Am i after a web designer or developer?

[Lewis-Hayward]

I am starting a business that requires a website that is similar to Airbnb/Uber (but starting off on a smaller scale). Members will be able to upload information about the service they provide (location, price, general information, website etc) and users can search these by location, time, price etc and then pin it to their home board.

The site should be self sufficient once created and members will have control of the information they put up.

I am looking at finding out how much it would cost to build so that I know how much I need to invest.

Is it a web designer or developer that I am looking for?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[Faevilangel]

Both

a designer will design the interface and make the website usable from a design point of view

a developer will put the designs into practise building the functionality

You may find someone who does both but in my experience, they are rare, i am a developer and pay a designer separately to do all the design stuff as design isn't my forte.

Get them both onside at the same time, so they can discuss how it will work from design and technical views, the last thing you want is your designer designing something which isn't possible to build.

 

[ryedale]

As said above, it's not that common to find both skills in a freelancer although there are plenty out there who will claim they can do both sides and then either outsource part of the project or make a bad attempt at doing it.

It's more common to find both skills in a larger web design agency, i.e we have coders and designers in our team who work together on different stages of a project to produce a finished product.

 

[Lewis-Hayward]

Thank you for the replies.

Is there a way to protect the idea of the website when discussing it with a designer?

 

[Paul Norman]

You can ask them to sign a non disclosure agreement. But the idea is not massively unique, so I wouldn't worry about it.

And, in any case, if you choose a designer with an ounce of integrity, they won't break confidentiality.

This is, of course, a sizeable project (I suspect you know that!). You will need a designer, and a developer - and for a project this size I would prefer a development company that can field more than one person. Get them both in the room at the same time. Set out the project scope. Get prices. Get contracts. Get deadlines set and agreed. Spend LOTS of time getting comfortable with the team around you.

 

[Lewis-Hayward]

Thanks Paul, great advice.

 

[ryedale]

We do occasionaly sign NDA's but as Paul says, it's not an a design agency's interests to go damaging their repuation by leaking client ideas.

I would certainly make sure that you choose an agency that you can physically go and visit and spend time with - strongly reccomend that you do not choose an overseas agency for the work no matter how cheap they seem or whatever promises they make.

 

[fisicx]

Is there a way to protect the idea of the website when discussing it with a designer?

NDA as suggested but it's not worth the effort. There are already loads of sites that do this already.

But the cost of development will be tiny compared to the cost of marketing. If you spend 10K on the site you could easily blow 100K on marketing.

So budget on between 100K and 200K for the first year costs.

 

[arnydnxluk]

For the kind of thing you're talking about, definitely a good developer first and foremost as this will be the most important part to get right. In terms of design, you will want someone with experience in user interface design (and potentially branding) rather than only business website design.

Essentially what you're building is closer to a web application than a traditional website. In my experience this kind of project will never end. You can of course hire someone to build your "MVP" (minimal viable product) but you will most likely need an in-house developer early on to keep the ball rolling if your business begins to gain any traction.

It could be an idea to team up with a developer from the outset depending on how ambitious you are and where you're planning to take the business. The problem with this of course is finding the right person, a relationship where you can trust each other and contribute equally to the business. If you happen to have any friends etc who are developers, perhaps it's worth considering involving them in the business.

As for cost, how long is a piece of string? Anywhere between £3,000 and (easily) £10,000+. The best thing to do is focus on that absolute MVP mentioned above, cut out anything unnecessary and have the raw basics built to reduce your initial investment. From here you can see if anyone is interested in the absolute core of your business idea before investing further.

 

[rf-harris]

You need a complete team to get the best results which should include designer, developer, seo expert, social media person, android/isos app developer. You can contact an IT services provider company who will cover all these aspects.

 

[arnydnxluk]

You need a complete team to get the best results which should include designer, developer, seo expert, social media person, android/isos app developer. You can contact an IT services provider company who will cover all these aspects.

The OP hasn't mentioned mobile apps. I also doubt having a dedicated SEO expert and social media person is necessary or a good use of funds early on.

 

[marble_pars]

You need an agency, an agency will have a dedicated team of designer, developer and marketing experts that will all work together. Trying to pick a developer and designer now might sound cheaper but could lead to disaster down the line.

 

[Rosamund Jeffers]

"Is it a web designer or developer that I am looking for?" - actually, you need them both. A web designer is someone who'll create your website overall appearance (colors, shapes, etc.). Then comes the front end web developer - through HTML, CSS and JS he'll turn designer's vision into a fully operational website. Of course, you'd also need a back end developer in order to set up your site's logic and connect its features to the servers.

 

[Sorodo]

You need an agency, an agency will have a dedicated team of designer, developer and marketing experts that will all work together. Trying to pick a developer and designer now might sound cheaper but could lead to disaster down the line.

100% agree on this. Might be best approaching a few agencies to see what they can offer you.

 

[NathanPayne]

If you have the experience of managing projects then I would suggest getting a freelancer developer and UX designer.

If you don't have the management experience then I would say your best bet would find a small web development company, or a freelance project manager (yep you get them too!). That way you don't have to deal with the project planning at the same time as building the business out.

First though, you need a solid business plan and specification to send to developers.

 

[rf-harris]

The OP hasn't mentioned mobile apps. I also doubt having a dedicated SEO expert and social media person is necessary or a good use of funds early on.

You need to have an app if you are looking to run a service like Uber which was mentioned in the OP in order to reach more people and get more exposure and you also need to promote that app.

 

[Rakesh Yadav]

How you should plan:
Hire a good website developer, he will help you get a good designer they have contacts. Finish your website tell the developer that you will be needing mobile apps also in future. He will code the website with API and all which are required for Mobile app development.

Once you are finished with website, hire a Mobile app developer maybe you need separate developer for Android and iPhone app. The web developer will help you with that. Meanwhile start promoting your website, you will be needing an SEO specialist for that.

You can choose a company providing all these services, that way you will save time, effort and the company will focus more on you because you will become their regular customer. You will get consistent result this way.

Best of luck!