All posts in Website Design Practices

Web development is a broad field, bringing with it an enticing array of different challenges. Indeed, I think my peers would agree that one of the role’s many appealing qualities is its inherent variety. On any day a developer might be tasked with: building the layout of a new web page, requesting and manipulating data from a server, coding interactions and animations, or one of any number of other interesting challenges. That mix of responsibilities requires a developer to understand and implement a range of different mark-up, scripting and programming languages.

For the uninitiated, a quick primer:

First of all, and essential to the web, is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) which provides the semantic structure and content of each page. HTML is the heart of a web page, allowing us to inform the browser that we intend to display a paragraph, a list, an image, or one of a number of other content elements. Moreover, the HTML contains the specific content that each of these elements should show to the visitor.

Following on closely behind are Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which allow us to style the aforementioned content. Using CSS we can make the paragraph a different colour, adjust the spacing of the list, or increase the size of the image, amongst myriad other possibilities. Background colours, rounded borders, shadows, spacing between elements; all these things and more are specified with CSS. HTML tells the browser *what* the content is, and CSS tells it *how* it should look.

Furthermore, as websites increase in size and complexity, we typically make use of a database to store content and other useful data. This is where “back-end” or “server-side” languages enter the picture, so named because they run on the server rather than in the visitor’s browser. For this there are a range of choices — including Perl, Ruby and ASP — though we do the majority of our work in PHP, which powers platforms such as WordPress, Laravel and Drupal.

With the aforementioned covered in brief, today I would like to focus on Javascript (JS), a very useful and increasingly flexible language. Like HTML and CSS, JS typically runs in the browser and, traditionally, has been used somewhat sparingly to enhance the functionality of a page. This might mean powering a carousel of images or displaying an interactive calendar. However, more recently the development landscape has exploded with front-end JS frameworks such as Angular, Vue and React whose purpose is to provide a more convenient and structured way of implementing JS in the browser. Practically speaking, this means a smoother, more interactive experience for the visitor and, in theory at least, a neater, more logical approach for the web developer.

As if that wasn’t enough, JS has been broadening its horizons and, like PHP or Ruby, it can also be used as a server-side language via applications such as Node.js. These developments have opened up the potential to have entire web applications written in JS. This rapid growth has seen a surge in demand for developers with deeper and broader JS knowledge. With many of the web’s biggest players (such as Facebook and Netflix) using frameworks like React, it has become clear that JS is here to stay.

Read more: The Role of JavaScript in Web Development

IoT is undoubtably a big tech-wave in the web development landscape. It clearly defines the smart and well-connected devices. Whenever any new technology is introduced, it definitely impacts the tech world. Similarly, IoT has profoundly impacted every sector – be it web design, development, or mobile app creation. All of these sectors are affected by this latest technology.

Understanding the impact of IoT on web development

It is entirely the responsibility of web development services to ensure that the complex architecture of IoT functions smoothly without a glitch.

Web developers are required to have an in-depth knowledge of programming and database management. They’ve to stay abreast with the modern tools and technologies by bidding farewell to the traditional web development services. This contributes towards the overall growth of dedicated programmers.

IoT projects have higher turnaround time owing to its complex multi-layered architecture. With the help of competent web and IoT solution development teams, things will be done at a fast pace. You need to adopt a hybrid approach of development for the completion of IoT projects in a timely manner.

Hybrid development teams appear to be a reasonable option compared to the static exclusive teams. They can create clean and user-friendly interfaces so that robust code and hyper-connectivity with multiple operating systems, devices, networks can operate seamlessly in cooperation.

Friendly user-interface: When it is about developing an intuitive web-based UI for an IoT app, it has to be clean, interactive, and fast. Apart from that, designers should deploy the latest web designing practices. One more thing, you should make sure that your IoT based design is mobile compatible, so that smart device users can make the most out of it.

Solid backend: With the help of the robust backend design architecture, the communication between users and IoT devices can be enhanced. Every device has a different set of capabilities, commands, and data that works just the way users want. A good backend transmits and receives information and facilitates clear communication for the users.

Power management: The first thing that comes to mind when you hear about IoT devices is wireless operation or battery-powered devices. This demands an effective power management for them. When heavy programs are running in the backend, they consume maximum battery that leads to less user communication. So, the new layout should have a design that reduces power usage.

With the increasing popularity of IoT in our daily lives, web development has now become the most demanding field in which companies invest in-depth research and development.

Read more: Revolutionizing the web development sector

You launched your new e-commerce website and you’re excited about the promise of increased business.

You sit back and wait for the traffic to roll in. And then you wait some more.

After a few coffees, you realize it’s not catching on the way you expected. But why?

It’s very possible that it isn’t what you’re selling that’s the problem. You likely have a web development issue, that can be fixed.

Let’s take a look at common web development issues that hold businesses back and how to reverse them.

1. You Lack a Value Proposition

When it comes to content, what you present to website visitors is very important. While it’s okay to tell people your brand philosophy and some of your achievements (like many companies do), you have to make it relevant for potential customers.
That means you should take the time to develop a value proposition. There needs to be a focus on the products or services you’re offering – you tell the potential customer how these offerings can solve a problem that they have.

Think about what sets your products apart from your competitors, and then hammer that home in your website messaging. Tell them how you can better serve them or more affordably meet their needs.

2. You Don’t Know Who Your Audience Is

You could have heavy website traffic, but that doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t generate any sales leads from them.
This step of creating quality leads, not just website traffic, should actually start before the website is even built. Questions you should ask yourself include;

Read more: Web Development Issues: 7 Reasons Why Your Website Isn’t Driving Business