This is some fantastic advice for designers of all disciplines, but particularly web designers. Ask good questions. The right questions. This is the foundation of a good creative brief.

My personal favorite is to simply ask “what is the goal?” The article even illustrates it almost exactly how I typically phrase it.

What's the goal

Janice Gervais at A List Apart covers that question and more, and ends the article with a bit of design truth: “Your work reflects your level of understanding.”