There is a difference between web design and web development. It is similar to the difference between architecture and structural engineering. An architect designs how a house will look, and how it will be used. The architect should pay attention to both form and ease of function to design a truly beautiful and livable home. A structural engineer takes the architect’s design and makes sure that it will withstand stresses and is built correctly. Similarly, a web designer decides how a website looks, and how the users will navigate through the website to find the information that they seek. A web designer should keep in mind the desired look of the website, and how he wants the user to feel when using the site. When the web designer is done with the site design, the web developer is responsible for making sure that the site actually works. The web developer uses code to build the website, and tests it to make sure that it works and is built correctly. Like architecture and engineering, web design and web development cannot exist alone. The disciplines form a synergy, which ideally ends in the completion of a beautifully functioning product.
