As solopreneurs or freelancers, we need a network of appropriate cooperation partners. While evaluating a fellow developer may be relatively easy as a senior web developer, how do I choose a designer or a copywriter? How do designers decide on an appropriate web developer for their projects?
Many blog posts repeat unhelpful or outdated advice, so I wrote this article to share my point of view. Commonplace statements like "when it comes to a developer, you get what you pay for" should be taken with a grain of salt. Other tips sound unrealistic at best. Do we really think that web or UX designers should try to evaluate our StackOverflow contributions or browse offers on Upwork, Fiverr, or freelancermap?
So, how are you supposed to find a good (web) developer as a designer or as a fellow (lead) developer?
How to find a developer as a designer
Ask customers and fellow designers for recommendations. Research potential developers' portfolio sites, social media, and public ratings. Check for previous work, specific skills, pricing, and availability. Do you have contacts in common? Does their skillset mention any design or collaboration tool like Figma or Zeplin? How do you like their communication style? Are there red flags in their presentation or what others say about them?
Recommendations, requirements and getting to know each other
Contact potential web developers and ask if and when they have the capacity to take on new customers. You can already mention project size, deadlines and technical constraints, if any, like redesigning a React web app, a WordPress website, or a Shopify store. Ask what they need to give you a rough estimation or a business proposal.
When you are happy about your communication so far, schedule a phone call, a video meeting, or an in-person meeting. It's not necessary to meet partners and customers in real life, and it's not even necessary to speak to each other. Still, it may help a lot, especially when you don't know each other yet, and your professional reputation and payment might depend on your decision.
Working together on a small test project
You might want to collaborate on a smaller project if there is enough time. That might be a non-profit one-pager for a local charity or your hobby project. When you're successful, that's a win-win situation. Otherwise, proceed with the next potential business partner.
Expectations, costs, and pricing
Communicate your requirements, expectations, and budget! Many people find negotiating an appropriate hourly rate difficult or estimating the time and effort required to provide a fixed-price offer. You’ll certainly find that it’s a balancing act, but when it comes to a developer, you get what you pay for, or so they say.
If you think the budget is too tight but still want to do high-quality work, be honest about it! Maybe both of you can use it as a future reference, reuse parts of it for upcoming projects, and hope for recommendations, backlinks, or further assignments. Likewise, there might be good reasons to accept a job despite insufficient information about the customers' needs and requirements.
DevUX, Collaboration and Communication
Collaborate early and be open for feedback and iterations until the website is live and the customer approves.
Many developers and designers share common skills but focus on different strengths. As a developer, I have worked with designers who built 80% of websites using no-code tools like Elementor or other WordPress page builders. Some know HTML and CSS, but at some point, they need a front-end web developer to finish their work more efficiently or a back-end developer to add some custom functionality.
Team, Partners, Customer
Will other people be involved, such as a project manager, a copywriter, a server administrator, or an SEO specialist? Will the customer communicate with the developer, or should that never happen? If your customers need technical support after going live, choose a web developer who can provide that kind of support.
Do you need more than one developer due to the amount of work or diverse technological skills required? You could hire an agency and let them manage teams. Still, maybe you prefer working directly with two or three freelancers who have worked together before or are known for their flexibility, empathy, and communication skills.
Introduce your potential team members to each other and make a meeting where everybody gets to know each other.
Don't assume other peoples' truths
Don't follow my suggestions if they don't feel right, and don't follow other advice if it doesn't! I wrote this article after finding that there is a lot of outdated or misleading advice for web designers looking for web developers.
Let's not repeat our past mistakes
Even if you follow recommendations, don't forget that different projects have different requirements and that even a good developer might have a bad day. We should work together, not against each other. However, corporate culture has separated web design and web development departments for many years, and while many talk about DevOps and developer experience, few have ever mentioned DevUX.
Collaboration and communication are the most crucial priorities for a successful web project, at least in my experience. I won't tell designers they should understand "the developer" or use specific techniques.
There is no typical developer or designer. Many web developers and product owners still don't prioritize accessibility, usability, and quality assurance. I do, at least to a certain extent. However, I can be pragmatic and focus on the customer's priorities.
I assume that designers want to work consistently, reuse components, and limit their basic design choices to a short color palette and a limited list of font styles. I expect designers to ensure readability and accessibility by using sufficient color contrast and text size. As web designers, they should also be aware of responsive design and progressive enhancement. But I have learned to fill in the gaps and test edge cases in case they didn't.
How to bridge "the gap between design and development"
Some post that developers are less likely to be flexible to product needs, less likely to think outside the box, and often code the solution they’ve been asked to code. I know this kind of developer mindset, and there is nothing wrong with it when they're part of a team where an experienced technical lead like me translates the customers' and designers' implicit expectations into technical requirements that can be tested and verified.
Another controversial claim in another article is that when designers ask developers to code new features, they need to explain what value these features will bring to users to increase developer productivity by preventing frustration and boredom. A better reason for explaining your intentions is making sure you don't get the wrong results due to misunderstood ambiguous requirements that nobody questioned due to perceived false consensus.
A "clear understanding of what developers must build" also comes back to communication. Some details matter, some don't, but it's not always obvious which do and how to ask the right questions. We can take nothing for granted and encourage everyone to ask "silly questions," or we can work closely in small iterations to make it obvious when progress is going in the wrong direction. You will notice quickly that the result will not be what you had in mind as a designer.
Create a prototype, use a preview system to update and review regularly and plan milestone meetings or status updates, either in the form of actual meetings or in writing. Take a look, make a screenshot and share it via Slack, Teams or Signal with a small note like "Not that way, please await my updated design" or "We need to talk". We can also send a thumbs-up or smiling face emoji to indicate that we care and approve. We might also use other existing collaboration tools like Figma, Zeplin, Trello or Asana for comments, issues or ticking off a checkbox as "done and approved as far as I'm concerned".
Commonplace advice and conclusions
As ChatGPT wrote correctly,
Networking can help you find developers who are experienced and reliable. Reach out to your professional network, attend meetups, or join online communities related to design and development.
Ask for referrals: Contact your professional network, colleagues, or friends who have previously worked with developers. Ask colleagues, friends, or other designers for recommendations based on their experiences.
Check out web developers' portfolios and past work, look for projects that are similar in scope or complexity to yours and remember to communicate clearly with potential developers about your project requirements, timeline, and budget.
Before finalizing your decision, discuss project terms, timelines, payment structure, and agreements with the developer. Make sure both parties are clear on expectations and responsibilities. Maintain open and transparent communication with your developer throughout the project. Provide feedback regularly, clarify expectations, and address any issues or concerns that arise.
As you might have guessed, I wrote this post as a web developer to reach out to web designers and extend my network. If you're interested in my work and skills, check out my portfolio website, www.ingo-steinke.com, or connect with me on Linkedin. I also have profiles on Behance and Dribbble and a professional account on Instagram (@webdeveloperingo).
A German version of this post is available on medium:
ingosteinke.medium.com/als-designer-gute-entwickler-finden-efbb653858a9
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