Tag Archives: Website Design

Why Are Website Templates Preferred Over Custom Web Design?

Leave a reply
Why Are Website Templates Preferred Over Custom Web Design?

Why Are Website Templates Preferred Over Custom Web Design?

Template based website systems are overtaking the requirement for a custom made personalized website. Even web designers are constantly finding ways in which to package their products and manufacture them in bulk. But what are the reasons for people buying template based websites and avoiding custom built websites? This articles aims to highlight the major factors which influence the purchase of a template based website design over a customized one.

Turn Around Time

The crux of setting up a new website is having it up and running quickly. The main objective is to put the website out and keep improving it. Most design firms take ages to put out the first version of a website. They have lengthy procedures and sometimes have long and cumbersome processes to be followed before any work can be made live. This often leads to delays and long timelines, which cause disinterest in the client and also demotivate the design team. This is remedied by ready made template based options which allow a certain level of customization to personalize the template for the clients business.

Seeing Is Believing

Just like ready made clothes, templates allow you to see a live working of the website and allow you to preview and simulate the website’s functioning before you actually purchase it. This means that you can see a fully functional sample website with dummy text and images and actually visualize how it would suit your website design. While tailor-made clothes will definitely fit you better, there is always a time-lag and also a risk of the tailor getting it wrong.

Cheaper

A ready made website will definitely work out cheaper than a custom made one, especially due to its re-usability and lack of personal touch. This maybe very crucial for a business which is newly launched and wants to atleast have a placeholder website to show to customers. This is also a crucial factor in determining the long term goal of the website and how you would like to keep evolving your online strategy.

Independence

A very major factor in deciding your design option is whom you are dealing with. Many designers consider themselves to be at par with Picasso and Michelangelo. This means that you may have a tough time in getting them to do things in a time-bound or disciplined way. Almost all design firms that we have dealt with have overshot their promised timeline and taken more than double the time to do the work correctly. While a bit of creativity should be left to the discretion of the design studio, it should also be clearly agreed that time is of essence and that a delay in work can be costly. Some businesses have taken years on end just to get the first glimpse of their website live. By that time their funds were drained and they had lost a considerable amount of revenue from online sources. On the other hand, templates allow you to go to any designer or coder to alter the design. Some websites even offer their own customization service. The bottom line being that your design source is with you and you are not locked into the services of a particular firm of developers.

Customization

Although a template can hardly be tweaked to suit your corporate branding, you can make a lot of changes to make it look more personalized. Just like you can get a ready-made shirt altered to suit your size, you can get a ready website also tweaked and twisted to give it a better look. It may look clumsy and a bit out of place, it may even look very cliche and standard, but for the price it is definitely a good deal.

Help Your Website Designer To Give You The Best Service

Leave a reply

Help Your Website Designer To Give You The Best

All of us who want to have a website will need to hire a web designer at some point in time. Maybe just for small bits of work or modifying a template or maybe a giant overhaul of the entire website. There are many articles across the internet which guide you on “how to select a good web designer” or “how to select a website development team”, but there isn’t much advice on how to conduct the relationship after you have made the right choice and hired the right team. This article explains how you can aid your website designer to give you the best output and ensure a long term relationship.

Avoid Interference

The most important aspect about choosing a web designer is promising not to interfere in his / her / their work. Web designers are professionals too. If you have followed the free advise available online on choosing the right designer, you might as well give them that space and let them work in peace. Sitting on their backs and pointing out each and every mistake and typo can really get on their nerves. Since you may already have a prejudiced view of how you want your website, it may be difficult for you to stand back and see the design from the point of view of your customers. The whole purpose of hiring a web designer is not merely to execute a design that you had in mind or one that you ripped off a competitors website, the point is to allow a dispassionate view of your business and how it should look online, from the angle of a third party. If you interfere, the whole purpose of hiring a professional is defeated.

Make a written agreement

Its best to make things absolutely clear so that there is no wiggle room for discrepancies and misunderstandings. If not make a formal written agreement whetted by a lawyer, atleast ensure that you get all the points in an email, confirmed by both parties. The worse thing that can affect your relationship is if you’ll are not on the same page about what needs to be done and what will be delivered. It gives clarity to the goal in mind and also enables the designer to work in that framework. Don’t let laziness or carelessness get the better of you. You may regret not having laid down the terms in black and white, incase things go wrong.

Allow some more time

When a web designer promises to deliver a project in 6 months, he means 6 months without any changes or interference from your side. If you make changes and expect them to be incorporated in between, the 6 months will definitely stretch. Since designing is an art and skill, it may not be accurate for either party to predict the exact timeline for completion. it is best to mentally accept that it may take double the amount of time as compared to what was promised. If the designer says 6 months, then expect it to be done in 10 - 12 months as a safe figure. Its best to give that buffer time for unforeseen changes or unexpected modifications.

Give a frank and honest opinion

Being frank and honest with your web designer will keep both of you happy. If you don’t like a change or idea or mock up or layout, tell them. Don’t hesitate to express your opinion and get feedback about it. The designer may explain why that change needs to be there or the concept behind a certain design. After a healthy discussion you’ll can arrive at a mutually acceptable conclusion. Being honest with your designer is also very important. A designer we know, was once being harassed by his client, when the client would quietly delete files uploaded by the designer. The client claimed ignorance until his bluff was called out.

Maintain courtesy and professionalism

Designers are also professionals. They require as much respect as you would give your lawyer or doctor. Using threats or verbal abuses to extract more work or to speed up work can be very damaging to your relationship. Remember that your entire online presence depends on your designer’s integrity and dedication. Be professional and to the point. Ensure that all terms and condition are clear before the work starts, so that neither of you is upset when it comes to payments.

Pay on time

This is one of the most common complaints we have heard from web designers. Either their payments are delayed or their payments are cut down - sometimes even halved, for no justified reason. Many clients have a habit of retaining the last payment and using it to coerce the designer into doing some more work for free. Some clients even threaten to sue the designers and bind them into mindless litigation. Paying your design team on time will ensure that your relationship is a healthy one, without any ill feelings. Paying on time shows your professionalism and commitment to the project. It acts as a motivation for the designers.

 

What is a Responsive Design Website? What are its advantages / limitations?

Leave a reply

Mobile browsing is the new trend now. The ability to always have an internet ‘on-the-go’ excites everyone – children and adults alike. . It is therefore of no surprise that it is taking over in internet usage.

Pew Research Centre (2012) reveals that 28% of internet usage comes from mobile phones; it also projects mobile internet usage to completely overtake desktop by 2014 – affirming the foreseeable dominance of mobile browsing in the near future.

Even with all the convenience that mobile browsing provides, it also has its own problems. For instance, how many times have you been denied access to websites simply because the page was ‘too large to load’? Well, I have experienced it several times, and it is always very frustrating to say the least –now this is where RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN comes in handy.

Responsive Web Design (RWD) is simply a web design developed to adapt to the screen of any device. This means it has the ability to fit to screens of desktops, laptops, tablets, hybrids and even that of smart phones. The following are some advantages of RWD:

It improves web page accessibility: Through the introduction of Responsive Web Design, companies can now create mobile versions of their websites to enable easy access to their contents through the use of mobile phones.

It enhances mobile browsing experience: The RWD used in creating mobile websites ensures that features are strategically arranged to suit mobile screens in order to make browsing simpler and less stressful.

It also reduces data consumption: Mobile browsing usually involves data usage. This means the larger the web page the more data is used. Larger web pages contain lots of images; and it takes significant amount of data to load. Mobile versions however, consume less because the interface is usually straightforward.

However, all is not so rosy with RWD. There are some limitations that one should also consider before buying into the adaptive web design;

It is not economical: It is a cost that could be easily avoided. In the sense that, it costs a lot to create a website, so it would seem as a waste of cash to also spend on a mobile version considering that both websites would be displaying similar content.

It does not display all features: Since the screen of the mobile phone is very small; it is improbable to display exactly everything that can be found on the actual web page. So features are strategically arranged to ensure that the most relevant ones appear. Therefore, one can say that the features of the Responsive Web Design differ from device to device, and it is not exactly the same as it promises.

In conclusion, RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN is truly making a difference in mobile browsing in particular, and browsing in general –as it was intended. Of course it‘s not perfect; but its limitations should not ensure or lead to failure; rather it should be seen as a room for improvement. Mobile browsing seeks to dominate internet usage in the coming years; and RWD would definitely have a part to play.