[thelist] developer ethics?

Tara Cleveland tara at taracleveland.com
Tue Mar 5 09:31:01 CST 2002


Hi Everyone,

I'm sort of on the fence for all of these (important) issues that have been
brought up.

> From: "David Kutcher" <david_kutcher at hotmail.com>
> Hi all.  I came across a weird situation recently and I'm curious what all
> of you would say.  I was asked by a friend to look at a site that a
> consultant had been commissioned by his company to build.  He had a few
> concerns and was wondering what my thoughts were (being a professional in
> this industry).
<snip>

Perhaps, if your friend knew what the circumstances were when the consultant
took the job he could complain.  I have some clients asking for super cheap
web sites that they want coded in Dreamweaver so they can update them. I've
also had clients that want a layout that is "print perfect" and so multiple
nested tables (not 6 deep though) is the only way to achieve it. It also
depends on what audience/browsers/platforms the person was coding the site
for. You just don't know what the client asked for.

I'll always explain to clients the drawbacks of having a site coded in a
WYSIWYG with "print perfect" designs. But, in the end it's is their
decision, what they get is what they pay for. I also provide cheap templated
WYSIWIG sites for clients. I would much rather have them online with a cheap
(but I think decent) site than not online at all.

Having said all of that... I definitely think it is imperative for a
professional web designer/developer to understand and *at least* give a nod
to standards and usability etc..

I also think it is important for us to educate our clients. And if they ask
us to give a critique of their web site, and the critique slags the designer
who did it so be it - if the slagging is justified. I don't think it is fair
to the clients to not tell them what is wrong with the site that they
bought. To not educate them about what they should expect for the money they
paid. By writing critiques of each other's work we are enabling our clients
to make more educated decisions about hiring people to build and fix and
maintain their sites. Helping them to learn from their mistakes - how are
they going to learn otherwise? However, the critiques should be balanced.
And unless there is a huge disparity between the price that the client paid
and the quality of the work, slagging the designer/developer should not be
necessary.

Would you like it if you called in a plumber because the shower was leaking
into your living room only to have him (or her) tell you, "Oh. Sorry. I
can't tell you what's wrong with your plumbing because I might be
criticizing the plumber who did it." No you just want to know what's wrong,
how much it'll be to fix it and how long it'll take.

> From: "Jay Blanchard" <jay.blanchard at niicommunications.com>
> The base problem is that most customers/employers do not know what they are
> getting when hiring a web development "professional".
and
> From: muinar <muinar at gmx.net>
> But... Think about how cheapo webdesigners are helping us: They enable
> those to go online who can't afford more than usd 2500.

I think it would be beneficial to all of us to have up-to-date
certifications. Or some peer-reviewed type thingy. I guess I'd take a look
at how other professions regulate themselves and take a page or two out of
their books. However, I wouldn't want people to be locked out of the
profession until they had the certification. I'd rather have it so that you
know that you are getting a certified professional if you hire this person -
and you'll probably pay more for them because you know you won't have to
hire someone to fix it later.

I hope my ramblings have made sense (sort of).

Regards,

Tara

--
Tara Cleveland
Web Design and Consulting
http://www.taracleveland.com







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