Most people think interviews are just about answering questions correctly.  The truth is, if you ask questions during your interview it may increase your chances of getting the job.

How...?   Well, if you ask questions the employer will like that you have knowledge about the company and a high interest in the position.  This will make you more memorable than applicants that have no questions to ask.  So what kind of questions should you ask??

Ask why the position has become vacant.  Maybe someone was promoted or the company is expanding.  Remember, you are trying to see if this job is a good fit for you too.

Ask about the expectations of the person that holds this position and the goals they have for the new hire.  Try to find out what the goals of the business are, long and short term. 

Ask what the next steps are in the interview process.

It is usually best to have questions ready before you enter your interview.  That way after you are drained from answering all their questions you don't end up being the one to say "no, I think you covered everything"

Not Valuing your work
Low prices are not always going to get you more clients.  If you charge too little, you may not get as many clients because they see a beginner's price.  If you bump your price up you may see an increase in business.  You just need to ask yourself what you think your work is worth.  People hire you because you can do something that they cannot so don't undervalue your work.

Lack of Practice
Just because you went to school to design or you work in design doesn't mean you shouldn't practice.  You need to keep your creativity stimulated.  Just create for yourself to develope your skills further.

Not Creating a Contract
Making a contract is a way to make sure you have a mutual understanding with the client.  Everything to be included in the project should be written in the contract.  It should specify deadlines and timing, means of communication, and payment.

There is really no set way to price design work, but there are different factors you should take into account when setting your price.

Experience should play a big role in your price.  Obviously, the more experience you have, the more people are going to be willing to pay you.  Brand identity from a well known company will cost more than a freelance designer working out of their home office.

Next to take into account is the type of work you are doing.  If you are doing a simple logo design, that will not cost as much as an interactive design or animation.

Creative jobs may not always pay the best.  The client will pay more for something that is more beneficial to their company, and if that means they need boring reports designed  they are going to be willing to pay more for that than a fancy animation.

In all reality, you have to find a price that you are comfortable with.  When you start out, you will probably have to start by charging a bit less than you want to.  Pricing is a struggle all freelancers face, but with time and experience, you will get more comfortable with it.

Before you design your site, you need to know what your goals are.  Your Web site goals AND your users' goals.  You need to know what the purpose of the site is and what the budget will be.

You need to know what your vistiors' profiles are and conduct interviews and surveys to figure out their goals. 

Ask yourself why the user is visiting your site, what they expect to get out of the visit, how you plan to make a user visit your site and how you will retain their interest.

A plan is crucial to the success of your Web site.  It will help meet the users' needs and requirements.  With a plan you will easier be able to track the progress of and maintain the Web site.  In the long run, having a plan will save time, effort and cost.

It may seem obvious, but start by asking yourself "What?".  As in, what the Web site's goals are.  Then ask yourself, "Who will be using this site?".  Tailor your plan to these needs.

Create a rough idea of the site.  Map out the content and layout for each page and identify the links between each page of the Web site.

Once the rough idea is ready, ask yourself "How?".  Compose text for each page and develop graphics and other media elements.  Put everything together using HTML code or a Web site editor, like DreamWeaver.

Test your Web site.  Have a group of users test your site for  errors and correct any bugs that are found.  Then you are ready to launch your site!

Not as much as you may think...

When you design your site, focus on tonal value and contrast, this is more important than hues and shades because all monitors vary.  Try to use "Web Safe" colors.  This is a palette of colors that can be viewed even on 8-bit color screens.

When a display color is out of a computers range it will try to combine two to three colors in it's range to trhy and create the color causing the picture to look grainy.  This is called dithering.

First of all, like anything else, proofread your work.

After you have finished proofreading, check your code or errors and make sure the coding complies with the standards issued by the *W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)

Check next for functionality or layout issues by viewing in multiple web browsers.  Make sure all the links work and content is displayed correctly.

Conduct usability testing; Select users or testers that match your target audience, give them a list of intructions to perform and have them share their results and observations with you.

*W3C developes protocols and guidelines that ensure the web will grow.  Their standards define parts of what make the World Wide Web work

Business information systems can have problems at 3 different levels

Outdated business, unsupportive culture or attitudes, political fighting, turbulent business enviornments, complex tasks, and inadequate resources may all have a negative impact on a business information system.

Lack of employee training, legal compliance, work enviornment, lack of employee support or participation, and poor management.

Insufficient hardware, outdated software, inadequate database capacity, lack of compatibility between new and old systems, and rapid technological change affect information systems.