Web industry and its labels
Posted by Silvia | Filed under Career
When my family, friends or colleagues ask me about my profession it is hard to make them understand what my role exactly is and even what I actually do for living. I’ve received diverse labels since I’m in this field. Webdesigner, webmaster, user interface designer, interaction designer, CSS specialist, user experience designer, functional designer, information architect, information analyst, requirements gatherer, usability expert… The list goes on. How do I name my job? Do I have a label? Already for some time I’ve been looking for a clear answer.
In the IT field there are a lot of questioning regarding the boundaries, responsibilities, tools and deliverables for the design and development of applications and websites. What are the roles needed in a team to make a professional website or application from beginning to end? What is the set of skills/tool you should have in your pocket? There are so many terms nowadays.
In the middle of another attempt to clarify this matter, I found a schema that looks reasonable. I see myself into those three first blocks: webdesign, interactiondesign and interactiondevelopment. One thing is sure: Web development is not for me.
For my frustration (or not) I don’t have a label! Why should I have one? And you? Where do you fit into?
Tags: Career, Interaction Design, job title, roles, web, web development, webdesign