It’s such a valid point that there are a lot of people that don’t understand web design and are still involved in the process. Maybe it’s a company big-wig who says they need a new one, a board member who has to approve it but criticizes the color scheme, or a content supervisor who doesn’t understand why the header can’t be more bold. I’d like to exclude myself and my peers from this reproach, but that wouldn’t be fair.
I am constantly judging websites I encounter with little to no knowledge of what it takes to build them. And I don’t think I’m alone. Recognition of qualification is unfortunately not at all aligned with self-perceived significance of opinion. The average web user is without a doubt very unqualified to be able to judge website performance and design. But at the same time, aren’t we the most qualified? Isn’t the average user experience what matters?
Web designers are artists. Techies. And engineers. And you could say their background also touches on communications, human services, business management and strategic planning. Especially considering the demand, I feel that very few professions determine success like that of a website designer and I’m not actually sure how I feel about it.
Should they be judged by the average-uneducated-user? Or is it our job to better understand web design? I wish this article had helped me. Thankfully, I’m taking Web Publishing this semester. I’d love if by the end, I could re-read this article and not only learn more from it, but actually have some educated-insights to share with you!