The responsive web designer should prioritize what skills?
Today, the UX/UI web designer will need to be fluent in working with progressive web applications (PWA) as well as being able to develop reusable components, with a mastery in HTML and CSS understanding cross browser compatibility issues. She or he will be asked to write scalable Javascript code and have hands-on experience in front end libraries. The goal will be to optimize viewports look superb across tablet, desktop and mobile web devices based on pre existing wireframes designs or other client requirements.
My web designer should let me access my new website how?
For most custom websites, any good web designer should be giving you 100% access to the (1) FTP filing system, (2) database access and (3) DNS settings access, unless you are providing your own domain. If it's a WordPress site, you will definitely need WP-admin administrative access. Make sure you change passwords after your designer has finished their work.
During the web design process, how do keep my site secure?
While your website is being designed, make sure your domain is not publicly accessible (use a staging server if necessary) and that your web designer has the required knowledge to effectively code your website to prevent common exploits used by hackers.
If your web designer is using a template, theme or any plugins, make sure these elements are acquired from reliable developers with verifiable track-records with regular updates. For example, all ThemeForest and CodeCanyon scripts will provide changelog and update history.
Use a good host, even if you have a pay a little more. Have a plan for updates and using advanced protective security measures like CloudFlare. A good question to ask web designers if they have ever had to deal with a hacked website. Virtually ever web designer worth their salt will have experience in resolving security issues.
What's the most important 'to do' when working with a web designer?
The late Steve Jobs once impressed that design was so important he wanted Apple's iOS buttons to look visually "good enough to lick" and that "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." We believe Steve's words could be paraphrased as really saying: Companies should be able to dramatically improve their current design including UX (User experience) and UI (User Interface) standards. And that's exactly what Apple did.
For small and mid-sized businesses invested in turnkey projects, that improvement hinges on being able to rapidly make changes to your website like adding, deleting and managing features on your new or redesigned website—within your ability and budget—after your web designer has completed the first web or app design (or redesign).
Inexperienced website owners who omit this important step in the design process can find themselves stranded at a later date if they can't get hold of the original designer or another web designer quickly to make changes. Freelance web designers often have multiple projects and even regular work commitments and sometimes cannot return instantly to a project they delivered only weeks or months earlier.
Doing stuff like adding or removing pages, posts, plugins or page templates; changing landing pages, headers and footers, most front-end elements, or simple modifications to your site or application's theme should all be easy to implement and free for you with no ongoing costs. Check with your web designer in advance what the score will be so there are no surprises.
More advanced coding, for example adding eCommerce functionality or function changes to core files inside your website or app's underlying code may require your web designer's time so before your web designer finishes the job make sure you have a ballpark understanding of what knowledge is entailed to manage features and functionality on your new website moving forwards and how much each design change will cost.
Is good web design the key to online sales?
Alexa.com's 'Top 500 Sites' ranking program proves that there is not a single high-traffic website with visibly poor web design (or app) that lacks an original, unique and eye-catching call-to-action (CTA) process to convert new visitors. In terms of traffic, good design is in itself a critical key performance indicator and that's especially true of ecommerce websites. Good web design relies on a researched, targeted call-to-action that enhances your site's USP or unique selling point. Your developer should be finding out who your desired customer base is, what your CTAs and inbound leads will be; and then structuring this information into the website's design to communicate the right user experience for your target audience.
How does hosting affect the web design process?
Many business owners sadly underestimate the importance of setting up a hosting environment that fits the geographic location of their targeted audience and the needed bandwidth and disk space. If your web designer has not factored this is into creating a good user experience, any web traffic you do get could be faced with problems such as loading delays, poor pagespeed responsiveness and worse case scenario, downtime.
Users won't wait on a site that takes over 2-3 seconds to load. Be careful about integrating ads into page or app design that can also slow down your site. Even if your web designer is handling domain settings, be sure to maintain access to DNS, MX and A records yourself.
Should my web designer have a plan for website traffic?
Yes and it's not only should website traffic but good webdesign includes a plan for user experience, site performance, keeping bounce rates to a minimum, and converting visitors to members or customers depending on your website's niche. Even if the web design is a redesign or a rebuild, a shrewd web designer will be considering metrics often measured in Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Tools.
How can you check your web designer is not overcharging you?
Getting multiple quotes from different, competing web designers on practical and feasible deliverables (functional specs & requirements) is always encouraged - those working on the HostJane marketplace and independently. Designers with a working knowledge of Agile ways of working and mindset shouldn't have an issue complying with price comparison requests. We also advise buyers to ensure their quotes include responsive design, browser behaviour and compatibility testing so that you are quoted on the full end-to-end project which always should include QA testing.
What should every web design service include?
In our view, responsive, elegant web development, browser compatitbility and accessibility, including WCAG 2.1 guidelines are the 3 keys:
- Firstly, the service should offer prototyping and fulfilment in an industry-standard software (Sketch / Adobe), with ability to cater to your preferred front end language or suggest the best for the job.
- An ability to prototype your JavaScript, HTML and CSS with a professional portfolio record to verify that's true. The web designer who is always booked out with work has a solid grasp on core web design principles and practices such as layout, color theory, typography.
- Evidenced in the good web designer's portfolio will be the freelancer's ability to solve problems and tell compelling brand stories translating into digital formats;
- Attention to UX and human-centered design, and associated prototyping and motion design skills for web.
- Quality assurance testing and good quality control; the designer who triple checks her or his own work for mistakes across browsers will save you many headaches.