What questions do you ask when asked to give an estimate on theme development?

I think some of your questions are too wide. You still cannot break down each answer in hours.

Some of the questions I ask:

  • Are there widgets? Which?
  • Which theme options are needed? Details? Colors, text fields, image uploads etc.
  • Custom post types and taxonomies? Very, very detailed.
  • How are the comments displayed? This one is missing on many PSD files. Do you need a custom walker?
  • What should happen when the user has a minimum font size of 24px?
  • What should happen when the user’s window is just 35em wide? I couldn’t find the pay button on Amazon once on my laptop because the designer had not thought so far …
  • Which plugins do you have to integrate? Contact forms, social buttons, subscribe to comments etc.
  • Functionality of nav menus: Icons, descriptions, embedded images?
  • Is a slider needed? What should it do? How are the items added?
  • Will the output for small devices be handled by a separate/child theme?

Some things you don’t need to ask but to know to estimate the time:

  • How many sprites do you have to build?
  • How much support will the client need? When in doubt use 25% of the total time.
  • Have you written your last code abstract enough to reuse it?

Extra: Calculation

Break down each step in hours. Sum the hours up, then double them. If you are a beginner, triple the time. Then add the support time.

Leave a Comment