Lost in Translation

I, like many others in my field, see the term Web 2.0 and cringe. More so when used inappropriately. Then we hear and see people in our own field using it inappropriately, and groan and smack our foreheads.

This, like a lot of lingo, is often thrown around without a real understanding of what it is and what it means.

Let me put it like this: I’ve avoided jobs where I saw postings from people stating they want someone who understood Web 2.0. Or that they wanted a Web 2.0 website. Because I would have to ask them, “What do you mean by Web 2.0? What does Web 2.0 mean to you in this context?”. And they’ll decide that I’m the idiot here and clearly I don’t know anything. After all, EVERYONE knows what Web 2.0 is, right?

It is almost physically painful for me to hear someone to ask, “Do you know Web 2.0?”. (more…)

Although Steve Krug’s book Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability has been around for years, its not one all website owners are aware of. This is an outstanding book that doesn’t require technical know-how.

Who is this book for? EVERYONE involved in the creation of a website. That includes you website owners, project managers, and any of the other non-techies and non-artists who will be involved on the project. This information can save you a lot of headache and learning things the hard way. It will also save you arguing with your experienced web designer who already knows the principles this book covers. (more…)

This is part 3 in the series In Search of a Professional Web Designer.

Make sure you also check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Now that you’ve found a web designer, how do you get the most of your web designer and ensure that you get what you want and need? I’ve got 10 pointers for you.

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If you’re coming in later in the game, you may want to read Part 1 of the series.

Ok, so you’ve found a lot of potential web designers out there. Now how do you choose one?

THE THREE WEB JOB SPECIALTIES

It helps to understand that the web design field is like any other: there are specialists for each aspect of the website process. Just as there are doctors who are general practitioners, endocrinologists, surgeons of one specialty or another, pediatricians and so on, so it is in IT and the web field.

Bear in mind, just because someone can fix your computer doesn’t mean they know anything about web design. And vice versa. Also, just because someone is a programmer doesn’t mean they know anything about web languages either.

When it comes to web design, there are 3 types of designers: graphic artists, web designers, and web developers (programmers who handle the non-artsy stuff). There may be some individuals who do a bit of overlap between each, but I would go so far as to say there is no one who is 100% proficient in all areas (and if such a person exists, most people can’t afford them).

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This is the first post of a series on finding, hiring, and working with web designers. This post is aimed at business owners that may be looking for a web designer to hire for a project or various members of management looking for a designer or small firm to outsource to. This series is also helpful for those who are deciding if they should hire someone else or do it themselves.

Some of you that are reading this blog already have a web designer (which may be me!). But many others will stumble here in search of a web designer. And you lost souls are probably feeling overwhelmed and not so sure where to start. Who better to tell you what to look for in a web designer than another experienced web designer?

So the first question is: how do you find one? More importantly, how do you find a designer of good quality?

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