Why Hire Designers?

No matter how good an idea is, you can’t sell it to your target audience unless it’s appealing. Apple’s application of this concept has contributed to the company’s success. Since technology is becoming increasingly accessible, more and more people are starting to realize that design is a valuable differentiator to their success.

The Challenge

Websites come and go, increasing the demand for good designers. This makes it difficult for tech companies to recruit good designers, especially since not everyone possesses the skill for aesthetics and style. If you don’t know where to look, then don’t expect success to come knocking on your door anytime soon.

A lot of industries are starting to feel the stress of hiring good designers. And, even if they do manage to find one, hiring proves to be challenging since designers often earn more freelancing rather than working full-time.

Why do you need a good designer?

Your product won’t sell unless it’s presented in a way customers find to be interesting and appealing. This is where designers play a major role in a company’s success. What makes a design “good” is if it proves to be innovative, user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and makes a product easy to grasp (all while using as little design as possible).

The truth is, good designers understand that the best design isn’t achieved with fancy buttons or wireframes alone, but rather, by merging different principles into an idea that is deliberate and meaningful. With the proper execution and consideration of users’ needs, you can keep customers coming back for more.

A great example is Basecamp’s project management tool. It emphasizes ease of use without fussing through the extra graphics. This makes the tool a pleasure to use, which is important since Basecamp offers a subscription-based service and only earns if customers use the tool consistently.

What can a good designer do for you?

Having the right idea isn’t enough to assure you of access, you still need to prove that the design makes an innovative contribution. Will it make your site useful, easy to access, and understand? Or, will it look outdated like all the other websites in a few years?

This is exactly what designers deal with. They work within set constraints so that they are able to create designs and layouts that their customers will fall in love with. After all, emotion plays a large part in attracting users. By creating a friendly user interface design, your customers will have an easier and more efficient way of exploring what you can do for them. Good designers can emphasize your company’s goals and how tasks can be completed easily, all while keeping the users’ needs in mind. This can be achieved by maintaining a good balance between visual elements and technical functionality in order to create systems that are usable, operational, and adaptable depending on a user’s needs.

Zoho is a company that has a great design whilst maintaining a low-key and easy-to-use interface. Despite being for enterprise users, (a realm where design is often put on the back burner) Zoho makes sure that usability and aesthetic still take priority.

Where can you find good designers?

When looking for a designer, make sure that you go for someone who can think critically and solve problems efficiently. The design community isn’t that big to begin with; and, in fact, most designers aren’t even aware of how much they can contribute to a company’s success. Listed below are a few of the places where you can start your search for a good designer:

Zerply

Zerply is a sort of LinkedIn created specifically for developers, designers, and entrepreneurs. It is a platform that works as a network for connections and recommendations. Members can give recommendations to their connections for excellence in design skills and problem solving. Zerply is a free platform that can be used to search for designers according to skills, experience, and location.

dribbble

If you want to look for credible and skilled designers, you can try searching in dribbble, an exclusive online community of good designers from different parts of the world. Membership is by invite only, which is an assurance that you will find only the best designers.

Behance

If you are looking for a website that showcases and recognizes different designers’ work, then Behance is the place to be. Designers can display their work, which can be used as a basis for judging whether or not a certain designer meets your standards.

[source: Why Can't Startups Find Designers?, image: www.webdesigners-directory.com]