The definition of web design and web development is being redrawn. The digital landscape is changing under your feet as you read this blog post. What exists today will look very different in 10 years time, so become an agent of change now and get with the program, so to speak.
Please don’t get me wrong, a multitude of experts in design and coding will still be in great demand in ten years. However, their actual day-to-day work will change as the no-code movement — an upwards trend that allows noncoders to design websites and applications graphically — alters the job environment forever. What side do you want to be on?
Designers, marketers, and other professionals will be able to create easier applications, websites, and other digital products without needing to write a single line of code. Developers will have more time to complete challenging projects.
However, the long-term consequences of this transformation will be gigantic. As the technologies we use to develop websites grow to become more efficient, we’re likely to witness the creation of some new occupations – hybrids of what were formerly previously two different careers. The distinctive lines between the role of a web designer and a web developer could either become somewhat blurred or completely fuse together.
What is the distinction between web design and web development?
Web design is the aesthetic appearance of a website as well as its functioning from the user’s point of view. To develop aesthetically engaging user experiences, web designers frequently employ design software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma and or Adobe XD. The designs are then passed on to developers. UX designers and visual designers use their skill sets to create wireframes, mockups, design systems, color palettes, templates, and more to assist developers in building the product.
Web development is the process of creating a website’s desired design by coding it in computer languages such as CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Python, Ruby on Rails, and others. Back-end developers work on the infrastructure of a website or online application (hosting, security, etc.), front-end developers work on the functionality of the website/app, and full-stack developers work on both front-end and back-end.
What exactly is the no-code movement?
The no-code movement is a rising trend toward the usage of solutions that allow teams with little to no programming expertise at all to do coding-intensive activities. Visual builders are the most common type of no-code tools and there are lots of them today. Although users do not see any code while assembling digital files, these technologies produce code in the background automatically so to speak, hidden from the user’s view.
Users who cannot write code but wish to construct things online benefit from the no-code culture. Furthermore, no-code technologies bridge the gap between the increasing demand for applications and websites and the restricted availability of technical personnel.
WordPress, for example, allows designers to create websites graphically without any programming knowledge at all and generates a professional site with clean, semantic code. However, the designer would have used a visual system to complete the task.
The no-code trend isn’t limited to web design either. It drives innovation across a wide range of businesses today. Users with minimal coding experience may use Zapier solution that facilitates user-led web app integration and process automation to link numerous applications, Airtable the San Francisco-based headquarters of a cloud-based teamwork service to construct databases, Ada automates thousands of conversation topics across the most popular digital channels within a single platform to develop AI chatbots, Voximplant full-featured CPaaS for voice, video & messaging to establish cloud call centres, and many more services.
The range of what users can create with drag-and-drop, no-code tools are continuously expanding on a weekly basis.
No-code tools are not a substitute for human skill
No-code does not imply that you do not require coders at all. Tools like DomainRooster, Webflow, and Airtable are designed to free up experts’ time to focus on the more specialized, demanding tasks for which they are particularly equipped. Data engineers and developers, for example, would rather work on more exciting and lucrative projects than spend days creating API integrations. How boring, right? “Companies are more adaptable and can unleash new levels of productivity that eventually offer customers an edge over their competitors,” says Dean Jones, Director at DomainRooster.
Designers who were previously just responsible for creating the image of a user interface may now take care of the front-end development themselves thanks to the no-code movement.
The advantages of no-code tools
Companies can also profit from no-code solutions in the following ways:
Rapider launches
Marketing, design, and other departments may create materials independently and deploy projects quickly. Engineers are no longer required to build every form, app, or dynamic page. According to Alexey Aylarov, co-founder and CEO of Voximplant, he has “seen examples when designers collaborate alongside front-end developers in different apps that have no-code components, and, at the end of the day, it speeds up the entire process of bringing the ultimate result to production.”
Improved tools
No-code allows functional teams – marketing, sales, human resources, and operations — to create and manage their own tools. And these teams “understand their own challenges the best,” according to Justin Gage, Retool’s head of growth. “Giving them the ability to create their own applications implies better tools, shorter turnaround times, and, ultimately, a more efficient firm.”
Cost savings
When a project can be accomplished without the involvement of expensive engineering resources and rare technical skill, businesses save money.
Easier testing: Now that teams may develop and alter their tools, websites, and other assets, they have greater freedom to test their ideas. When fresh insights are revealed, teams may respond rapidly to gain a competitive advantage and experiment with the current design trends.
Create interactions and animations without using code
Create intricate interactions and animations without ever touching a line of code.
No-code software bridges the gap between a web designer and web developer
no-code software bridges the gap between design and programming by allowing designers to organically acquire coding principles, making the handoff to developers optional, and offering high-quality code to front-end developers. Creative teams may then experience improved processes and collaboration, resulting in better products.
Designers are taught coding ideas
Designers may use DomainRooster and Webflow to develop graphically, which is their preferred way. And other designers, such as David Hoang, director of design at Webflow, have learnt to code by using no-code tools. Hoang studied new programming ideas ranging from logic to events to conditions. “You learn programming and code by osmosis,” he explains. All too often, we educate with steps in mind, like gears in a cog, but what matters is why individuals want to create and construct.”
There is no need for a handoff at all
Web designers had to give over design requirements and graphic elements to developers, who subsequently coded those pieces. However, because Webflow converts designs into code, the designer may also be the developer. There is no requirement for any handoff. Developers may also rapidly inspect the code’s output. Because they no longer have to wait on coders, such agreements allow designers to get more done. And developers save time since designers can address some of the easier concerns.
Creating high-quality code from designs
No code software aids developers in a variety of ways. For one thing, it produces high-quality code. “The major problem with site builders is that the code they output is generally junk,” says Edward Fastovski, a freelance developer. This isn’t the case with no-code software, as I recently learned.” Front-end developers can further alter the layout with high-quality code. They have the potential to become “no-code software power users.” “We can push its powers to their furthest,” Fastovski adds.
No code software also provides front-end developers with a simple user interface, modern layout tools like flexbox, reusable styles and classes, a strong CMS, and other features. They can also create their own interactions and animations.
What is the future of web designers vs. web developers?
The actual job we perform evolves as we enhance and perfect the tools we use to complete tasks. So web designers and web developers will very certainly have radically different occupations in ten years. Even the skills required of a web designer have changed dramatically in the last decade, shifting from a focus on visual elements (typography, color schemes, graphic design, etc.) to a more functional and holistic focus (usability, information architecture, research, etc.) that ties a larger experience together. It seems to reason that these job titles will eventually become a combination of both, with overlapping competencies.
Indeed, some designers/developers are already making a living doing both
In Episode 40 of the podcast UI Breakfast, Sacha Greif, inventor of Sidebar.io, discusses lessons from his personal experience as both a developer and a designer.
Another successful designer/developer, Anastasia Kas, stated in her essay Being a designer-developer hybrid in 2019 that “hybrid occupations are on the increase.”
Using no-code technologies like WordPress, the following jobs can overlap or be completed by either a designer or a developer:
- Creating a project scope
- Quickly resolving routine bugs
- Static content updating
- Connecting low-level dynamic content
And what if the occupations of designers and developers ultimately combine, creating a hybrid function of “builders”? Other disciplines might then be prioritized in initiatives. A psychiatrist, for example, may be in control of the development of a telepsychiatry app, with builders backing the idea. Alternatively, an economist may drive the creation of a financing product with the assistance of builders.
Many vocations will change as no-code technology advances. Nontechnical users will be able to self-serve tasks that were previously reserved for specialists. Creating digital experiences will only become easier, which is why curiosity and flexibility will remain a differentiating talent among workers across all industries. Designers will have to grow in such an atmosphere.
Follow the no-code trend.
Building websites, apps, and databases may now be done by non-technical staff with the help of no-code platforms. Because of this trend, web developers are also receiving some assistance. Instead of waiting for engineers to construct each individual component, they can now create complex websites themselves. Designers do not write code but instead code in an appealing way. There is some duplication between the two tasks. As things are deployed more quickly and the divide between web designers and web developers narrows, everyone wins.
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