Web Developers and Digital Designers
Additional Information
Duties
The following are common tasks performed by web developers and digital designers:
- Discuss the needs, design, and functionality of a website or interface with clients or management.
- Create and test websites' apps, interfaces, and navigation menus.
- Using computer languages like HTML or XML, write the code for the website.
- Determining what information, the site will provide requires collaboration with the rest of the team.
- Consult with graphic artists and other website designers to come up with a design for the website.
- Create a multimedia-rich website by including images, sound, and video.
- Keep track of how many people are visiting your website.
- Mockups and prototypes of websites and applications are created.
- Create and design visuals.
A website's developers and designers must make their client's vision a reality. They specialize in creating specific websites, such as e-commerce, news, or gaming sites, to meet the demands of their clientele.
Websites of all kinds need a variety of software solutions. E-commerce sites, on the other hand, require a payment processing program, whilst gaming sites require complex graphics. Website design is a collaborative effort between the developer and the designer, who work together to determine which apps and designs are most suited to the site's needs.
All parts of a website's building can be handled by certain developers and designers, while others specialize in a particular area of it. Website and digital design specialists fall into the following categories.
The technological foundation of a website is the responsibility of back-end web developers. They build the site's foundation and guarantee that it performs as planned. There are systems in place that allow people to create new web pages, and back-end engineers consult with top-level management when making big modifications.
Front-end web developers are responsible for designing a website's appearance and feel from the ground up. In addition to designing the site's appearance, they incorporate images, apps (such as a retail checkout tool), and other material into it. HTML and JavaScript are only two of the programming languages they use to create web design programs.
Designers of websites and digital interfaces are in charge of the aesthetics, such as photographs, colors, fonts, graphics, and layout, of a website or interface. It is their job to ensure that the website or interface is functional, user-friendly, and compatible.
The job of a webmaster is to maintain and update a site. Check to see if there are any problems with the website, such as missing or corrupted URLs, and then fix them. It is not uncommon for webmasters to reply to user feedback.
Education
Web developers and digital designers must have a high school diploma or a bachelor's degree in order to work in the field.
A bachelor's degree in a certain discipline, such as computer science or programming, is preferred by some organizations when looking for web developer applicants.
HTML programming is an essential skill for web developers. The expertise of other programming languages, such as JavaScript or SQL, and multimedia publishing tools, such as Adobe's Flash, is also highly sought after by many businesses. There are always new technologies and languages that web developers need to stay up with.
Candidates with a bachelor's degree in web design, digital design, or graphic arts could be preferred by employers of digital designers.
If a web developer or digital designer can demonstrate their expertise through previous job experience or projects, they may not require any formal academic qualifications.
Advancement
Those with a bachelor's degree in web development or digital design can go up the ladder and become project managers. See the profile on computer and information systems managers for further details.
Qualities that may matter
Skills in verbal and non-verbal communication. Web designers and developers must be able to successfully communicate with one another in order to coordinate their efforts on various projects.
Creativity. The look of a website is frequently the responsibility of web developers and digital designers, who must ensure that it is both functional and visually appealing.
Customer service abilities. Users expect courteous responses from webmasters.
Focused on specifics. Because even a small typo can break a website's functionality, web developers and digital designers must maintain intense concentration when writing code.
The ability to solve problems. Check for coding flaws and correct any that you discover as a web developer or a digital designer.
Pay
The median annual wage for web and digital interface designers was $98,090 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $47,840, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $192,180.
Job Projections
Overall employment of web developers and digital designers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations.