Many professionals work together to build a beautiful, functional and well-optimised website. There are numerous roles in the field, each expert being responsible for a highly specific aspect of web development.
Do you want to know who’s going to do what on your website? If the answer is no, the following glossary of web development roles will come in handy.
Webmaster
A webmaster is a pretty busy professional responsible for overseeing all aspects of the website’s functioning.
A webmaster is typically expected to deal with technical issues and bugs, approve and moderate new content, work with designers and developers on upgrades and do new functionality testing.
The webmaster doesn’t work on website development itself. This professional is responsible for maintaining and managing a website. Webmasters suggest upgrades in an attempt to increase the audience, help you generate more sales and increase the popularity of the brand.
Database Developer
This IT professional is primarily responsible for working on database technologies. Database developers may convert an existing setup to work with a new system or they may develop new database applications. Also known as database programmers, these experts are familiar with the database needs of an organisation or a company and they can suggest a suitable solution.
Data Scientist
Just like every other scientist, this professional analyses information to look for trends and come up with insights.
A data scientist can be expected to identify analytical problems, figure out which data sets should be used for the respective analysis, collect large sets of data, analyze the information, identify patterns, interpret the data and communicate the findings with company or organisation reps.
Front-End Developer
Also known as client-side development, front-end development refers to producing HTML, Java or CSS for a website. As a result of the front-end developer’s work, visitors can interact with the website directly or access its content.
In essence, the front-end developer is the professional responsible for creating the online user experience. Everything that visitors see, click and explore on a website is the work of the front-end developer.
Back-End Developer
Website development isn’t limited solely to what visitors see and do online. The back end is the engine, the “machine” that enables the front-end website to operate. It consists of the server, the server-side application, and the database.
To put it in simple terms, the back-end developer works on the background technology that enables a website to operate smoothly. This professional is an expert in programming and they’re also responsible for the maintenance of the back-end technology that they’ve just created.
Full-Stack Developer
This profession combines two of the roles already mentioned in this article. The full-stack developer is a professional who’s comfortable and knowledgeable enough to work on both front-end and back-end development.
Graphic Designer
The graphic designer is the creative mastermind behind the appearance of the website.
Graphic designers are responsible for coming up with the visual elements of a website. Everything that appears on a page, every single line, font, colour and button, has been conceived by the creative mind of the graphic designer.
A designer will usually work together with a front-end developer. The two of them are responsible for bringing together appearance and functionality.
User-Interface Designer
UI design refers to establishing the look and the feel of a website or a web application. This field is considered a subset of graphic design. Also called interaction designers, these professionals focus on ensuring a high-quality user experience on a website. In this sense, their job is different from what graphic designers do.
While graphic designers focus on visuals and aesthetics, UI designers make sure that the functionalities are user-friendly and logical. Layout, hierarchy, and visual cues are all produced by the UI designer and submitted to the developer.