Despite the fact that some entities may alternate or combine the description of web design and web development, these are two separate tasks that are built upon different foundations and skill sets. Web designers and developers often work hand in hand in order to come up with a website that is strategically designed and program to fit the owners’ and users’ needs.
Effective communication is essential for these two teams to work together efficiently. There are times when designers and developers don’t see eye-to-eye about what needs to happen to a website’s user interface. When this happens, both parties may get frustrated, and this may cause a hindrance to achieving the set goals timely and accurately. Here are some tips on how to streamline work and communicate effectively.
Provide Documentation Every Step of the Way
New software development approaches may give you the impression that documentation is unnecessary. However, you can properly document work starting with the goals and expectations for the overall website output. What does the client want or need? What is expected? What was agreed upon? This gives both parties an overall vision of what the outcome should be.
Documentation of the user interface is very important as this tells the developer where everything should be and how it should be programmed. It provides a general idea of what needs to happen and how it should happen.
Stick to Your Guns
Decide on the user interface, choose an HTML structure, and stick to it. Do not change your design in the middle of the web development process, as it is very tedious for developers to go back and change the HTML. When handing off design to developers, web designers should make sure that it is as close to perfect as they can get. This avoids unnecessary revisions for both designer and developer.
Be Available
Availability and approachability is another key in effective communication. Be available for questions and clarifications. This does not mean that you need to answer all calls in the wee hours of the morning or during inopportune times, but make sure to answer e-mails and messages promptly if you cannot receive calls.
Avoid Unnecessary Complexities
In designing user interface, web designers must ask themselves, “is this really needed?” Avoid website features and widgets that are extremely difficult to develop because it only adds time on and may cause delay. If it is not a necessary feature, then why put it there at all? Focus on what’s important to the users. Make sure that each feature you place on the web design is relevant and attainable.
Adhere to Your Time Table
Make realistic goals, set deadlines, and stick to them! There is nothing more off-putting than tardiness. Make sure that there is enough time for revisions and testing. Adherence to your time table is definitely essential, among other things which you can learn from attending a Product School course.
Honesty, the Best Policy
Developers should be upfront to the designers about what can and cannot be achieved. Trust that both parties are doing their best to deliver their best effort and output. This allows for smoother communication between both parties.
Michelle Gonzalez has been writing for SMEs across the United States, Canada, Australia and the UK for the last five years. She is a highly-experienced blogger and SEO copywriter, writing business blogs for various industries such as marketing, law, health and wellness, beauty, and education, particularly on product management training such as those offered by ProductSchool.com.