Bridging the gap between design and web with a front-end developer

When redesigning a website, if the creation of mock-ups is included in the quote, the project must first pass through the design team, who will then pass the ball to the front-end developer, who is responsible for bringing the final design to life.

The project manager is often the messenger between these two teams. Would it be a good idea to include a front-end developer in the mock-up creation process of a website redesign? I think it would!

Sometimes, during the mock-up creation process, we wonder about the functionality of the design. It would be easier to avoid situations where the design is either too complicated to program or unrealistic, if someone in the know is in direct contact with the rest of the programmers. This could also improve communication between the two departments and provide a much more effective work dynamic.

Download 50 questions to ask yourself before redesigning a website

Subsequently, the developer with access to both sides of the coin could also answer questions from the front-end developer when the designers are not present.

The front-end developer and visual tasks

The front-end developer could also be entrusted with more visual tasks in development, and will be able to give back-end developers a helping hand on the project.

What's more, once a developer has had the privilege of following the progress of mock-ups, in future he or she can deal with smaller, urgent design requests without having to go through the time-consuming process of contacting the design team - which, by the way, isn't always in-house. It also helps to respond more quickly and efficiently to customer needs.

Finally, I think this type of position would be perfect for people who don't necessarily want to completely remove design from their work tasks, but who also want to dabble in web development. Tools such as Figma are right at the crossroads, contributing to both professions.

During my CEGEP years, I was often forced to choose between design and web development. In reality, why should I have to choose between the two when it's perfectly possible to wear both hats? And I even think it should be recommended to have a member with web development knowledge on the web design team!