The technology business is a transient one, and the skills potential employers demand can be just as quick to change. If you’re considering a position in web development or design, it might be a good idea to develop a skill set that lets you work in either field. Even if you’ve got your heart set on one or the other, it’s still prudent to know a thing or two about the other field. There is some degree of overlap between the two fields, and it can pay to know a little about both to improve your own work, especially if you’re looking for more ways to grow a business. The more you know, the more you can bring to the table to create more user-friendly web experiences.
Role of a Web Designer
Some may ask if web development and web design are the same. They are not; there are some distinctions between them. Web designers are primarily concerned with the visual appeal of a website. They are responsible for the look and feel of the site, its components, and design elements. The web designer’s ultimate job is to make a website look appealing and unique, and to that end, their main concern is making a site more user-friendly in terms of design and functionality.
Web designers typically fall into one of two roles:
- UX/UI Designer – UX is short for user experience, while UI is short for user interface. The UX/UI designer is responsible for the means users use to navigate a site. UX design in particular is primarily concerned with developing and improving the user-interaction quality to make a good impression on visitors. According to Forbes, investing in UX optimization is key to quickly establishing trust between brand and visitor as soon as the visitor lands on the site. It’s ultimately the UX/UI designer’s job to make sure these on-site elements are creatively designed so a website offers a seamless effective experience for its users.
- Visual Designer – The visual designer’s primary task is to make a website look more attractive. They use different design tools to create innovative designs for websites and bring the products to life. It’s the job of a visual designer to use the web design tools and techniques they have to tell a site’s story through eye-catching designs.
Role of a Web Developer
Compared to web design, web development is a more technical role. Web developers primarily use coding languages like JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, and ASP.NET Python to do their work. Their job is to plan and implement the structure of a site to make it seamless, smooth-functioning, and easily navigable. Web developers typically work with web designers to make sure a website is attractive and easy to use at every level.
Web developers are typically divided into three types:
- Front-end Developers – Front-end developers are primarily concerned with the user interface (the front-end) of the website. As this is the part of the site that users interact with directly, these developers work on elements like text colours, page styles, images, and navigation.
- Back-end Developers – Back-end developers take care of elements that aren’t visible to users, like the server-side of the side, as well as apps. Their activities include writing APIs, handling system components, and developing libraries.
- Full-stack Developers – Full-stack developers are those with skills in both front- and back-end development. As they are proficient in both types of web development skill sets, they are capable of designing complete websites or web applications or handling the front- or back-end of the website.
Web Design and Development Go Hand-in-Hand
The aim of both the web developer and web designer is the same: to build interactive user-friendly sites or apps that look appealing and are easy to use, and create a positive user experience that keeps them returning to that brand. While the jobs aren’t exactly the same, the answer to whether a web developer can also be a web designer is yes. If you’ve studied the tools and techniques of both disciplines, you can very much deliver services for both roles and often simultaneously as well. If you’re familiar with both disciplines, you’re all the more in demand in this field. For you, the sky’s the limit.
