3 Signs Your Web Design and Web Development Are Out of Sync

Everyone knows why Apple products launch with massively successful track records of sales; because they look pretty at the expense of functionality, and provide customers with a bold fashion statement, irrespective of their usability.

Wait, that’s not right at all. OK, maybe there’s no single or simple answer as to why the tech industry giant dominates market shares, but one thing is certain. The vision of Steve Jobs was to create a beautiful marriage of design and functionality that is accessible, sleek, intuitive and elegant.

By making considerations about Web development before implementing Web design, you can come closer to a similar vision, allowing for the perfect renaissance of function and form. In the absence of these considerations, here are some of the issues that might have your design and development team filing for divorce papers instead of smiling through the scrapbook.

1. Compatibility Issues

Responsive Web design is one of the hottest topics in web development and design. With the wide selection of smart phones, tablets and other devices available to consumers, cross-platform compatibility is on the forefront of every developer’s mind. Throw in the multiple different browsers utilized across different devices and you start to get an idea of the nightmare that can materialize when development and design are not working in harmony.

Cross-platform compatibility issues frequently arise from discord between development and design. By starting out with a coherent development strategy before implementing design, compatibility issues will be minimized as your designers will be working around a framework specifically implemented to prevent the kind of issues that your website may struggling with.

2. Clunky Interfaces

A designer’s perspective, by definition, is focused in large part on the appearance of a webpage. The problem is that your website is a functional product. Bold and unconventional design choices can lead to sleek and eye-catching layouts that seem to really stand out, but problems can arise when your users begin to actually navigate your homepage.

When web developers present designers with clear goals for layout and functionality, many of these issues will resolve themselves before they begin to surface and create problems during launch.

3. Low Search Engine Visibility

Typography, tone of voice, layout and other aesthetic considerations are the bread and butter of a web designer. Unfortunately, when starting a project with aesthetic considerations at the forefront, concepts like search engine optimization, landing pages and keywords can fly over the head of the design team, leaving your beautiful new webpage unloved and unvisited.

In the same way that skilled web designers can spin font, copywriting tone and overall appearance into the website of your dreams, talented web developers ensure that your website achieves maximum search engine visibility.

By starting your project with development, you ensure that the key goal of your launch, to increase brand recognition, is implemented successfully in a way that will allow your Web design to seamlessly flow into a functional and highly visible webpage.