Community Roundtable: Who Makes Up Your Web Design Dream Team?
Many of us in the web design and development fields have worked, are currently working, or will work as part of a team on a project. This can provide invaluable insight for how we ourselves would build a team of our own, were we the ones calling those shots. Make no mistake about it, team building is a delicate science. You must have the right mix of skills and abilities to have the team and the project live up to its full potential. But what is the right mix? That is the subject of this month's Community Roundtable discussion.
If you had the chance to create the proverbial Dream Team for your next web design/development project, would you get the mix right? Is there an optimal equation, so to speak, to solve this perfect team question? Using your experience as a member of a team, or just your experience with what it takes to fully pull off a web design project, could you assemble all the right pieces to get the website on its feet by the required deadline? And the more pressing question...
Who Makes Up Your Web Design/Development Dream Team?
Below we have a couple of different approaches you could take to assembling your team. Who are you must haves, who are your fallbacks, etc? Take a look through and think it over, then fill us in via the comment section on who and how many would make the cut.
Break it down however you like. By special abilities:
- Communicators
- Motivators
- Innovators
- Work Horses
- Problem Solvers
...or by titles:
- Graphic Designers
- Web Designers
- UX Designers (UI Designers, Content Strategists)
- Back-End Web Developers
- Front-End Web Developers
- Copywriters
for a branding agency ill take
myself
David Airey
Fraser Davidson
Brian Hoff
David Carson
Coach Jon Gruden (creative director)
Hey Brandon,
Thanks for the response! I’ll admit, it is much more specific than I thought most people would get, but I love it! Appreciate the participation. Sounds like a pretty awesome team you’ve assembled.
Top of my list would be UX Designers (UI Designers, Content Strategists). I’d consider these the most important for the initial stages of a project.
Second, Back-End Developers to make sure they can implement the functionality and argue with the UX Designers about what works and what doesn’t.
Now that all that is done and we know our possibilities and restrictions, bring in the Web Designers to add some beauty and goodness to the design.
Finally! The Front-End Web Developers finish off the job, implementing the design and work with the back-end system.
Very cool, Shane. Thoughtful and well executed! Like Michael said, that would be one awesome team and experience.
That’s some dream team you’ve got there mate. I’d happily work for free just to be a part of it as the learning experience would outshine any potential monetary income.
If you ever set it up, give me a call ey :P
I would take
-> one pair pair of UX + designer who have worked together before.
-> Two backend developers
-> One wordpress specialized developer
-> Two front-end developers, one with good knowledge about legacy browsers like IE7,8 and another one would be HTML5/CSS3 expert
-> One Javascript Ninja!
-> One strategist for Twitter & Facebook promotion. Also to work as copywriter when required.
-> One accounts manager
Hey, Tarun, we really appreciate the participation! Very comprehensive team…seems like you would be ready for anything the client could throw at you!
Nice team, Would you say ie6 is extinct now?
IE6 isn’t extinct yet, see every hardware made 12 years ago for win 98 isn’t yet in scrap so somewhere someone is running win98!
so have to be supported.
According to Microsoft it isn’t, but it should be: http://www.theie6countdown.com/default.aspx
Nice! I’d expect my Front-End Developers to be JavaScript Ninja’s already. Guess i’d be a horrible boss ;)
I would give the leading position to some UX Designer with great motivation and communication skills. When it comes to great projects it’s all about atmosphere in the team.
Very true, Lex! The atmosphere surrounding the team is key for keeping them effective and productive as they collaborate and attempt to work together.
My dream team:
===============
The human part:
everyone loves what s/he does. Each one has great researching skills. Then interpersonal communication.
The professional part:
1) Web Guru. Someone who can answer at least 90% of the questions.
2) Two-to-three strong graphical/web designers.
3) Two-to-three developers (front end + back end).
4) Some CMS / Framework dedicated guru.
5) Someone who handles all the public and media relations, SEO etc.
6) Can I have a supermodel just for sales?
Since they all love what they do, no motivators are needed. I don’t see also any contradiction with innovations, so the dream team I’d build by trying to find these types of people. Of course the reality is tougher. But I don’t think I’d like to have work horses – this quality probably contradicts with innovation, and also I don’t believe in hard work in this area. I mean, after all the knowledge is all that’s needed. The hard part here I think, is the innovative.
Thanks, Val! Very thoughtful and comprehensive answer. I also appreciate your breakdown at the end as you strive for the right balance in your team. Very nice!
Hi,
I’d have *me* as a problem solver and someone to review any performance issues.
Dan
Compact. Less room for confusion. Appreciate the answer, Dan!
Dream Team…. Let’s give it a go!!
Funny thing is I’m working to build one some form of a highly productive and well structured team as we speak!
Highest role going to the Web / Technical Architect
Next up a UX Designer, then
two UI Web Developers ( HTML / CSS / JavaScript experts )
two Web Developers ( OOP / Server side / Business Logic ex)
… Darn it I wasn’t done and happy finger took over.
So where was I?! Yes, now on to my database and other pros..
one DBA ( T-SQL / normalization / security / performance )
one Communications / SM Mgr
two QA Testers
one Technical Writer