Whenever I discuss standards and best practices for web design companies in India I am greeted with the same refrain - web design companies are innovative and follow their own paths. The implication is that by applying standards somehow we will loose our creative edge.
But are standards needed? A well known member of the online community in India recently told me he is considering giving the redesign work of his website outside India. He has completely lost faith in the web design community in India. And can you blame him? Today being a web designer in India is not considered respectable at all. Countless cases of bad service, non delivery and outright cheating by web designers in India fueled this bad reputation.
My father has a favorite saying in Gujarati which I shall translate into English - 'One person's mistakes/sins can hinder/obstruct a hundred'. Due to unscrupulous dealings of a few, all web designers are painted with the same brush. There are web designers in India who are doing superb work and are trying tirelessly to build reputations and create a body of great work. To make sure these efforts are not going in vain we need to create a set of standards and best practices which can be followed without harming innovation or creativity.
Here are some best practices I feel can be implemented.
Cheers,
Ron
