The Agile Principle Is Good For Web Designers

Have you ever heard about Agile? Being a follower of the Waterfall methodology for decades, almost every web design company has now opted to go with the Agile principles. There is hardly any meeting in a web design company which does not debate over Agile vs. Waterfall development methods. So, what are Agile and Waterfall anyway? Let’s try to bring some light on the issue.

What is Agile?

According to the Agile methodology, a big requirement is divided into smaller bits. And these smaller bits are fitted together whenever necessary. In case of web design, these bits consist of the design, coding and testing procedures. All the bits are processed simultaneously and at the end of each stage, reviews are carried out and changes are made if necessary. Simply put, the work is done in cycles with constant evaluations of project priorities.

The Agile principle has 4 main values:

1. Enhanced Interaction: With frequent reviews (and necessary changes) being made, clients and team members get the chance to interact more often.
2. Less Amount of Documentation: Agile principle deals with more of a “dive in and get it done” attitude while preparing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). As a result, the volume of documentation gets reduced.
3. Client Collaboration: Agile principle intends to speed up the process and reach the goal quickly. Due to this, frequent communication between the clients and the development team is mandatory.
4. Response to Change: In Agile methodology, the work is frequently tasted by both the team members and the clients. This makes it easier to implement any necessary changes without wasting too much of efforts and time.

How is Agile better than Waterfall?

Waterfall methodology follows a step by step approach while building products. Each stage is assigned to a separate team to make sure that there is a greater planning and control over the projects. But unlike Agile methodology where changes are easy to implement because of frequent reviews, a glitch in the Waterfall methodology will require a start from the scratch – right from the development of new codes.

Why Agile is good for Web Designers?

Although designers might feel a little uncomfortable at first with the Agile methodology after having gone with the Waterfall methodology for years, things will start settling in pretty soon. And as it does, designers will realize that Agile is a blessing for their creative minds.

The “dive in and get it done” attitude of the Agile principle focuses more on creating MVPs. The need for perfection which previously was a major factor in delaying the work procedure now ceases to exist. Constant evaluations save a lot of time. Redesigning a design which took one day to complete is way less frustrating than redesigning a design which took more than a week to get done. Moreover, web designers get the chance to interact with their clients more often, and thus increasing their level of understanding of each other. And lastly, web designers will have a greater amount of collaboration with the other teams which work simultaneously on the same project, and this will help them understand the project in a better way.

Be it Agile or Waterfall methodology – what you choose to go with completely depends on you. However, it can be said without a shadow of doubt that Agile principles are way more superior in producing favorable results than the Waterfall principles. So, will you turn Agile? Let us know what you feel by leaving a commen