Front-end design is the practice of designing and building the visual interface for user-facing websites and applications. In other words, the front-end is what you see when you visit a website or use an app and front-end design are the people who make that interface.
The front-end design process typically begins with a wireframe, which is a low-fidelity prototype that shows the basic structure of the interface. From there, designers create high-fidelity mockups and prototypes that show what the final interface will look like.
Sometimes people skip straight ahead and design and develop websites directly within the browser, prototyping with CSS libraries, like Tailwind or Bootstrap.
What Does a Front-End Designer Do?
A front-end designer is responsible for creating the visual interface for websites and apps. This includes everything from designing individual UI elements (like buttons and icons) to laying out entire pages (or screens) in a way that’s easy for users to understand and use.
There is a little bit of a gray area for how much design a designer does and how much developing a developer does.
In any case, front-end designers usually have some experience with HTML, CSS and JS – which are the three technologies that are used to actually build modern web interfaces.
However, it’s very common for designers to build the entire front-end. Conversely, some designers may do none of the code and some developers may not do any design. This is cause to the gray area that I mentioned above.
Why Is Front-End Design Important?
In today’s world, first impressions are everything and that’s especially true when it comes to websites and apps.
Users will make snap judgments about your product based on its visual design, so it’s important to make sure that your interface is well-designed and visually appealing.
A well-designed interface can also improve user experience by making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for and accomplish their goals.
A well-designed interface can improve user experience, while a poorly designed one will turn users away.
If you’re planning on building a website or app, make sure to give front-end design some thought, as it could be the difference between success and failure.