Is Graphic Design a good A-Level for me to take?

How far, functionally-wise, should web designers who design in the browser with a prototype (as opposed to Photoshop etc) take their design before presenting it to clients?

• For example, when I prototype designs now that I've built live, in the browser, I like to work out not only how widgets and things like the news feed or events feeds may look on the homepage but also how they work within the CMS I'm using. (Usually Concrete5). Sometimes, the job requires a very custom integration or element that requires additional development or even tie in some unknown API.  Doing custom development and design at the same time adds considerable time to the design time table. I'm often torn between just putting together a "element tile" in photoshop of what it might look like and placing it in the spot in my prototype as a mock up of that "widget" versus just doing it, coding it up 100% functionally so it can show how it actually looks and works. 99% of the time I "home run" the overall designs I present and only ever have minimal changes from clients so I'm not worried about wasting time on the design itself. I'm more interested in getting the design concept to the client quickly and what you guys and gals are doing out there when it comes to presenting really custom stuff in a live design prototype and if you are mixing in development with design.

• Answer:

  There are a host of other questions here that you have to answer before you can determine whether prototyping (at any level) is worthwhile: - What are you making, a web application or a website? How much abstraction does the CMS you are making this thing with afford you? For example, if you are making a website in a CMS that affords you very little abstraction (i.e., the presentation and the logic layers are bound together in the same templates), it makes little sense to prototype because any changes to the UX or visual design will require you to rewrite both layers. On the other hand, if you are working with a CMS that affords you a high degree of abstraction, then you can prototype freely with logic and minimal presentation, show this to the client to get functional approval, and then layer in high fidelity front end material without rewriting your functional layer. - What are the economic implications of prototyping, given the client relationship? I know you say that "99% of the time I 'home run' the overall designs" but this is just not a realistic situation in most agencies and for most freelancers. The farther you take an unapproved concept into development before getting client approval, the greater risk you introduce into the overall project with respect to timeline and budget. Having worked in three different agencies and two freelance outfits where tens of dozens of projects came in and out the door, I have never once encountered a situation where a client trusted the agency on "style tiles" alone. - What is the purpose of prototyping the design? One good reason for prototyping has little to do with the client and everything to do with working out user experience before the visual designer gets to the work of creating high fidelity Photoshop templates: we discover more subtle logical problems with the design when we have to start developing it. However, your economic goal in this mindset has something to do with lowering total time to production by rooting out UX flaws that will cause you to waste more time backtracking when you are developing from the high fidelity template. So you need to know what you intend to accomplish for the project by prototyping, unless you are just prototyping as an academic exercise.