When we decided to create Zoey’s Visual Design Editor, we viewed it as an extension of our mission to make advanced Ecommerce functionality accessible to a non-technical audience. Essentially, we see the need to write custom code as an unnecessary blocker to the democratization of great design.
This isn’t to say that code is bad or that there aren’t situations where code is needed. Custom development isn’t going anywhere, but in the majority of situations, not knowing how to code shouldn’t prevent a designer from creating a unique Ecommerce site for a client.
Challenges That Ecommerce Website Designers Faced
In our research leading up to the release of the tool, we found many designers that wanted to break into Ecommerce, but the biggest thing holding them back was a lack of development knowledge or talent in their agency or freelance network.
Similarly, there were plenty of merchants with a designer or marketer on staff that could maintain the front-end of their site on their own if given the right tools. This in turn would save that business significant money and empower them to more rapidly iterate design changes or update the site to reflect marketing campaigns without having to work with a developer.
The Value of Zoey’s Visual Design Tools
Since releasing the Visual Design Editor, with significant updates occurring throughout Zoey’s growth, we’ve received a tremendous amount of feedback from designers, developers, merchants and industry influencers. Most people are getting a lot of value from the tool, but some developers and designers still crave code level access and that’s where I want to take this conversation.
Boagworld recently published an excellent article, Do you know your real value?, that touches on Zoey alongside a variety of other tools that abstract away the code layer for the end user.
The main thrust of this article is one we agree with vehemently. Clients don’t hire you to write code or create a Photoshop file. They hire you for your knowledge and expertise. Here’s what that means:
- You’re hired because you know how to design an ecommerce site with a great conversion rate
- You’re hired because you know how to conceptualize a brand and give it a visual identity
- You’re hired because you understand the ecommerce ecosystem and can recommend the platform, apps and services that will best help your client achieve their goals
When you begin to value yourself and your services in this manner, the issue of code becomes a non-issue. You’re not valuing yourself on the basis of your ability to perform a task, but rather your ability to produce unique ideas that help your clients win.
Learn More About Zoey’s Visual Design Editor
Zoey’s drag-and-drop design tools, pre-built integrations and other innovations help you deliver on this premise by removing much of the mundane technical work required to launch a store. When those tasks are no longer part of your job, you’re free to focus on higher value services that provide a greater impact to your clients’ businesses.
We think this paradigm shift is the right move for the industry to make. What about you?
Get to know more about Zoey, including our Visual Design Editor, by requesting a free demo. We’ll customize the presentation around the areas that are most important for your success.
