Spicy Web Designer Interview with Jen Germann

Jen Germann is a web designer, coder and dog trainer from Austin, Texas in the United States of America. She got her first taste of web design in 1999 when she worked for a university admissions office and she had an interest in helping produce some of the HTML they needed at the time. With her education in English and Medieval & Renaissance Studies (a double major) she says this prepared her for the research skills she needed to stay on top and become a gifted web designer and coder.

1. How did you first get started in web design?

In 1999, I worked for a university admissions office and we had little or no online presence. I think there were a few text pages up, but that was it. So essentially I fell into web design because no one else in my office had the time or interest in doing it. I took an HTML class and loved it. It was the first time I had fun at work. I had always liked making things, I always loved learning new computer stuff and I happened to have a few extra hours to work on it. It’s one of the few times in my life I can point to and say Providence stepped in and pushed me in a certain direction.

2. When did you design your first website?

So, same year, same job, I built what, at the time, seemed like a really great site: table-based, inline styling, the works. I still have it, but trust me it’s hidden away in the darkest corners of my computer. I look at it whenever I need a lesson in humility.

3. On your site you mention that you do the graphic work as well as the “coding”.  When you say coding do you mean coding related to the front-end design of websites using CSS, XHTML, JavaScript, etc?

Yes. Many better writers than I, have blogged that web designers should write their own code (i.e.: David Heinemeier Hansson at 37Signals: http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1066-web-designers-should-do-their-own-htmlcss) and it’s so true. I like to code what I design, and I take as much pride in my XHTML+CSS as I do in my design. I’ve tried to learn a bit about all aspects of web development, but that’s not to say I’m a good programmer. I write all my own XHTML+CSS from scratch (with some help from Eric Meyer: http://meyerweb.com/eric/thoughts/2007/05/01/reset-reloaded/) and as for JavaScript or PHP or whatever, I know enough to be able to collaborate with developers and programmers. If I can find a script that works fairly closely to what I need, I can adapt that script for for what I need. But I’m not good at writing scripts or functions from scratch. I’m even trying to write my own Ruby on Rails app, mostly just to figure out what RoR is, but I might turn that over to an RoR guru pretty soon.

4. You mention that you are a dog trainer as well.  Is that something unique or quirky that you just wanted to add so that people remember you?

Well, it is a bit of that (I do answer dog questions people send me). But it also speaks to my thought that manipulating basic animal behavior is not completely unlike guiding basic user behavior.

My tagline – “I create simple, intuitive solutions that deliver rewarding experiences.”

– It rings true in either case.

My job is to break down a complex idea, whether it’s the “Roll over” command or an interface for a real estate site, and present it in its simplest, most easy-to-use form. Basically, it’s all about decreasing the learning curve. For dog training, that means breaking down the “Roll over” command into simple steps the dog can earn a reward for performing until finally he does the whole trick. For web interface design, it’s presenting the information on the page in a way that it is intuitively easy to find, easy to navigate, and ultimately easy to take the action the user originally came to the site to do.

The big difference in dog training is the “client” is less likely to complain that he doesn’t like that green because his first car was green and it broke down on the highway in the pouring rain.

5. Has your educational background helped you in your career as a web designer?

Not directly. I was an English and Medieval & Renaissance Studies double major in college. I gained research skills from that experience, but my design training has been on-the-job. I worked in print design for a number of years and was very fortunate to work with a couple of talented designers who were so generous with their design knowledge and advice. Almost all of my coding skills has been self-taught, either through books, blogs or trial and error.

6. How do you usually price out your web design projects?

That’s the $64 question, isn’t it? Two years of working as a freelance web designer and I do not have a set method I use for every sing client. About 85% of my project load is contract work for one client, so we have a set hourly agreement and I invoice monthly for that. For other clients, I am trying a set project price, where I break down a separate price for design, coding and WordPress integration. Hourly rates seemed to scare people off. But I’ll let you know how this goes.

7. When did you first know that web design was something that really interested you?

For many years I worked primarily as a print designer. I started thinking web design was for me when I would get a project back from the printer, opening up the first page, and right there would be a big typo. I love print design because I know how it’s going to look for every person who uses that material, but web design is much more flexible and fluid and reaches such a huge audience. You constantly have to learn and improve your skills to stay ahead of the game.

8. Do you network with other web designers in your area or online that you can learn from and exchange ideas and tips with?

I do. Plus, I follow a crowd of hot designers and coders on twitter, and some nice folks featured my site in their galleries so I’ve met a lot of people that way. I think that’s one of the hardest parts about freelancing: staying connected so I don’t feel like an island.