5 KEY SKILLS NEEDED BY A WEB DESIGNER
I will summarize five non-technical web designer skills that I feel are the most important to be successful.
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IMAGINATION
Imagination encircles the world. Web design begins with staring at a blank screen. In some instances, clients have a clear idea of what they want. They can give detailed instructions as to what their preferences are. In some other cases, clients aren’t clear as to what they want. As a web designer, your job is to imagine what would best please the client—the designer experiments on new colour schemes and ideas.
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PATIENCE
Everyone I.T professional will tell you coding isn’t for the anxious and impatient. Often, as a coder, you will encounter bugs that require patience to debug. Sometimes, when experimenting on new designs, the process will involve a lot of trial and error. It may take hours or days to arrive at the perfect design and code. Impatience hinders creativity and imagination. Remember, web design is all about pleasing the eyes of the client.
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ANALYTICAL AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS
As already mentioned before, the web design process involves a lot of trial and error. In many instances, the issue may be a missing letter or symbol in the code. Debugging this problem requires a very keen, analytical mind. In addition, experimenting on new designs involves analyzing other web pages or similar intended template designs. Analysis and problem solving also consists in understanding the client needs. Once understood, a web designer needs to be able to break down the solution to their needs. Often, clients may have a set mind on what they want but, there is a better solution to their problems.
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FLEXIBLE TO CHANGE
In today’s world, not only individuals but also organizations need to be flexible to change. Technology is rapidly evolving. A web designer needs to stay up to date and adapt as quickly as possible to any change in technology. This process may often involve learning new web design skills. In addition, clients often change their needs and requirements during the design process. As mentioned previously, coding can be a cumbersome task. Therefore, a web designer requires a flexible mindset to constantly evolve with the clients’ needs and requirements.
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COMMUNICATION
Communication is a very critical non-technical web design skill. The process of web design is a very collaborative process between the client and web designer. They must understand clients’ needs and requirements clearly. In case of any unclear detail, the designer must seek clarity from the client. In addition, they must update clients regularly on the status of the project. All feedback must be taken in and implemented where applicable. In some instances, clients may set unrealistic deadlines. One must freely communicate such impossibilities and arrive at a consensus with the client.
