A Professional Team Approach LESSON 1 Module 6: The Design Process A Professional Team Approach Day 1

Lesson Overview In this lesson, we will discuss: Web design as a career Team member roles and responsibilities Lesson 1 Overview

Guiding Questions Why is it necessary to have designers for Web sites? List the skills important for Web designers to possess. Should all Web sites be developed using a team approach? How much does it cost to create a Web site? How might price ranges for different types of sites be established? Describe factors contributing to job security in Web design. What is the salary range for Web designers? Post one or more of these questions in an area where students can read them and allow time for students to respond to the questions in their journals. Discuss the students’ answers to these questions.

Web Design as a Career Do you think you can be a Web designer? As a Web designer, you’ll need to stay abreast of the rapidly changing technology in the field. The instructor introduces concepts of Web design as a career. Discuss with the students the idea that they could be a Web designer. A necessity of being a Web designer is the need to stay abreast of the rapidly changing technology within the field.

Web Design as a Career New technologies, techniques, and design standards are constantly being developed in an effort to meet the ever-increasing demand for more exciting Web designs and functionality.

Web Design as a Career Web designers need to be familiar with HTML and JavaScript, and understand the characteristics of each type of Web graphic, such as JPEGs and GIFs. You should also be proficient with industry-standard graphic design software such as Microsoft Design, and image processing software, as well as layout tools such as Microsoft Expression Web. What other software tools are there?

The Team Approach Gone are the days when a quality Web site could be developed by one person alone. Professional Web site development requires skills in: Strategic planning Graphic design A wide variety of programming languages Copywriting Marketing Search engine optimization Very few individuals have all those skills! That is why we use a team approach. We hire highly qualified and experienced professionals who specialize in one or more of the above areas. This ensures every element of your Web site meets exacting standards and meets your business needs. As well, the team approach means your site can be developed quickly, allowing you to start benefiting from it sooner! 7

Team Member Roles and Responsibility In a Web design team these roles must be filled. Project Manager – provides the organization, arranges interviews, and keeps all involved members on task . Documenter – creates the actual documents. Designer – responsible for page design. 8

Team Member Roles and Responsibility Project Manager - supervises the scheduling of the project and assumes responsibility for coordinating all files so each member can access them on a daily basis. Is responsible for setting up interviews, scheduling meetings, and coordinating schedules for involved parties. 9

Team Member Roles and Responsibility Documenter – creates all documents for the project. The documenter should take careful notes during meetings, transcribe these results, and save work in the designated area. 10

Team Member Roles and Responsibility Designer– responsible for acquiring all images for the Web design and creating any graphics that will be used. The designer has the ultimate responsibility for creating the design of the Web site that all parties have negotiated. 11

Bottom Line How much does it cost to create a Web site? If the entire project is done by the design team, it could easily cost anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000 for a small basic site, with or without e-commerce capability.

Bottom Line How much do designers get paid? The team that builds this page is made up of the usual suspects: A "Web strategist" who might be an owner-level person offering strategic guidance: $80,000 per year A "senior producer" who is the account manager: $54,000 per year A "creative director" who leads the creative development: $80,000 per year An "art director " who does the heavy design lifting: $61,000 per year A "Web designer" who puts the page together: $48,000 per year A "Web developer" who is really the programmer who makes the form work and integrates it with the database: $60,000 per year A "copywriter" who writes the copy for the page: $65,000 per year These numbers come from the AIGA (2006), and the team seems like a reasonable mix to get the job done. The salaries represent median salaries across the country for these positions.

Bottom Line Is there job security? The growth of the Internet virtually ensures job security of Web designers. As the Internet evolves—as new technologies are developed and the needs of Internet users change—there will be a need for new skills among Web designers. However, outsourcing has begun and the bottom line is cheaper labor. As in all careers, Web designers must constantly be learning and looking ahead to prepare for future opportunities in order to remain competitive.

Lesson Review Web design as a career Fun, flexible, and secure Team member roles and responsibilities Project manager, documenter, designer This is the last slide of the presentation.