| Many people don’t realise that there is a difference between web design & web development, but they are distinct disciplines within the industry. The term web development is sometimes used as a broad term for any activity related to developing a web site for the World Wide Web or an Intranet, but in actuality the 2 terms can be individually defined as below.
- Web design can be defined as the theoretical layout of graphics, text, and images which will eventually be developed into a Web site.
- Web development deals more with creating, coding and building the underlying framework of a site and any additional applications such as blog setup, ecommerce capabilities or contact forms.
I am a designer who is accomplished in both disciplines, I design as I develop and visa versa. This method of “web development” in the broad encompassing sense of the term could be re-defined as web evolution or webvolution for short, as it has distinct differences to web design + web development.
Webvolution could be defined as synchronous web design and web development or a way of creating websites that is akin to organic growth. The webevolver would need to be skilled in both disciplines and the site would evolve rather than be designed and then developed.
Webvolution enables me to have complete and more efficient control on a given project. The process involves more liaison with the client than the standard web design / web development model, because the client needs to sign off any major changes to the site not provisionally agreed at the initial web design stage. It is my belief that webvolution is better than the standard design process (of a web design stage and then a web development stage) because it is;
- More cost effective: only 1 person is needed, subsequently outsourcing is minimized.
- More efficient: the modifications don’t need to be discussed and tested prior to implementation, as the webevolver will simply know if it will work or not.
- More cohesive: with a combined web designer / developer automatically controlling both elements the resulting website is inherently a more cohesive, user friendly finished product.
Webvolution allows the site to come alive and evolve personality of its own. This takes place because the development isn’t constrained by the web designer and visa versa the design isn’t constricted by the web developer. The site is allowed to evolve through its creation for the better.
Sometimes I find it difficult to distinguish between web design & web development – they are so entwined with each other that one automatically subconsciously affects the other. With the webvolution process you don’t get a backend & a frontend, you get a cohesive whole that in usability terms works together on a level that isn’t necessarily attained with the standard process.
If a client is so willing, webvolution needn’t end at the completion of a project, it can be continued on a retainer basis where a predefined amount of time can be allotted to evolve the site allowing the Darwinian principle of “survival of the fittest website” to allow your site to become faster and stronger than the competition utilising new methods and technologies as they come about. To allow webvolution to flourish a certain amount of faith needs to be imbued in the webevolver to experiment with concepts as they occur.
If you would like to discuss how webvolution can be used to create your online presence or if you’d like a quote for a specific requirement then contact me.
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