently big to make it worth their while to give it a shot. However, some of the crowdsourcing sites have recognized this and offer premium packages to try and attract the very best designers.

Pros & Cons from Designers Perspective

1. More Paid Work

If you are designer that does not have established marketing funnel bringing in new clients every week then participating in crowdsourcing design competitions are are great way of getting more paid work. Winning contests and showcasing your designs on a high traffic crowdsourcing website will also increase your chances of gaining more long term work. As stated in the recruiting method point above, many companies used crowdsourcing sites to find long term employees by testing them on one design project. You may not win every competition but overall it can be very lucrative.

2. Building Your Profile

Although the most obvious reason to submit your designs to a crowdsourcing design contest is to win that particular piece of paid work, there is also the added benefit of showcasing your design ideas in a public forum where there may be hundreds if not thousands of people viewing your designs. Therefore, even if you don’t get the particular job you pitch for you may win more work from others who have viewed your design submissions online.

3. Equal Playing Field

The only thing that matters is the designs you submit for the project brief posted – you will not be judged on your existing portfolio or testimonials. This allows you to take on the bigger players who may have a more established online reputation and a network of previous clients but who simply don’t have your talent. This is great for new designers trying to make a name for themselves.

4. Potential for Unpaid Work

As with any business that needs to submit a proposal before being awarded a contract there is always the potential you will work for no tangible reward if you are not selected for the paid project. However, with design crowdsourcing you normally have several rounds of feedback allowing your to adapt and alter your designs to the buyers wishes giving you the opportunity to turn around an initially imperfect design. Also, as noted above, entering into a design contest will also showcase your talents to many other prospective employers that may contact you about other potential work.