Every budding web designer and web developer is looking for ways to improve on their current set-up, work-flow and up their game when it comes to producing high-grade sites that function beautifully. That’s why they should stay ahead of the game when it comes to upgrading the software and hardware they work with. Not only because these types of investments pay off with clients in the long run, but also because they can help you take on larger scale and better paying projects sooner too.
Upgrades you should look to make this year? Try these five for starters.
Network Systems
Improving your communication channels across your business, bridging the access between your team and your clients is absolutely essential in the modern day business world. Upgrading your old access networks to faster functioning and better centralised solutions can really help up your game when it comes to sending large data across multiple locations.
Go for LAN or WAN connections where applicable, depending on the task, the amount of information and the distance between each user. Learn more about LAN and WAN differences in this article.
Design Software
If you’re using old versions of design-critical software like Photoshop or Illustrator it might finally be worth upgrading to the latest versions in order to take advantage of new features that can help speed up your design processes. Not only that but the plug-ins and user-created featured being developed for newer design software can help you also, meaning you can implement the newest web design features in your designs and templates faster.
Work Stations
Whether you decide to work on laptops or desktops, it might be worth looking into the newest models on the market to see what advantages that can help bring to your current set-up. Higher definition monitors are consistently coming down in price and can help make the difference between a razor sharp design and a rather dull looking one. The extra processing power of a main system might help you cut a few corners in terms of time too.
Mobile Devices
With mobile being more important in web design than ever, it’s pretty important you have access to the latest and most popular devices that your clients and users of their services or products will be using to access their sites. Having mobile devices on hand to quickly check your user experience and cross reference it across browsers and applications can prove really important in providing a great mobile experience for your clients and users of your clients. That’s what’s going to keep them coming back.
Learning Access
With sites like TreeHouse, Lynda and the general growth of MOOC’s and other online courses, it might be of great benefit for you and your team to get skilled up in the newest languages and development features that can help make the difference in your designs and solutions. Upgrading your learning resources to those that are constantly being updated and refined online, through membership sites or monthly access, can be a great and effective way of outsourcing training and professional development, as well as keeping you and your team motivated when it comes to meeting your customers expectations.
