Building a website is a very demanding task. It takes a lot of technical, artistic, and designing skills to create a worthy website. Although the popularity of online business has given rise to many platforms that let you create websites very easily but you still require the expertise of a competent professional who has in-depth knowledge about Web design. A professional web developer would not only handle the designing and graphical aspect of getting the website up and running but would also help you generate a lot of traffic with the help of a user-friendly website. This guide would outline simple and effective methods through which you can get the services of a highly competent web designer.
Where should I start?
If you have ever been involved in the process of hiring people then you clearly understand that the resume is not always the perfect portrayal of the skills and expertise possessed by an individual. Resume can be used as an initial step through which you remove the candidates that don’t fit your need but it’s not an absolute measure. It is common for the business to hire individuals based on their resume who later turn out not to be the perfect fit for your project. Before hiring any individual for your project you should consider the following aspects:
- Understand the objectives of your project so you can pick the right person that would be able to meet your web design.
- You need to learn basic difference between the web developer and web designer because not every web designer would have proper coding skills.
How to identify the objectives of my project?
For a successful Web design, it is imperative for you to understand the purpose of your project in detail. If you don’t possess clarity about the purpose of your project then how would you be able to explain it to someone else? It is common to ask your designer or developer for some ideas but you must have a basic vision in your head about what you wish to accomplish. Take the example of house building, you just don’t go to a builder and ask him “Build me a house” without narrating any details or requirements that you wish to be incorporated. The same idea goes for website designing as well. Having a clear idea about your project has following benefits:
- It would help you create a detailed outline for your job that helps the applicants understand whether they can handle the job or not.
- Having a detailed outline give a starting point to the designers that they can build upon to create a more refined and well thought-out website.
- Not giving enough details to your web designer can scale up the time and resources needed to complete a project.
- You might need to pay more considering the fact that you did not specify a particular condition at initial negotiation with your web designer.
What type of designer do I actually need?
Identifying the requirements and objectives of your project is extremely important. Having a clear understanding of your objects would help you get the right person for your job. It requires a good mix of designing and coding skills to design a proper website. Therefore before hiring any individual for your web design make sure that they possess both of these skills. The type of individual that you need for your website would also depend on what you actually wish to accomplish. If you wish to hire an individual for maintaining your website then the requirements would be different compared to a job where you want to improve the visual appearance of your website.
What Skills should I look for in a web designer or developer?
There are certain basic skills that are absolutely necessary to get a professional looking website. If an individual does not possess these skills then it is a good idea to not to choose them. To get a perfect web design the individual must have a good mix of graphic designing and coding skills. Check if the designer in question is well versed with applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe illustrator to gain an understanding about their artistic prowess. From the coding perspective, they should have mastery over CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and HTML 5.
Once you have established the technical competence of the designer, the next step is to assess their soft skills. Communication, prior experience, and ability to plan and execute are necessary skills that you designer should have. It is also a good idea to check out the portfolio of your designer to ensure you like their artistic skills and he has the ability to handle all aspects of your project. Taking a proactive approach from the beginning would help you get a well-designed website that would be easier to run and maintain in the future.