One of the most creative and satisfying roles anyone can have in relation to business and the internet is a website designer. A website designer gives businesses an online presence that allows them to thrive.
To become a website designer requires many attributes so we are going to cover the main ones. However, you might be reading this and thinking ‘I am a business owner, I do not want to become a website designer’. If so, then you should still read on as when you are choosing a website designer for your business’s new website, you will have greater insights into what qualities your website designer should have.
#1: Understanding How The Online World Works
Being able to design a website that is effective requires more than technical skills, important as they are. You also need to have a sound understanding of the environment in which a website is going to operate, which obviously means the internet. Knowing what trends are occurring in how people browse the internet, what types of content are currently popular and other online habits will allow you to include design elements that complement these.
#2: Knowing Website Visual Design Theory
This points to a website designer’s need to know what design elements are, why they work, and how they can be made most effective. This draws upon the visual aspects of design, rather than the technical side, which we will come to. Nevertheless, it will require technical knowledge to be able to produce the visuals within a website, so you should now appreciate that there is a lot of crossovers of skills and knowledge within website design.
#3: A Knowledge Of How A Website Functions
The more you know about what is possible with regards to the operation and functioning of a website the better your website designs will be. Here we are referring to how a website is able to function, and those design elements that add to that. Examples include, how videos can be embedded, scrolling functions, interactive pages and so on. One important principle of good web design to bear in mind is simplicity so more functions do not always mean a better design.
#4: Finding And Using The Correct tools And Software
Almost all professional websites will be built with the assistance of one or more tools or software, and the more knowledge you have of the ones you use the better. There is an almost limitless list of possible tools so we will not name any, but the key is to choose one which has a good ranking and is highly recommended. Then learn how to use it properly, practice with it, and then use all the knowledge and skills you have learned to help design better client websites.
#5: Design Websites With Users In Mind, Not The Client
This one aspect of web design alone can be the difference between you being a top web designer earning top fees and one who gets work on Fiverr. A client might come to you with ideas, and you should certainly consider them, but when it comes to agreeing on the final design it is imperative that you advise the client that it should be built for the users that visit that website, and not to suit the preferences of the client.
We are not saying dismiss your client’s needs out of hand, but instead to point out to them the fact that one of the primary purposes of a website is to give user’s a great experience e so that they take some kind of action which brings them closer to being a paid customer. Focussing on anything else, such as a client’s wish for a certain function, which would be detrimental to user experience, means a website design that is diminished from what it could be.