Some days (like today) I get terribly frustrated working in a field where anyone with a copy of Dreamweaver can call himself a professional Web designer. I’ve had too many clients whose sites needed to be rebuilt from the ground up thanks to shoddy work. Some of these clients hired not one but a series of designers who all provided substandard service.
The trouble is that business owners usually don’t know enough about the Web to hire wisely. Asking a friend for a referral often doesn’t help because that friend is probably equally clueless about the distinguishing characteristics of a reputable Web professional. (I’m familiar with this phenomenon as well.) What’s a business owner to do?
Ask the Right Questions to Find Your Dream Developer
You don’t need to become a Web expert to recognize a good designer from a bad one. The following 10 qualities are what I would look for were I hiring a Web designer.
1. She Hand-Codes Standards-Compliant XHTML and CSS
If the designer doesn’t know what this means, run. Look for someone who writes her own code and does not rely on a WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get”), or visual, HTML editor. (NOTE: Dreamweaver does include a WYSIWYG interface, but many designers do hand-code with it, so apologies for taking a dig at it before.) The designer should know what the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is and that this entity creates the protocols we follow when building Web sites and applications. She should know what valid code is. The designer should code semantically correct XHTML and not rely on layout tables.
2. He Understands the Importance of Web Accessibility
Your designer should know about or at least appreciate the value of making Web content accessible to as many people as possible regardless of physical capabilities, situational factors, or the type of device they’re using to browse the Web. This designer will also know that when we make Web sites accessible for human beings, we are also dramatically improving SEO (search engine optimization). Familiarity with WCAG and Section 508 is also a plus.
3. She Has a Basic Understanding of Organic SEO
A Web designer is not necessarily an SEO expert, but a good designer will appreciate how Web design influences search engine optimization. Your designer will probably be adding metadata to your Web pages for you (unless that’s not part of your service agreement). She will know that standards-compliant, semantically correct code is much more search engine-friendly than table layouts bloated with deprecated HTML.
Big plus: She offers to integrate Google Analytics or some other metrics gathering application into your site (and email campaigns, if applicable) so you can measure performance instead of just guessing at why your site does or doesn’t bring you business.
4. He Knows You Can’t Design a Web Site without Content
How can you design a layout when you don’t know what kind of information is going on the page? Particularly with templated sites, you must plan the content and site architecture first. I would be leery of a designer who wants to jump into visual design right away without considering content.
That said, you shouldn’t necessarily expect your Web designer to write great copy or be familiar with content strategy. Just look for someone who recognizes the key roles content development and site planning play in the design of an effective Web site.
5. She Doesn’t Confuse Being an Artist with Being a Designer
Some artists are great Web designers, but many Web designers are not great artists. I’m including this tip because every time a prospective client has called his former designer “artistic,” it meant that the site was constructed poorly. Several times I found that each page on the site was just an image map (invisible to assistive devices, text-only browsers, and search engines, as I demonstrated in my article on the importance of Web accessibility).
Web design is a specific discipline that requires specific creative, technical, and marketing expertise. There are established criteria by which to judge good design. And there are many other factors that determine how effective a Web site will be. Being a good artist alone doesn’t cut it.
“Artistic” also seems to be a code word for petulant, but, again, that’s only anecdotal evidence….
6. He Has a Great Portfolio
I’ll admit, I’ve been interviewed for a number of freelance and fulltime gigs where the client did not look at my work before talking to me. But you should look at your prospective designer’s past work. You may not be able to judge the quality of the code, but at least check to see if the work examples (not to mention the designer’s own site) looks clean and professional.
7. She Has a Great Blog
I’ve become a customer of several companies because of their blogs. For example, when I got (unexpectedly inherited) my first email marketing job, I had to do a lot of research to train myself. Campaign Monitor’s blog invariably provided the answer. By establishing itself as a trusted adviser, CampaignMonitor was first on my list when it came time for me to choose an email delivery service for my company.
No blog? I wouldn’t necessarily count it against her. But if she does, I’d consider it a sign of commitment to and deep interest in Web media–not just building it for others but being an active participant. Check out the blog if there is one. Does she seem knowledgeable about her topics? Does she write about Web design and marketing? Is she engaged with the Web design community? Does she seem able to help you launch your own blog (if that is part of your project)?
8. He Focuses on Your Business Goals
Your designer should be asking you about who your audience is and what you want them to be able to do on your Web site. Your site development should focus on achieving your business goals. Does he ask you about these things up front before tackling the visual design?
9. She Can Provide a CMS
If you want to make updates to your site without the help of a developer, you’ll need a content management system, which is software you use to create a dynamic, database driven site that includes a WYSIWYG administration area. CMSs also add lots of functionality to your site that most businesses want these days, such as blogging, calendars, social networking features, and so on. If this is part of your project, ask which CMSs the designer uses.
10. He Is Prompt, Polite, and Respectful
No client should be treated with disrespect. If you have an ooky feeling about someone, don’t hire him. If you don’t feel like he is taking your project seriously, don’t hire him–or at least ask him why. Sometimes designers have to prioritize, but he should be able to explain his reasoning respectfully.
No Need to Settle for Less than the Best
Assuming that you are willing to pay the going rate for a professional developer (it varies, but it’s not cheap), you should insist on these qualities because there are too many people who have them for you to settle for less.
I live in Austin, and I am bowled over by the talent I see in my friends and colleagues. We’ve all worked very hard to learn our craft. Moreover, we continue to work at it all the time as technology and the Web design industry evolve relentlessly.
What will the future bring for Web design professionals? I don’t know, but I hope it will include better accountability for us and a higher level of service expected by (and delivered to) our customers. Any thoughts?
