An old timer once told me that if you stay in business long enough you see all types of things. Trends become old and then become new again. What was once important was no longer and then it comes back again repackaged under a new name. The Web Design industry is evolving; echoing the wisdom from such a wise man.

In the early 90s Web Design was a hot industry that required hours of learning things that were loosely documented. There were no Interactive degrees or specialties such as Information Architects and Strategists. As the industry matured people found shortcuts- creating and selling templates. Tutorials of how to mimic or replicate design trends were ubiquitous. If you want to create a design based upon a site that has already been created you can fire up good ole Adobe Photoshop and follow the instructions. However, this trend has created a divide.

When Modal started in 2001 we called ourselves a User Experience Design firm. We told prospective clients that we specialized in making web applications and web sites perform. It was difficult for most to grasp that description then. However, almost a decade into our business I see that everyone wants to call themselves User Experience Designers when in actuality they are Web Design firms. And you know what, that’s OK because five years ago we thought we had to call ourselves a Web Design firm.

I believe that this back and forth of what to label ourselves is driven by the need to differentiate between a firm that makes good looking web sites and one that makes good looking sites that perform. I believe that clients are now more savvy- requiring their Web vendors to understand the benefits of activities such as wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing. And of course, all of this is coming about because we are in an economy in which businesses cannot afford to invest in a web presence that doesn’t convert on its goals.

So that’s the divide. Web design that looks good versus web design that converts. All clients deserve an investment in this type of design but not all can afford it. Adding these activities like usability testing cost time and money- but they are so much more worth it in the end. Look these days clients are asking for mobile compliments to their sites and iPhone applications to support their core functionality. It’s key that we as an industry evolve to meet the needs of our clients. It’s not a trend to focus on your users, it always was and still is a key to the success of a business. So maybe User Experience Design is just a repackaged focus on Customer Service. But it’s a trend that will consistently keep you in the black.

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