Website Design: Interpersonal Qualities Of A Good Web Designer

By Author: Grace Alexa
Total Articles: 120
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Recently at a barbeque I met a new business owner who was looking to get a website designed for their new business. She asked me what she should be looking for in a website designer.

So what should you be looking for in your website developer? I would try and explain it in a few simple words.
There are two aspects of website design: interpersonal skills (and soft skills) and technical expertise. I will concentrate on mainly soft skills and experience in this article. In my opinion these are the things you should look for in the Website designer you hire:

1) Website designer or a Graphic Designer: What’s the difference, I hear you ask? There are quite a few web designers in the market who actually are graphic designers and specialise in print media (eg. Brochures, stationary). They do have excellent graphic skills and I must say that they can come up with excellent website designs that are not at all usable. They do understand print media design but they don’t have much clue about functionality. Also a lot of times I have found that they develop a website just like a brochure – even the text on the ...
... website is an image.

2) Does my web designer understand my business: It is important that your web designer has good business knowledge? This is important as only a website developer who understands your business will be able to come up with a website design that suits your business and your industry. Your website should send the right signals to your prospective and current customers. If you make products for left hand basket weavers and all the images depicted on your website show people using right hands then your prospective customers may take offence. OK I hear you, the example I chose is a bad one but I am sure you understood my point. You have to make sure that your website designer understands your target market.

3) Lateral thinking is the key: Your website developer should be able to think laterally. Website designers should be able to improvise. They should be able to develop a website that can stand out from others. Website developers should be able to develop functionality and features that will make your website stand out. Think about your website as your sales person. Would you hire a sales person who is un-imaginative and is unable to differentiate your products and services from competition? The answer I am sure is No? So why would you have a website that is similar to thousand others.

4) Do you believe in relationships: You will have a long-term relationship with your website developer? Thus, it is very important that your website designer believes in forming long-term relationships with the client. As your business grow and your website becomes popular, you will want to add new features to your website and it could be very costly if you cannot get the original website developer who built your site to update it for you. That’s why it is important to ensure that you can work with your web designer for the long-term.

5) Examples of website designs: The first thing I do when I meet a new client is to show them examples of my previous work. This not only shows our website design skills but also tells the customer that we are proud of our work and they are dealing with a web development firm that has experience and skills to fulfil their web design needs. This is probably the most important. If the web designer you are dealing with doesn’t have any work to show you, or they cannot produce a few websites they have done entirely themselves, you should be careful in dealing with them. What do their website development portfolio tells you. Are the web designs clean and professional? Are the websites easy to navigate?

6) Give me some references: Some people might ask about the validity of this point ( as they may say that their needs are totally different to other businesses). The reason you should always talk to the previous clients of the website design firm you are dealing with is to ensure that you are getting what you have been promised. Talking to previous clients will tell you about their experiences. Some questions you should ask the past clients of the website development firm you are dealing with are:

a) How are the communication skills of the web designer?
b) Was the website development process easy for them?
c) Did they get the right support and guidance from the website development firm?
d) Was the website delivered on time?
e) Were clients involved in every stage of the website design process? This is important to ensure that the product is what you need for your business.
f) Did they receive good service from the website design firm?

In this article, I have touched on some of the soft and interpersonal skills of a website designer or a website developer. Technical skills are important but interpersonal skills are equally important. Your website designer is your long term partner and you have to make sure that you can work with your website developer in the long term.

Sigma InfoTech an Australian based Website design, Website Development firm specialising in Web Design, graphic design, Software Development, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation helps to remain high in the search engines and with it any of the sites can achieve the desired goal of influencing profits.