I agree with those that say being both is definitely better.
But being a designer is not easier.
Coding is finite; once you learn the code, the code doesn’t change (not counting new advances in
technology, which happen relatively slowly).
But design is fluid; it’s ever-evolving and trends change more quickly. You have to have a solid core of
classic design skills (layout, typography, color theory, etc), plus be able to envision how to make that
design responsive for all devices (mobile, tablet, desktop), plus have knowledge of ADA/WCAG accessibility
compliance, have a deep understanding of UX best practices, and be able to take criticism and constructive
feedback when working with the business and all their vast opinions, but also be able to push back on the
business and know that what they WANT isn’t always what they NEED.
Developers, I’ve learned, don’t ask questions; they just do whatever is asked of them. Designers know that
there’s a difference between what is being asked for, and what the client or user actually needs, and they
look for the best design solutions to make everyone happy (without wasting time creating something that
the business, hundreds of working hours later, discovers isn’t quite what they need, and then has to waste
more developer hours enhancing their original request. [I like to call this The Band-Aid Effect, because
the results usually aren’t as good as if it had been thought through and done correctly the first time.]).
Being a designer that also knows how to code can be very valuable to a company (though most companies
don’t realize the value and continue to keep UX design and UI development as separate positions). As a UX
Developer, my understanding of how to code good responsive layouts, and write my own CSS (or Bootstrap
overrides), frees up my developers to focus on what they’re good at: Angular and .NET. They love the fact
that I can give them an HTML shell (with linked CSS), and they can just hook in the back end functionality
stuff. They aren’t as savvy with CSS as I am (by far), and my work takes that added stress off of them.
They don’t need to worry about translating a static design into code. When I’ve worked for companies that
keep design and development separate, both the developers and I end up being super frustrated, because my
designs (which I’ve designed, knowing how I’d code it) never get translated the way I intended; the layout
breaks at smaller screens, or fonts are wrong, or padding/spacing is off or inconsistent, or even
punctuation/spelling/grammar is missing. The developers are frustrated, because I’m being “picky,” and who
cares if there’s a missing colon or a space before a period, the page *works,* doesn’t it? Designers have
to pay attention to all the tiny details that make a site professional, that most developers don’t have
the aptitude or patience for.
Well, this is the greatest confusion which is quite tricky to get rid of especially when you are thinking of designing a website for your business. Most of the business owners get addled amongest these terms for the full construction of a website.
Learn More
