Checking the Technical Knowledge (and Ethics of a Web Designer)

published by Dan in Tools & Resources | Usability | Web Development | Website Design | Website Standards with No Comments

Despite all the signs I previously mentioned that pointed out that a web design company is a good one to work with, they’re all pretty meaningless if you cannot gauge the technical knowledge of the web design company. This is especially important if you do not know anything about web design since there are plenty of smooth talkers out there that might convince you of the superiority of the web design services, when in fact they’re just a start up company that lacks technical knowledge and experience. Now there isn’t anything wrong with start up web design firms after all everyone has to start somewhere. My point is simply that you should learn to check whether a web design firm really does know what it’s supposed to be doing.

To check the technical knowledge of a web design firm here are some simple tips you can follow:

1. Go to their website and check it using the W3C Validation Service for code errors. All you need to check their website is to enter the website’s URL on the empty box labeled Address and click on Check. If there are lots of errors then their website isn’t W3C compliant. Steer clear from such web designers.
2. Use several browsers (aside from Internet Explorer) to see how their website displays for each browser. While the website will more probably than not look different in some browsers you will want their website to still look presentable and be navigable.
3. Do the same thing (steps 1 and 2) for their client’s websites. While some may do their best job with their own sites you would want to see the same effort going into the development and design of their client’s site.

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