I am not a programmer - What a web developer does

I am a web developer and proud to be one. It is my ideal job because I am passionate about it and am also very good at it. I decided to write this piece because I have realized that most people do not understand what I do. I am a web developer and, in short, I develop websites; what many people do not understand is what developing a website entails.

To understand what a web developer does, it is useful to know what developing a website entails. I have divided it into three general stages found in the development of any site:

1. Design: this involves defining the site's objective, its intended audience, the content to be integrated, the structure it will have, and the overall concept of the site—from choosing a domain to determining information density. It also includes establishing information hierarchies, planning layouts or compositions, and choosing images, graphic elements, a color palette, typefaces, lettering, et cetera. During the design stage, some technical matters are also planned, such as the technologies to be used and the server on which the site will be hosted, along with advertising matters such as the media through which the site will be promoted and the planning of social media campaigns.

2. Development: this consists of transforming the design into a functional website. It is an iterative process in which the site planned during the design stage is built and then modified, adapted, and improved, since seeing the product working opens up greater creative possibilities for returning to the design stage and making changes. Once a "candidate" version is ready, it is installed on the server and the testing process begins. The website is tested across different operating systems, browsers, and devices, attempting to anticipate the most extreme cases to ensure that it will work properly for every user. More changes, adaptations, and improvements are made, followed by more testing.

3. Maintenance: this is generally the longest and most active stage of the website, as it involves producing content, analyzing site traffic, updating the site and the technologies on which it runs, integrating any new functionality, features, and graphic elements that may be required, modifying the structure or information hierarchy, solving technical problems, protecting and backing up the site, moderating user participation, et cetera.

As you can see, design does not mean "graphic design", development does not mean "programming", and maintenance does not mean "technical support". The person who carries out these three stages is not a "designer", is not a "programmer", and is not a "webmaster"; that person is a WEB DEVELOPER.

Being a professional web developer involves having knowledge in various fields that makes it possible to plan, direct, organize, and execute the entire project. Those people who took a course on an application for making websites are not web developers; they are people who took a course to learn how to use an application that makes websites. At the end of the day, the tools, applications, languages, or technologies used do not matter. A true web developer knows that the success of a website is measured directly by the commercial or cultural impact it achieves. What good is an incredibly beautiful store where nobody buys anything, or an exquisitely interesting museum that nobody visits?

So what knowledge and skills does a web developer need? If I were writing the basic profile of someone I was going to hire for a project, these are some of the traits I would seek:

• Logical and mathematical thinking.
• Language and copywriting skills.
• Basic knowledge of graphic design (not of Adobe programs! Of composition, color theory, typefaces, and lettering).
• Basic knowledge of resource-based project planning.
• Ability to perform analyses based on statistical reports.
• A mindset focused on business goals.
• Ingenuity and creativity.

As you will notice, I did not mention things such as HTML, Javascript, PHP, Apache Server, et cetera. Anyone who wants to do web development is expected to know these things. What matters most is that the person doing web development has the skills needed to carry a project through at least from conceptualization to launch.

Developing a website is similar to developing a new product, which requires defining business goals, a market, distribution channels, after-sales service, scalability or expansion strategies, et cetera. Drawing a graphic representation of what a website will look like is not web development; that is one part of the design stage. Web development involves comprehensive work. What some people do not understand is that developing a website is not drawing it. A professional website tells a story, has a narrative, has a rhythm, and that cannot be achieved merely by making a drawing. It is achieved through structure, content, design, and matters of functionality and usability, such as how quickly the site loads.

A professional web developer tries to produce sites that every user can view properly and even pays attention to many details that people outside this profession rarely imagine. For example: How will people with color blindness see the site? Do the elements have enough contrast for them to see easily? Or how will a person with low vision who requires a special browser that reads the content navigate this site? Are my links descriptive enough? Have I added alternative text to the images so those people know what the rest of us see in that area? Or what if the site is being visited by someone with a muscular impairment who uses a touch surface? Are the buttons, links, et cetera large enough, and is the spacing between them optimal?

I wonder whether the person who took a course to learn how to use a program for making websites pays the same attention to these details... I doubt it, because their fees are 10% of mine. For that reason, some people prefer to entrust their website development to someone like that, who will ultimately deliver something badly made—if they deliver it at all. I believe this answers the question some clients ask when they want to know why I am going to charge them 30 when they know someone who can do it for 3.

And while we are clearing a few things up, we need to refer to the title of this piece: I am not a programmer. To understand why I am not a programmer, it will help to understand that the languages used to give instructions to a computer can basically be divided as follows:

• Programming languages: these are the languages used to create applications for computers and other devices. Some examples are C, C++, BASIC, and Objective C. These languages require a "compiler" that converts the code into an application for a particular architecture—that is, a particular type of processor and operating system. They are not used for web development.

• Scripting languages: these are similar to programming languages but do not require compilation and do not work at as low a level as programming languages. Some examples are Javascript, PHP, and Ruby. These languages can be used in software development and web development.

• Markup languages: these are languages that tell an application how it should display or handle certain content. Some examples are HTML and XML. They are used for web development.

• Style sheet languages: these are languages that express the presentation of structured documents. One example is CSS, which is used to style the content of markup languages such as HTML.

(Systems engineers, please do not come here and try to teach me the correct definitions. The goal is for any user to be able to read this. Please continue repairing printers.)

A web developer works with scripting, markup, and style sheet languages. A web developer does not work with programming languages and therefore is not a programmer. In fact, the word "programmer" is derogatory. A software developer is a software developer, not a programmer. A programmer could be someone who schedules appointments at a beauty salon or schedules the music in a supermarket. Please show more respect for my software-developer friends.

And finally, it is necessary to answer a question from some prospective clients:

• I do not make computer programs; I am a web developer.
• I do not make phone applications; I am a web developer.
• I do not make logos; I am a web developer.
• I cannot do the photo shoot for your product; I am a web developer.
• I do not steal images from Google or copy content from other pages; I am a web developer.
• Yes, that is the only price.