When the internet first came into infancy, it was all text and code. In a nutshell, it was, notoriously un-pretty. But with time, as the infrastructure of the information highway was laid down, new tools and techniques were developed to take better advantage of the potential that the world wide web held. We got images. Then we got sound. And we got interactive web pages and so on. The web needed ways to go before it could go the YouTube way.
And here we are. Where our websites are akin to fully featured applications, representing the best examples of the intersection of design and development. A feat that has only been made possible due to the ever-evolving and sophisticated set of software tools and how designers and coders have employed them. The world of web design and web development are intertwined but nonetheless, there have been rumblings that web design is on its last legs. The arrival of frontend website-making tools like WordPress, with their endless bevy of ready-made themes and website templates, have made the job for web designers – uncertain.
Well here’s the thing – the rumors of the death of web design are rather exaggerated. And here’s why.
Web technologies are good but Design Counts too!
The tools, techniques, libraries and methodologies that we employ in designing and developing today’s websites are fantastic. Each tool serves its specific purpose well. Each tool is made for a situation.
So where does design come in all this? It’s about making sure everything works in conjunction.
Let’s take a look at the example of a website. A coder might ensure that all menus, links and content in said website is properly formatted and is performing as intended. But it’s up to the designer to see if all the nuts and bolts look better. It’s up to them to see if the website aesthetic is off-putting or compelling for the visitor. And last but not the least, it’s the designer that can see if there really is a grand design to all of this. Only a designer with an eye for details can see the big picture.
A coder might go with the default fonts schemes whereas a designer might think about readability. It is not a far stretch to say that a designer-developer collaboration is the need of the hour.
Designer: Choosing the right font.
Developer: making it work with the web layout.
People want new experiences that push the envelope
Sure there are ready-made themes out there that a developer can modify for their own purposes. But that shtick will only last too long. People are always hungry for new experiences. They want something that can astound and astonish them. Something that can capture our attention and compel us to invest in a brand. Designers know how to employ color theory to reinforce a positive image in the minds of the consumer, a task that a developer won’t be able to execute on their own.
The connection between colors and your products/services is a meaningful one.
Rethinking our Mindset
Think of it this way. As human nature entails, we generally shun sterile experiences. What we need is unpredictability. What we need is to think in shades of grey, not in absolutes. We need to think in terms of finding a solution to a problem, no matter how many decisions it takes. We need to chuck out the shortcut route to doing things based on our subjective preferences. Design, and only a designer’s mindset, will let you approach a problem from all angles. Designers eschew the ‘generic solutions model’ and this approach also extends to web design today. What we need is to focus on the user experience, instead of getting the user interface right and making a beeline for it.
Put yourself in the shoes of the observant audience with this helpful chart.
Conclusion:
Quick skinning and soulless theming of website templates that are out in the wild is at best, a stop-gap measure, and at worse, a short-lived trend. They don’t let you tell stories. They don’t let you convince your customers to buy your wares. And they certainly don’t make for a repeated visit to your website. By investing in dedicated web designers AND coders, one can throw caution to the wind to those cries of ‘web design is dead.’ Having design and coding guys work together in tandem can prove to be immensely profitable for your brand. As far as making a fantastic first impression is concerned, there’s no substitute for getting the design just right.
