Website Design & Development Learnings

In my career I’ve briefed many website developers. This assignment highlighted how a developer turns a brief into something of value. Below are my main learnings.

Image 8 – patpitchaya from Getty Images (2024) ‘Stack wood blocks with text concept of website building or create success website on the desk’ (photograph)

Mobile Matters

In 10 years, global mobile website traffic has grown from 17% to 60.7% (GilPress 2024). There are 2 ways to build mobile into website design

Responsive design – adapts the layout of the site to the device
Adaptive design – creates individual designs for specific device types

Image 9 – davideangeliniphotos (2024) ‘Teens in circle holding smart mobile phones – Multicultural youn’ (photograph)

Tools & Terminology

The module highlighted new tools to me, including Google Webmaster, as well as new terminology, eg

Wireframes (simple visual representations of a site)
Legacy websites (outdated in terms of code)

Website Accessibility

The WHO estimate 16% of the world’s population experience significant disability (WHO 2023). Ways to achieve accessibility include

Alt tags – allow screen readers describe images for those with visual impairments
Colour control – ensures a site isn’t too garish for someone who is colour blind
Icons – large enough for someone with movement disabilities

Bibliography

Patpitchaya from Getty Images, 2024 – Stack wood blocks with text concept of website building or create success website on the desk (photograph) on Canva (online). Available at https://www.canva.com/photos/MAEGtpF7ZKg/ [accessed 19 June 2024]

GilPress, 2024 – Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices Stats (2024) (online). Available at https://whatsthebigdata.com/mobile-internet-traffic/ [accessed 12 June 2024]

Davideangeliniphotos, 2024 – Teens in circle holding smart mobile phones – Multicultural youn (photograph) from Canva (online). Available at https://www.canva.com/photos/MAFotE1y7uQ/ [accessed 19 June 2024]

World Health Organisation 2023 – Disability, Key Facts (online). Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health#:~:text=An%20estimated%201.3%20billion%20people,earlier%20than%20those%20without%20disabilities. [accessed 12 June 2024]