In the world of web development, there is more often than not a team of dedicated individuals who make it their mission to design and create websites that stand out from the crowd. Whether they are self-taught or formally educated, the members of these teams share uniting passions including the insatiable desire to learn about current and emerging trends in the industry, and the desire to apply the knowledge they have gained to make the best products possible.
As a team, decisions are made both consciously and subconsciously during each phase of development about the design and functionality of every website a team creates. These decisions are the culmination of people who are experts in their respective fields within the web development industry.
The general perception of web development from those outside of the industry tends to lean towards the idea that changes can be made quickly and easily in all cases. After all, it’s done on a computer, and computers make things easier, right? Wrong. Although computers do play an integral role in the completion of a website, web development begins and ends as a collaborative process between the client, designer, and developer. This relationship is what ultimately defines the quality of the finished website.
From the perspective of a client, it’s best to come into a project with a clear vision of what you are aiming to achieve. This doesn’t mean knowing exactly what the website will look like, or what kind of “cool” functionality you can add to it. This means knowing what your end goal is. Having a solid idea of where the project is going is integral to maintaining a smooth and effective development process. In the end, if you don’t have at least a basic idea of what you want your website to be, your design and development team will just be taking shots in the dark.
Once the goal of your project is fleshed out, it’s time for the rest of the team to work their magic. During the different phases of development, designers and developers work together closely to ensure that every element of a design can be adapted effectively and efficiently into code, and that every bit of code is developed to ensure the visual integrity of the design remains intact
In the end, to make certain your website is the best it can possibly be, it’s important to put your trust in your designers and developers. We are all experts in our respective fields, we all contribute in our own unique ways, and we all want to make a product that is both modern and memorable. After all, it isn’t all pushing pixels and coding gibberish.
By Kyle Dawney, Graphic & Web Designer / Illustrator