Website development or development, or what is more popularly known as web development, has become a skill that is most sought after in this digital era. Not a small number of businesses, companies or even individuals who want to increase their popularity in cyberspace often seek and use the services of individuals who are active in the digital world and are classified as experts in the field surrounding website development.

However, did you know that behind website development activities there are two special drivers or types of profession whose roles are very important in building and developing websites? Two professions that are certainly familiar to the public are web developers and web designers.

Even though the two professions are often considered the same because both belong to the website development category, in fact the two professions are different from one another. They differ in terms of tasks and goals. In short, a web developer has the task of building a site or website that involves the use of certain coding or programming languages so that a website is finally formed as its main goal.

Then, the web designer's job is to make the website more accessible by designing features that are easier to find and more attractive to the eye, so that the end goal is to beautify and make it easier to use and access the website. Even though the two are different, their function is the same, namely for website development, namely the development of a website and the polishing of the features it offers. So, regardless of the focus of the role of each profession, both of them must still work together because their duties are continuous with one another.

Let's discuss in more detail the differences between web developers and web designers so that you can better understand and understand each other's functions and not bother choosing a profession that suits your skills and passion!

Web Developer

As cited from hercodigital.id site, the job of a web developer is to be responsible for creating or developing a website with the main task of creating web-based applications that rely on programming or coding languages. This includes efforts to create databases, domain settings, designing website appearance so that it is more dynamic and functional. The web developer's work ends when the website has been created and is ready to use without any problems using the website.

Web Developer Skill

There are three types of web developer professions, namely, frontend developer, backend developer and full stack developer. These three types of web developers have their respective tasks, functions and expertise.

Frontend Developer

The frontend developer is the forefront of a website that is the first to be seen by users. A frontend developer is responsible for designing the appearance and design of the website, such as the style of writing or fonts, colors, layout and also the content contained therein. The reason is, a front end developer uses the HTML programming language or Hypertext Markup Language to build website pages and also uses other markup languages such as CSS or Cascading Style Sheets to support the HTML processing process.

Then there is also the JavaScript programming language which is the basic tool to determine the functions contained in the website. There is also something called C++ which plays an important role in ensuring the functionality of a website to allow a server to run external programs and process requests from HTTP, as explained on the site nexwebsites.com.

In an effort to create a website, a frontend developer will certainly need time to finalize the results of the website he is building. However, there are some cases where someone needs a faster time for the application development process. Well, for those who want to save time, then React Native is the answer.

React Native is a JavaScript framework created by Facebook in 2015 to develop multi-platform mobile applications. This means that a single code can be used for both iOS and Android applications.

So, in addition to speeding up the development process by front end developers, React Native allows use on different platforms at the same time and can also produce applications with attractive and impressive UI/UX.

Backend Developer

A backend developer is someone who has the specific task of managing servers, applications and databases to ensure the smooth running of everything. In short, if the frontend developer works in front of the screen, the role of the backend developer tends to be behind the scenes.

The duties of the backend developer include analyzing the needs of the website while providing solutions, then making the basic concept of the website that you want to build by making the flow as good as possible so that the output of the database design is in accordance with the initial concept.

In addition, the backend developer is also responsible for managing the system database to avoid potential errors. Programming languages that are often used by back end developers include PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, SQL and MYSQL.

From a number of programming languages, PHP is considered superior or popular. Based on data reported by w3techs.com via the glints.com website, PHP has so far been used by 78.4% of websites or sites that rely on backend technology. Then SQL, is a programming language that functions to create, update or update and also delete the data you want to eliminate. Then, MYSQL is used for database management, Ruby on Rails is used to configure files so that the development process can be implemented immediately.

Full Stack Developer

A full stack developer is someone who can do both frontend development and backend development. This profession has the task of developing expertise in designing and analyzing the frontend or client side and backend or server side of a website and application.

A full stack developer is required to be skilled in making visual designs as well as in-depth expertise in programming languages, so as to create a website that has good features and functions properly.

Full stack developers are also responsible for creating and managing web hosting, which is a place or container for storing website files and data so that many people can access it via the internet. Files or data include videos, photos or images, emails, scripts, applications and of course databases. Web hosting is very important role because without hosting, of course you can't make a website.

Web Designer

Web designer's job is to be responsible for designing the appearance of the website. In essence, the task of those who are involved in the world of web design is to make the appearance and layout of the website look more beautiful and attractive. His duties range from changing website layouts, adjusting and changing color composition, visual design and all the composition of elements, ensuring typography or art typesetting to make it easier to read, to ensuring website visitors are comfortable with their appearance.

In an effort to do all of this, web designers must of course have mastered basic design skills, namely the experience of using a website which is part of the user experience and also the user interface or commonly called UI/UX.

There are also those who are called UI/UX designers which have similarities and differences with web designers. Web designers focus on the development, improvement and design and user experience of websites specifically and must also understand programming languages, so that they communicate a lot with web developers. Whereas UI/UX designers manage the design in general but are still an important part of web design.

Still confused about UI/UX and the skills of designers in this field? See the following explanation!

UI/User Interface

UI or User Interface is the face or appearance of the website that is seen by its visitors. Web designers who focus on the user interface will usually do wireframing. Wireframe is the basic framework of a website page. Components include banners, headers, content, footers, links and forms.

A UI designer will usually discuss website wireframes with clients or the web development team to get suggestions and input for web design improvements. After all have reached an agreement, the basic framework called a wireframe will be realized into a visual design that is neater and pleasing to the eye.

UX/User Experience

UX design is an abbreviation of the word User Experience design or user experience design. The focus of UX designers is to create fun, fluid, intuitive products, services and applications that visitors can feel when entering a website.

So the ultimate goal is to meet the needs and needs in overcoming problems that may be encountered by application users or website visitors and create an overall enjoyable use and experience.

Web Designer Skill

If you want to be involved in the world of web design then you must understand and learn certain skills. There are two types of skills, namely hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills include a basic understanding of design, an understanding of typography, an understanding of composition and visual elements, an understanding of color theory and an understanding of UI/UX.

The soft skills needed are the ability to communicate because a web designer does not work alone but must synergize with many divisions such as in the product, web programming, web developer and web engineer departments, then be careful about small things that can cause big problems if not paid attention to. then the dedication to managing schedules and time so that things are done on time and don't miss deadlines and the last is the ambition to think more critically because skill and creativity play a very significant role in web design.

Tools Web Developer and Web Designer Use

There are a number of tools that web developers use in doing their jobs. These tools include Firebug Tools, HTML Entity Character Lookup Tools, Lorem Ipsum, Load Impact, Cloud9 IDE, Adobe Edge Inspect, then there are also tools that really support web developer activities such as Sublime Text, JQuery, Foundation, Fontello, Chrome Developer Tools.

Web Developer Tools

JQuery is a JavaScript library whose function is to speed up or shorten the processing time for website creation. JQuery is very usable by novice programmers because of its simplicity and not-too-complicated syntax. What's more, JQuery allows web developers to create various kinds of effects and animations because the code is concise and the features are quite complete.

The Sublime Text tool is also popularly used by web developers because it is a supporting tool that supports web designing activities. There are several important features in Sublime Text such as the GoTo Anything command to find a code, then there is Multiple Selection which is used to make changes to parts of the code and Split Editing whose function is to maximize the appearance of the code on a wide screen monitor. This tool has a simple interface and can be used and accessed on various devices such as Windows, Mac and Linux.

Visual Studio Code or commonly referred to as VS Code is a container for editors to create code created by Microsoft for Windows, Linux and MacOS. This feature simplifies the process of debugging, syntax, completing complex code so that application or website users can maximize its function.

Web Designer Tools

There are a number of tools or elements that play a very important role in web design activities. Among them are WordPress, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Invision Studio, Sketch, Adobe XD and Figma.

This is a website tool that offers a variety of themes that can be installed and edited easily. WordPress itself is classified as a CMS which is a software to allow someone to add or change the content of a site.

Photoshop is a tool that supports the creation of high creativity in efforts to create web designs. There are a number of panels such as drawing tools, layer masks and also a grid system.

Dreamweaver is a software that offers features such as Smart Code Hint, Live View and others to make obtaining source code easier.

Invision Studio is software with features that enable prototyping so that it can help collaborate with other teams to create the best designs.

Sketch is software that offers a UI library feature for storing design elements that have been created.

Adobe XD is a program that allows the interaction of User Interface, wireframes and prototypes for digital products.

If Adobe XD is considered the most popular, then Figma is the second most popular. This program is considered user-friendly and is often used by UI/UX designers.

The Main Players Behind Technological Advancements

It is undeniable that we have entered the digital era where everyone now relies on technological advances to work, do business, study, socialize and be creative.

The pandemic that has hit the world recently has directly and indirectly made the popularity of the use of technology skyrocket. Those who work, of course, have to work from home and use certain applications to carry out their duties.

Even offline-based businesses faced obstacles and eventually switched to online businesses so as not to lose money and of course rely on social media and websites to run and sell their products or services. The concept of learning today is also supported by the existence of technology, namely through the internet because that is where information can be obtained.

Then, being creative and socializing cannot be realized and viral worldwide if there is no social media to help the exposure efforts.

Everyone agrees that websites or applications play an important role in modern life.

So, creating a website or application is not easy but can be learned. This is the job of a web developer and web designer. These two professions are the key to the technological advances that we can enjoy today.

So it would be nice for us to understand the science of web development and the individuals behind it, namely web developers and web designers, because without them, of course it's not that easy for us to do our activities in this digital era. They are the ones who make it possible and make it easier for business people, workers, students in schools, university students, community leaders, leaders in creative fields and others to expose, convey aspirations and make a profit. So they are the container that accommodates the aspirations of all people in cyberspace.

A web developer is someone who is responsible for building or creating websites that we can visit. A web designer is someone whose job is to beautify websites or applications that have been built by web developers.

Web developers consist of three professions, frontend developers, backend developers and full stack developers. A number of tools used by web developers in doing their job. These tools include Firebug Tools, HTML Entity Character Lookup Tools, Lorem Ipsum, Load Impact, Cloud9 IDE, Adobe Edge Inspect, then there are also tools that really support web developer activities such as Sublime Text, JQuery, Foundation, Fontello, Chrome Developer Tools.

Then tools or elements that play a very important role in web design activities include WordPress, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Invision Studio, Sketch, Adobe XD and Figma.

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