Objectives are often part of the site plan which are brought up right at the end of the project, rather than first thing followed by a sense check and research.

Spot on with the way to balance it – I love the 2 stage process – a simple way to put it, that most people should connect with.

And true words. Especially point #2: “Does it fulfill the objectives of the business? – for example lead Generation”

I follow a host of web design showcase sites and it is remarkable how often they feature sites that rock from a design perspective but are deeply flawed in other ways.

On the other hand, poor design and UX basically equals a proactive attempt at undermining a client’s chances of succeeding.

A good way to balance it, and make good design relevant from the client’s perspective is, IMHO, to explain why 1) first impressions count and 2) how the design and UX continues to support the user as they grow familiar with the site or app. This then automatically benefits the audience. And we all live happily ever after.