Web design in today’s industry presents itself with many challenges. There is not a one-size fits all solution to any problem. Web designers know the challenges they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. This article is not intended for web designers, but for the average person that has always wondered what goes into building a successful website. From having to stay current with the latest trends and technology, to building websites that have exceptional user experience, here are six of the biggest challenges that every web designer goes through.
Cross Browser Compatibility and Multi-Platform
Every web designer must ensure that their design works properly and that it’s appearance is error-free and functional regardless of the platform used to view it. This can definitely be one of the most complicated and overwhelming aspects of building a website. Cross Browser Compatibility refers to your website maintaining the original design, structure, and functionality across every major browser. This includes Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and more. Multi-platform Compatibility is the exact same thing, except instead of browsers, we are developing for different platforms. This includes, but is not limited to, iOS, Android, Windows, OS X, and their respective versions i.e. Windows 9, Windows 10, etc. One tool that helps developers find invaluable is BrowserStack. BrowserStack brings live web-based browser testing to all real mobile and desktop browsers.
Security
You might not think that your website is worth being hacked, but think again. The majority of most website security breaches are not to steal data from your database or vandalize your website, but an endeavor to use your server as an email relay for spam or to serve illegal files. From keeping your software up to date, safely storing information such as credit cards and password, all the way to writing secure and well-maintained code, security is one the most important aspects of web design and development.
Choosing Language, Framework, or CMS
An ever increasing diversity of programming languages, frameworks and CMSs are available to web designers. Choosing the best tool for the job can be one of the most challenging objectives. If you are working with a team of developers, you have to make sure each one of them knows how to use that specific technology and is willing to put in the time to stay current with it. Each technology has it’s own advantages, and it’s up to the web designer to be pragmatic and to figure out the one that will best suite the project’s specific needs. Some of the things to consider are: simplicity to learn, scalability, documentation, and external resources.
Conversion Rate Optimization
Conversion Rate Optimization is the percentage of visitors who land on your site that become your next customers. Web designers need to make sure that your web pages are receiving traffic from the right sources and that new visitors aren’t landing on the wrong pages when they are searching for content. This usually involves extensive wire framing, research, and prepping. Web designers need to make sure that all of your services or products have there own landing page and our accessible through the search engines, allowing your users to find what they are looking for, and take an action such as purchase a product or request your services.
Staying Modern and Current
Staying modern and current in the web design industry can be extremely challenging. Is your website stuck in the past? Is it using modern tools? Does your website design look outdated and old? Is your website mobile friendly and responsive? Custom fonts, rounded corners, drop shadows, and a flat design are just a few of the modern web design trends that have took us by storm in the last few years. If your website is ancient and outdated, maybe consider a long scrolling single page layout with parallax design and large visual header. These are just a few of the concepts that web designers need to focus on to stay up to date in this industry.
User Experience Challenge
A good user experience design will entice visitors to stay on your site. A bad one will make them go to someone else’s. One of the many aspects of web design is page load speed. Web designers can cache assets and optimize other aspects of your site to increase user experience and the load time of your webpages. How do we get your business model and message out to your visitors? With consistent content placement, a clear call to action, retina images, and well-written headings, web designers can entice visitors to stay on your site longer, and in turn creating potential customers.
Summary
As you can see, web design in today’s industry presents itself with many challenges. Everyday web designers must figure out how to stay current with technology and build high quality websites for clients. I hope this article opened your eyes to the many challenging yet wonderful avenues of web design.
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