Web designers plan, create and code web pages, using both non-technical and technical skills to produce websites that fit the customer's requirements.
They are involved in the technical and graphical aspects of pages, producing not just the look of the website, but determining how it works as well. Web designers might also be responsible for the maintenance of an existing site.
The term web developer is sometimes used interchangeably with web designer, but this can be confusing. Web developing is a more specialist role, focusing on the back-end development of a website and will incorporate, among other things, the creation of highly complex search functions.
The recent growth in touchscreen phones and tablet devices has dictated a new way of designing websites, with the web designer needing to ensure that web pages are responsive no matter what type of device a viewer is using. Therefore the need to test websites at different stages of design, on a variety of different devices, has become an important aspect of the job.
Roles/Responsibilities:
- Meeting clients to identify their needs and liaising regularly with them;
- Drawing up detailed website specifications;
- Designing sample page layouts including text size and colours;
- Designing graphics, animations and manipulating digital photographs;
- Registering web domain names and organising the hosting of the website;
- Presenting initial design ideas to clients;
- Coding using a variety of software;
- Working with different content management systems;
- Search engine optimisation;
- Meeting relevant legal requirements such as accessibility standards, freedom of information and privacy;
- Designing the website's visual imagery and ensuring it's in line with company branding policy or the requirements of the client;
- Proofreading content and making changes where necessary;
- Editing content, debugging code and re-designing web pages;
- Working with other web specialists including web developers and graphic designers;
- Liaising with outside agencies;
- Testing the website to ensure it is working;
- Handing the completed website over to the client;
- Post-sales technical support;
- Training client's staff;
- Researching current design trends;
- Continual professional development to keep up to date with new software developments.
- Drawing up detailed website specifications;
- Designing sample page layouts including text size and colours;
- Designing graphics, animations and manipulating digital photographs;
- Registering web domain names and organising the hosting of the website;
- Presenting initial design ideas to clients;
- Coding using a variety of software;
- Working with different content management systems;
- Search engine optimisation;
- Meeting relevant legal requirements such as accessibility standards, freedom of information and privacy;
- Designing the website's visual imagery and ensuring it's in line with company branding policy or the requirements of the client;
- Proofreading content and making changes where necessary;
- Editing content, debugging code and re-designing web pages;
- Working with other web specialists including web developers and graphic designers;
- Liaising with outside agencies;
- Testing the website to ensure it is working;
- Handing the completed website over to the client;
- Post-sales technical support;
- Training client's staff;
- Researching current design trends;
- Continual professional development to keep up to date with new software developments.
Required Skills:
Soft:
- Attention to detail;
- Creativity;
- Analysis;
- Teamwork;
- Team leading;
- Problem solving;
- Delivering presentations;
- Ability to teach yourself new technical skills;
- Communication skills.
- Programming: .net; XML/XSLT; ASP; PHP; Python.
- Design and graphics: InDesign; Illustrator; Photoshop; Fireworks; Flash.
- Content management system (CMS): Wordpress; Adobe Business Catalyst; Drupal; Ektron; Zope.
- Teamwork;
- Team leading;
- Problem solving;
- Delivering presentations;
- Ability to teach yourself new technical skills;
- Communication skills.
Technical:
- Coding: HTML; Javascript; jQuery; Dreamweaver.- Programming: .net; XML/XSLT; ASP; PHP; Python.
- Design and graphics: InDesign; Illustrator; Photoshop; Fireworks; Flash.
- Content management system (CMS): Wordpress; Adobe Business Catalyst; Drupal; Ektron; Zope.
Other points:
- Web designers are often office based, with a typical 9-5 day except for when deadlines are looming
- Lends itself well to freelance work, self-employment and working from home
- Male-dominated area, so there's Women in Technology website shown which advertises female job roles in the technology sector to increase diversity.
- Computeach, Distance Learning Centre, and National IT Learning Centre offer courses into web design.
- Bubble Digital Career Portal gives advice on how to get into digital careers.
- Have in-house web design teams, external web design agencies, and freelance web designers. A company may use one or a combination of these to develop a website.
- Look for web design jobs at: BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT), British Interactive Media Association (BIMA), Bubble Jobs, Computer Weekly, Creative Review, Develop, Freelancers.net, .net magazine, Technojobs, The Tech Partnership, and UK Web Design Association (UKWDA).
- CSS Design Awards and .net magazine (professional web design magazine) to keep up to date with current design trends
If you'd rather concentrate on the creative aspect of web design, then you should specialise in areas such as graphics, user interface design, interactive design, front-end development, and information architecture.
UX Analyst
A career as a UX analyst would suit you if you enjoy combining creative and analytical skills and have an interest in design, psychology, research and coding
User Experience (UX) roles involve delivering the best possible experience for the user of a website, with the aim of making the website as straightforward to use as possible.
UX analyst roles cross over with, and can be known as, UX designer and UX architect.
The term UX analyst arises as the role involves a lot of analysis of users' behaviours and preferences in order to create the best experience for the user. As a UX analyst you will look at the content of websites, and also the design elements, such as colours and images.
Within some companies you'll focus on research skills and psychology, in others you'll concentrate on design and in some you'll fulfil a more technical IT role.
Roles/Responsibilities:
- Meet clients to gather information about their requirements and to find out what needs researching,
- Designing or usability testing;
- Be involved in sketching, prototyping and on occasion user testing, before passing the design onto the development team;
- Understand qualitative research methods;
- Have an awareness of costs and budgets;
- Put users at the centre of a design, to make it simple, easy to use and good looking;
- Be confident in your presentation skills in order to present the stages of the design development to business users;
- Work closely within a multidisciplinary team, including web developers and programmers;
- Have technical knowledge to be able to explain what needs doing, to programmers;
- Ensure websites comply with the law and equal opportunities policies.
- Be involved in sketching, prototyping and on occasion user testing, before passing the design onto the development team;
- Understand qualitative research methods;
- Have an awareness of costs and budgets;
- Put users at the centre of a design, to make it simple, easy to use and good looking;
- Be confident in your presentation skills in order to present the stages of the design development to business users;
- Work closely within a multidisciplinary team, including web developers and programmers;
- Have technical knowledge to be able to explain what needs doing, to programmers;
- Ensure websites comply with the law and equal opportunities policies.
Relevant Skills:
Soft:
- Excellent team working skills;- Verbal communication skills, as you present your research findings and the reasons behind your
- Design decisions;
- Strong written communication skills are also vital as you may be involved in writing copy for the website;
- Creativity and innovation, to come up with new ideas;
- Enthusiasm for design and technology is important.
- Prototyping software tools, for example Axure Pro and Omnigraffle;
- Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop.
- Strong written communication skills are also vital as you may be involved in writing copy for the website;
- Creativity and innovation, to come up with new ideas;
- Enthusiasm for design and technology is important.
Technical:
- Some knowledge of coding, even if you're not doing it yourself, such as an understanding of HTML, Javascript and CSS;- Prototyping software tools, for example Axure Pro and Omnigraffle;
- Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop.
Other points:
- Primarily office work, 9-5 Monday to Friday, although more hours may be required to meet deadlines.
- It's a growing area, with more jobs being available for graduates.
- Advised to get extra curricular experience with 'hackathons'.
- Advise sending speculative applications for work placements or role shadowing to see which area you'd like to enter into.
- UX is a growing industry with UX Analysts working in nearly every industry.
- Look for job vacancies on Bubble Jobs, CW Jobs, Freelancers.net, UX Jobs Board, and Women In Technology.
- UX Analysts starting their careers get most of their training through online courses, independant research, and working alongside experienced professionals
- There's many conferences and meet ups in the UX community, with opportunities to be mentored.
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