It’s a common misconception that anyone who works on the web is a graphic artist. I haven’t been a web designer since back when that’s all you could be as an HTML monkey.
I make the web work. Getting to that point, I’ve tried several titles: Webmaster, Web Developer, and finally Web Programmer. And still many people, even those who should know better, think I’m a designer.
And the thing is, I play one. I’m really lucky to have worked with talented designers. Their work looks great, and is also intuitive and usable. But even if I have one of these superstars beside me in the trenches, there will always be design decisions I need to make on my own.
- I added a tiny new piece of information to a page–where should it go?
- We’re changing ad sizes–how will that affect layout?
- Nobody seems to know where to sign up–should we call it “registration” instead, or change the location of the link?
While I continue to refuse the label of designer, I am also immersed in the high-level topics a designer cares about. We cannot completely separate the responsibilities of programmers and designers. They need to work together and even know each others’ turf.
How a user expects a product to work is as much about design as it is about code.
this is so, so true to my experience. i don’t much care for design work and dislike being called a designer or graphic artist, but i am regularly forced to be one in various ways.
Although its probably more accurate for me to refer to myself as a developer as well, I’ve also discovered that the average Joe uses the term web designer or sometimes webmaster to refer to somebody that builds websites in any kind of capacity. So I think thats just something one has to live with and embrace.
But your point is correct. Anybody involved in any kind of decision-making is really doing design work. Take the simple language on a web form for instance. Is the decision to label the button “submit” or “save” the right one in a given situation? If its the programmer doing the deciding, he’s also responsible for the design because a bad decision there can confuse a user.
Great site Adam. I love the focus on simplicity!