I have decided to write this blog entry about the process involved in  the development of a website. There seems to be some reasonable conflicts among developers as to what process comes first, design or code.

As a graphic designer, I personally believe that design should be first, however certain things need to be considered first. Functionality, modules, components and other elements of the site need to be determined, so that their positioning can be included in the design.

Just as a builder, fashion designer, or mechanical engineer, starts with a drawing, floor plan, schematics, etc... I believe a website should start with a graphic mock-up. Many programmers or coders will argue that it is best to start with a working platform of coding. I disagree. I see that as working backwards.

I'll give an example that i argued to someone earlier this week....


"Hire a builder to build a house. Tell him you want him to build a working frame (coding), and that you will have a concept drawn up (mock-up design), when the concept is completed, tell the builder to adapt his framework to the new design. You will more than likely get a look of disgust, and possibly a "hell no"  "

I believe this argument is pretty solid. Sure the builder could comply, but is this the most efficient way to operate?

Obviously a designer needs to consider many things when creating the design of a website. For example the designer should not design a button, that says something like "click here for an instant haircut" This is a bit extreme, but I'm only trying to point out, that a designer needs to make sure the design he is working on does not suggest something that cannot be obtained through the coding, but in all honesty, extremes excluded, there is not much functionality-wise, that you cannot obtain through coding, so the table is pretty open to your imaginations. What i mean is, there is not much that can be mocked up, that can't become a working function through coding.

I looked at a few sites and it seems I have a few team mates, that agree with me.

I Design Studios writes....

The exact process will vary slightly from designer to designer, but the basics are generally the same.

1. Information Gathering "The first step in designing a successful web site is to gather information"
2. Planning "Using the information gathered from phase one, it is time to put together a plan for your web site. This is the point where a site map is developed"
3. Design "Drawing from the information gathered up to this point, it’s time to determine the look and feel of your site."
4. Development "The developmental stage is the point where the web site itself is created. At this time, your web designer will take all of the individual graphic elements from the prototype and use them to create the actual, functional site"
5. Testing and Delivery "At this point, your web designer will attend to the final details and test your web site"
6. Maintenance "Many designers offer maintenance packages at reduced rates, based on how often you anticipate making changes or additions to your web site."

Read The Complete Article

I believe Selene Bowlby has nailed this. I definitely could not have put it any better myself.

To sum it all up, programmers or coders that say its best to write code first, in my opinion are just being lazy as they do not want to apply a little brain work to make a conceptual design work.

Like I said earlier, there is not much that a designer can do in a mock-up, that cannot be obtained through coding, so I ask...Why build the frame, before designing the floor plan.


Feel free to share your own thoughts...

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