Both website designers and developers are important in the creation of new websites. The former creates the visual look and user experience of the website, paying attention to its usability and aesthetics. Whereas the latter develop the structure and functionality of the website, converting it into a working reality.
Similarly, both jobs have their own aspects that businesses need to understand when developing a website for themselves.
In this article, you’ll learn what sets web design and web development apart. It will shed light on essential aspects that will help you understand these differences in depth.
Web Design Vs Development: Differences That Make Them Unique to One Another
There are different types of web designers:
User Experience(UX) Designer:
User Interface Designer:
Visual Designer:
User experience, or UX, is the most essential part of a website. A web designer specializing in UX understands how a user feels and whether their demands are getting fulfilled.
In simple terms, their job is to ensure that the user is able to use and navigate the website effortlessly, the way the website owner has intended for the same.
The user interface(UI) design involves the development of graphics, illustrations, and photographs, along with typography to improve the display and layout of a digital product within different devices.
The elements of the user interface also include input controls, navigational components, and informational components.
The role of a visual designer is to ensure that the final product, i.e. the website, looks attractive. They are a blend of user interfaces and graphic designers. You should not get confused between a graphic and a visual designer.
Web developers, on the other hand, are generally known as programmers. They take on the design made by web designers, converting it into a fully working website. Web developers use different tools and softwares like JavaScript and various other platforms.
The main goal for a web developer is to develop a smooth-running website that functions well. They collaborate with UX/UI, and visual designers to develop web pages as per the design made by each designer.
There are three types of web developers:
Front-End Developer:
Back-End Developer:
Front end is the term used for the part of the website with which the user engages directly. It is also called “client-side” of the application. It consists of everything that is directly experienced by a user, such as style and colours of text, images, tables, and graphs, buttons, colours, and a navigation menu. CSS, HTML, and JavaScript are the prominent languages used for front-end development.
Front-end developers implement the website’s structure, design, and content, along with the way the website gets opened and showcased in different screens. Front-end also holds responsiveness and performance as its two important objectives. The developer should ensure the responsiveness of the website, i.e. it appears on every device correctly and works properly without any anomalies, irrespective of the screen sizes.
They work on a website’s server side. It stores and arranges data. The role of a back- end developer is to ensure everything on the client’s side works well. The back-end is the part of the website that a customer cannot interact with.
Then comes full-stack developers, who can design entire web applications and websites.
There are some notable differences between web design and web development, as given below:
- Web design requires creative expertise, whereas web development involves technical knowledge.
- Web design involves all the aesthetic elements. Similarly, web development refers to developing user-friendly websites according to the specifications of the clients.
- Web designers convert ideas into visually appealing designs. On the other hand, Web developers convert designs into websites that are fully functional.
- The role of the web designer is to refer how a website should look. Whereas, a web developer focuses on how a website should work on different screen sizes.
To Summarize
Web design and web development have major differences. However, they do work hand-in- hand in the creation of a website. These two aspects are known to involve intense creative and technical expertise. With a unique blend of both expertise, you’ll be able to ensure a well-performing website that can be easily navigated.
Hence, with exceptional web design and development, you’ll be able to ensure a user- friendly website that serves the requirements of your customers well.
