HOW TO DESIGN A WEBSITE

Definition:

A Web developer, strictly speaking, builds and maintains websites. However, a lot of people who create a site from begin to end (designing graphics and webpages, making the site map, then producing the site) call themselves Web developers, so it’s a confusing term. People who make the concept and plan of a website are actually Website designers. Developers are the people who are using HTML or other programming language to build the website pages. Another responsability of a Web developer could be optimizing the graphics of the website and creating the rich media files: Flash, Streaming media, or Online audio.

Beginner:
Can hand-code HTML
Can optimize graphics and webpages so they can load quickly
Can handle cross-browser optimization (making sure the site looks the same, good or very similar on different browsers)

Advanced:
Familiarity with JavaScript
Photoshop
Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
XML
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Familiarity with CGI forms
Can deploy dynamic Web technologies such as XSSI, JSP, ASP, Dynamo, and Cold Fusion
Familiarity with SSI (server-side includes)
Has a working knowledge of JavaScript and CGI scripting. This will become increasingly relevant as DHTML becomes more widespread and more content is generated using scripts

Experience

Senior developers manage the overall building of the site and assign junior developers specific areas to build.

Junior:
Created at least one website
Already updated content on an existing website

Mid-level:
At least one year of experience developing and maintaining a commercial website
Experience with naming conventions and setting up file structures (important for large sites)
Can look at a visual design and tell what it will take to implement it
Can tell at a glance how a page was put together or an entire site assembled
Knows what functions a given line of code performs

Senior:
At least two years of experience developing and maintaining a large-scale commercial website
Experience as lead developer or project manager

How to pick the right one:

Candidates should be able to provide URLs of previous work. This might be called a portfolio.
HTML code should be clean and well organized. You can check this by looking at the HTML source code of sample URLs.
Many Web development companies screen job candidates with a standardized HTML coding test. Candidates are given an image created in Photoshop and asked to turn it into a Web page using only text-based editors.
Get references from previous clients or employers. Was this person easy to work with? Did he or she produce a fast-loading, well-functioning site?

Tips

Looking at websites done for other clients is not always a good indicator of a web developer’s skills, since it’s hard to tell exactly what they contributed to the site and how much it’s changed since they worked on it. If possible, you want to see exactly what they contributed. Ask what role they played in the project. Did they build the entire site or just optimize webpages?
Be wary of self-taught folks who haven’t worked in an agency or corporate setting. They might not have the training or discipline to complete jobs on deadline.
A degree in one of the following is helpful: computer science or engineering, human-computer interaction (HCI), or architecture.
Continued education in Web programming, interface design, information design, or multimedia production is also helpful.

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