Web Design
Web design refers to the design of websites that are displayed on the internet.
It usually refers to the
user experience aspects of website development rather than software development.
Web design used to be focused on designing websites for desktop browsers; however,
since the mid-2010s, design for mobile and tablet browsers has become
ever-increasingly important.
A web designer works on the appearance, layout, and, in some cases, content of
a website. Appearance, for instance, relates to the colors, font, and images used.
Layout refers to how information is structured and categorized. A good web design
is easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, and suits the user group and brand of the
website. Many webpages are designed with a focus on simplicity, so that no extraneous
information and functionality that might distract or confuse users appears. As the
keystone of a web designer’s output is a site that wins and fosters the trust of
the target audience, removing as many potential points of user frustration as
possible is a critical consideration.
Two of the most common methods for designing websites that work well both on desktop
and mobile are responsive and adaptive design. In responsive design, content moves
dynamically depending on screen size; in adaptive design, the website content is
fixed in layout sizes that match common screen sizes. Preserving a layout that
is as consistent as possible between devices is crucial to maintaining user
trust and engagement. As responsive design can present difficulties in this
regard, designers must be careful in relinquishing control of how their work will
appear. If they are responsible for the content as well, while they may need to
broaden their skillset, they will enjoy having the advantage of full control of
the finished product.