[pekk]

The consensus seems to be "telling them why something is a bad idea at length is part of the job" and "doing it the stupid way at additional cost, because they insisted, is part of the job."

But I think we can go too far emphasizing pleasing the client sometimes. I don't think it's so rare to see genuine conflicts of interest, like squeezing for unreasonable deadlines and scopes, where the problem can't really be solved by just charging more.

If a client makes overly aggressive demands and won't listen when you take the time to tell them politely what you can do, is it better to be exploited mercilessly and risk breach of contract, or to cut your losses, swallow your pride and find another way to pay the rent?

[brudgers]

The best way to convince a client they are making a mistake is to do it the way they asked and do it the way you think is better and then show them both. Sometimes the client sees their error. Other times it turns out that the client has an unarticulated need that gets teased out and the final design incorporates both the ideas of the designer and the unarticulated need.

It's important to realize, that often the client is more experienced with their requirements, i.e. the business domain. And their understanding may be sophisticated in ways that are contrary to the naive take of an outsider.