Choose Your Web Designer

Now you have decided you need a web designer, learn how to identify good web design and discover the best way to choose a designer.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WEB DESIGNER

1. There are an ENORMOUS number of web designers to choose from so how do you choose?

2. Web designers fall between two extremes….

3. Design-oriented - Looks great and Function-oriented - Looks bad

4. Design-oriented - Works badly and Function-oriented - Works great

5. Find a designer that combines both: Design and Function

6. To assess whether a designer is any good, you first need to be able to spot: GOOD design

7. Good design achieves the goal of the website
    Design is all about communication
    Does the website’s design help to convey the message?

8. Good design works well in all browsers, on all operating systems and at all screen resolutions. Test the design on different computers with different settings. Does the design still look good?

9. Good design is visually appealing to the target market
    Design is not totally subjective
    Certain designs will appeal more than others to the target market.
    Does the target market like the design?

10. Good design is easy to use
      How easy is it to find what you are looking for?
      Is the navigation user-friendly?

11. Good design is fast-loading
      How quickly do the pages download? - It should not be more than a few seconds

12. Good design is search engine optimized
      Are there effective page titles?
      Does the code contain Meta tags?
      Are the internal links keywords?
      Is text (not pictures) used for the important content?

13. Good design is universally accessible. Is the website accessible to disabled users?
      - Ask someone disabled to test the website
      - Use automated testers (e.g. Tata Dano)

14. Good design pays attention to detail
      There should be nothing that looks out of place
      Do all the page elements work together? e.g. Complementary colors, similar icons
      Does everything on the page line up perfectly?

15. Should you hire a design freelancer or a company?

16. Freelancer:
      More personalized service?
      More resources?
      Company:
      Less expensive?
      Faster service?

17. No clear distinction
      Increasing overlap between freelancers and companies e.g. freelancers working together

18. Making the choice

19. Website portfolio. This is the obvious place to go to see the quality of work. Study the websites and look for evidence of good website design.

20. Testimonials: Take these with a grain of salt, but it’s always good to see what others say. Consider contacting website owners through the portfolio page

21. Free Quote: Most web designers will provide you with an approximate quote for free, ask questions and see how helpful they are, and find out what they consider important in web design

22. It is worth taking your time in choosing. A good web designer will offer in-depth knowledge and experience that will help you throughout your website development

23. You’ve now seen how to choose a web designer. Hope this guide will help you decide to choose a good web designer.

24. Need Help? Ask the experts at guiding you through website development.

You can also check the reference here.

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