How to help your web designer: Creating a website that works

Creating a website that works

With the rise of online tools that enable anyone to create visually impressive designs without prior expertise, many people are tempted to design their own websites. These tools are fantastic in their own right, democratising access to design and empowering creativity. However, there’s a common misconception that often arises from their use: "I can design my website myself, hand it over to a web designer, and they’ll turn it into a functional website more quickly, cheaply, and exactly as I envision."

Unfortunately, this approach can lead to significant problems. Here’s why, and more importantly, how you can truly support your web designer to create a website that meets your needs.

The limits of DIY design tools

Online design tools make it easy to produce eye-catching visuals, but they often gloss over the deeper, technical aspects of web design. While you might create something that looks great at first glance, there are crucial considerations that these tools don’t address:

• Responsiveness: A professional website must look and function beautifully on all devices, from desktops to smartphones. This requires careful planning and technical adjustments that go far beyond static design.
• User experience (UX): Good design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about guiding users intuitively through your site. Poor UX can frustrate visitors and drive them away, even if the visuals are stunning.
• Image quality and resolution: Incorrectly optimised images can slow down your site, harm its appearance on different screens, and negatively impact search engine rankings.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): Building a site that ranks well on Google involves more than just pretty visuals. Metadata, semantic HTML, and structured data are key considerations that most DIY tools don’t adequately address. Basic SEO checklist →
• Web standards: Following accessibility guidelines and web standards ensures your site can be accessed by as many people as possible.

A technical note on responsiveness

Online design tools essentially provide users with an interface that spares them from directly writing code. These tools generate the underlying code based on the user’s input. While this is convenient, it presents significant challenges:

Users often lack an understanding of the principles that ensure a website is truly responsive. Even if these tools offer features to enable responsive design, users may not be familiar with the rules governing responsive behaviour, such as the use of columns (col) and their behaviour, breakpoints, and other critical aspects of responsive design.

Without this knowledge, the resulting website may look responsive at first glance but fail to function properly across devices, requiring extensive corrections later on.

The pitfalls of “designing it for the designer”

Many clients believe that by providing a "finished design," they’re saving their web designer time and effort. Unfortunately, this often has the opposite effect. When designs are created without an understanding of web development principles, they may need significant reworking to make them functional or even usable.

For example:

• Non-responsive layouts: Designs that don’t account for different screen sizes might need to be completely restructured.
• Inconsistent elements: A lack of design consistency can create confusion and extra work when implementing the site.
• Over-reliance on effects: Designs with excessive animations or intricate visuals can slow down the site or break functionality.

In essence, what may seem like a “finished product” to you is often a starting point for the web designer – one that can require significant time and effort to rework.

How to truly help your web designer

If you want your website to be created efficiently and cost-effectively, here’s how you can work collaboratively with your web designer:

1. Share your vision clearly

Instead of handing over a completed design, focus on communicating your goals, ideas, and preferences. Share:

• Your target audience
• The primary purpose of your website
• Examples of sites you like and why
• Your brand identity (colours, fonts, tone of voice)

This allows your web designer to create something tailored to your needs from the start, saving time and improving results.

2. Trust their expertise

Your web designer brings experience and technical knowledge that go far beyond aesthetics. Trust their input on things like:

• Layouts and functionality
• User flow and navigation
• Technical requirements (SEO, responsiveness, accessibility)

3. Provide high-quality graphics

If you’re supplying images, logos, or other visuals, ensure they’re high resolution and appropriately formatted. This reduces delays and ensures a polished final result.

4. Be open to collaboration

Web design is a collaborative process. Be ready to give feedback, but also to adapt your ideas based on your designer’s recommendations. The best websites come from a balance of creative vision and technical expertise.

5. Focus on outcomes, not just visuals

Remember, a website isn’t just about looking good – it’s about achieving your goals. Whether it’s increasing sales, engaging visitors, or building your brand, keep the end result in mind and let your designer guide the process.

Empowering the client’s role

It’s important for clients to feel that they have a meaningful impact on the design and process. Designing a website is a long, thoughtful process, and your input is invaluable.

The best way to contribute is to share your ideas with your web designer and then discuss them openly. Accept feedback and suggestions, even if they differ from your initial vision. Professional web designers have access to data, statistics, and insights into user behaviour that are essential to consider – even if you’re not familiar with these factors. Trusting their expertise ensures the final design is not only visually pleasing but also functional and effective.

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Online design tools are a fantastic starting point for exploring ideas, but they’re no substitute for professional web design. By understanding the complexities involved and working collaboratively with your designer, you’ll end up with a website that doesn’t just look great, but functions beautifully and delivers real results.

In short: help your designer help you, and you’ll achieve a website that’s worth every penny.