Forum Moderators: mack
I figured out all the features and have planned everything out, but now I have a dilemma. I need to hire both a designer and a programmer, but which one should come first? I could get someone who can do both, but I would rather have top quality and feel that specialists are the way to go for that.
So my question is when developing a site, is it easier to design the site and then make it work or make a functional but plain site and then re-design it? Which comes first, design or programming?
I'd tend to hire the designer first because I think programmers can make just about anything work.
In my last job, I worked closely with a programmer. He was a wizard, but he couldn't put two colours together. I'm a good designer, but I just couldn't wrap my brain around code and programming. I would design sites and consult him throughout the process to make sure that I wasn't creating a nightmare, but for the most part, he could make anything work. We worked well together. If things weren't working for him or creating too much work for him, he'd tell me.
If there were any problems would could usually sort them out.
I think you need to develop a design that looks good, but is very functional, easy to navigate (doesn't back people into corner) but at the same time is going to be friendly for search engines (if that's important to you).
If I may use an analogy: I don't think you can do the interior design (the programming) of the house until you have the house (the design) built.
Hope that helps.
Michael
Technically the site is already "designed". I have laid out the site and done mock-ups in HTML to show the programmer what is needed to be done. So, they would know what to do and could even make a functional site based on the mock-ups I did. I wouldn't launch the site with my design though. So I would have hire a designer to make the site more professional looking before launching it.
So would you still say it would be better to get the site designed first and by designed I mean graphically enhanced?
you can't decorate a house until you build it.
They both go first. Most programmers or software developers would prefer to be involved up front, and have input into the design (just like the graphics designers would prefer to be involved up front). This is not because they have any delusions that they are specialists in the creative graphics side of things (although sometimes they have skills in both areas). It is because sometimes there are two ways to achieve a similar effect, and going down one makes the programmer's job a nightmare. The later you discover a problem that requires you change direction, the more expensive (or you get the heroic programmer ala 'I can do anything' and the results can be worse)
This is probably quite obvious when you think of dynamic/animated components, but it holds true for static/layout issues as well. As an example, I was asked to code up a site where the designer had specified everything has drop shadows; even the form input elements, check-boxes, radio buttons, etc. Now that is a nightmare to get working across all browsers!
And it is not just the graphic designers and programmers who should work together. Web development includes a large marketing component. Someone with marketing skills who knows your target market and their preferences and desires should also be involved at the initial stages.
Web development is no different from any multi-disciplinary team effort. Get all the people who need to make it happen involved as early as possible, and get them to work as a team. Hold a kick-off meeting at the start of the project, and allow them opportunities to provide input and review comments on each other's work. They'll work better together, they'll feel a greater sense of pride and ownership of the project, and you'll get better results.
Shawn
However - I would like to add that content comes first. Content shapes the site and the function goes hand in hand in that process. You can't design a site first then stuff it with content, especially if your site has the potential for growth.
I read this somewhere and a perfect example:
Ever looked at a Twinky? On the bottom it has 3 holes. Those are for the machines to inject the filling into the shell. If the shell is over stuffed with filling it will burst.
There is definitely a collaborative effort in making everything come together.
