Web design survey aims to create a clearer picture 

Monday, November 21st 2011 by Mark Richards

 

An annual web design survey is set to go ahead, in order to assess the education, skills, happiness and abilities of those across the whole web industry including internet consultants. 

 

Carried out by magazine A List Apart, the data from the study will be formulated and presented in a future issue in the hope of portraying an accurate image of modern day web development. 

 

This will be the seventh year that the study has been carried out and organisers hope that if the study is carried out regularly for years to come, then a greater and more detailed picture of the sector will be formulated. The data can also be used to compare statistics such as salary levels and job creation with other professions and industries. 

 

The magazine's founder, Jeffrey Zeldman, told netmagazine.com that the internet has changed dramatically over the past two decades and that web designers and developers are behind that. 

 

Mr Zeldman told the website: "People who make websites are behind it all, disrupting old businesses, creating new industries and new jobs when everything else is crumbling, and teaching ordinary human beings new ways of doing everything, from sharing family photos to overthrowing dictatorships."

 

He also added that the study should be able to help alter the image of people in web design "as the geek in the cubicle" could mean they started to realise that they were "fully professional partners in their enterprise". 

 

In the interview he also suggested that he expects web development and design to buck disappointing results elsewhere in the economy. This is because past surveys have consistently seen happy and contented workers within the field as well as the constantly evolving nature of the website development game. 

 

Mr Zeldman said of positive statistics in past surveys: "These stats about happiness make our hearts sing and give us hope when the world seems particularly rocky." 

 

Living Streams "Improving clients' profitability through better use of the internet"