Fracturing Web Design Roles
My job title at TerraCycle is Web Design and User Experience Manager. To me, it could just as easily be simply Web Design Manager, or User Experience Manager. They mean much the same thing.
There’s an increasing trend towards dividing different aspects of front-end design into separate job titles; Web Designer, User Experience Designer and Information Architect. All of these web design roles are important parts of a comprehensive website solution, but they are becoming over-divided. They designate skills which are important for any good web designer to have.
What is web design?
You’ll probably get a hundred different answers to this question, but here’s my definition:
Web design is the art of creating and implementing the structure and visual impact of a website. Good web design will ensure that users can enjoyably and easily access website content and be encouraged to engage with a website in the most productive way possible.
Web design is visual aesthetic (design), engaging and enjoyable for visitors (user experience) and well structured to guide and enable access to content (information architecture).
Devilish semantics
There’s nothing wrong with having differing job titles to describe similar roles. The problem occurs when the separation becomes too great. I’ve been asked in the past, “I see that you’re a Web Designer, but can you demonstrate UX/Information Architecture experience?” My answer is “Yes, I’m a web designer!”
If I wasn’t analyzing statistics on user behavior, working to develop the most effective structure for content navigation, and maximizing the positive way in which a user can interact with a website, I wouldn’t consider myself a web designer at all.
When the impression becomes that all of these jobs are entirely separate roles, then we’re making a mistake. I call myself a web designer, which includes the fact that I’m great at defining and developing a powerful user experience and at wireframing and structuring solid information architecture. I don’t want to say my job title is Web Design, User Experience and Information Architecture Expert, that just sounds silly!
…but what if I say Web Designer on my resume and miss out on a job because they’re looking for a User Experience Designer?
Nuances not definitions
A few years ago, when people really started to understand the differences between Web Designer and Web Developer, I was happy. Those were two separate roles, requiring different skills. This is different.
Web Design, User Experience and Information Architecture are all aspects of the same overall design role. Some people may be stronger in some areas than others, but the roles are not separate. They have a multitude of shared skills. If someone is a great web designer, then they need to have the skills necessary to understand and implement great user experience too, and to develop great information architecture.
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