Choosing the Best Design Tool for Beautiful Websites

In the world of web design, choosing the right tool takes time to get it right. But once you do, the advantages you’ll gain will be worth the hunt. There’s no shortage of options when it comes to creating a website design that converts visitors into paying customers. Nevertheless, some designers go straight mental once they see the overwhelming number of platforms, paid integrations, and bells and whistles that may never get used during an actual project.

So, to make it easier to search for the right design tool here's how to choose without further delay. Ultimately, you’ll make substantial improvements towards a better workflow and collaboration if you look for these features.

Project requirements

Firstly, the proper design tool should be able to accommodate any web design project regardless of the scope and complexity. After all, you'll be using the tool professionally, so it's wise to use a fully functioning platform from the start. You don’t want to suffer through a slew of customizations during the implementation. Whilst you shouldn't expect a plug-and-play type of solution, the best ones don’t require very much leg work to deploy.

Visual design

The ability to create beautiful websites requires tools that include visual design. For example, some software comes with drag-and-drop capabilities, making it much faster for someone with limited code knowledge to create CSS elements. Not so long ago, almost every design solution required at least a working knowledge of coding, but today's platforms work well for the entire crew.

Custom graphics and animations

Along those lines, the best tools should be able to create custom graphics and animations within the same software. There shouldn’t be any need to export and import files, juggling graphics and videos that may or may not work right when the time comes. Ideally, you’ll want a solution that includes native capabilities for animations and graphics, which improves workflow substantially.

Number of integrations

If a particular design tool comes with several different integrations, it's a strong candidate to consider, but why? What's the benefit? By offering several integrations, the right design tool makes it far easier to implement the new solution within the tools you already use. For example, a web design tool may require integration with content management systems as well as the customer relationship management software commonly used by marketing gurus.

Collaboration needs for designers and non-designers

Collaboration is another factor to consider, but there's a catch. The features need to accommodate designers and non-designers since the best online graphic design software is versatile enough for anyone to use, even if their code knowledge is somewhat limited. The reason is that a good design team isn't full of coders because other disciplines need to be involved too.

Learning curve and resources

Along those lines, the excellent design tool needs to have a reasonable learning curve as well as additional resources to make using the tool easier. Otherwise, you'll spend more time learning the tool than using it for a beautiful web page design. The best software has resources readily available when you need a quick reference. The alternative is to stop using the software to research online, which is devastating to productivity, especially when you're operating on strict project deadlines.

Price and value

Most people start at price and value, which is a mistake because you need to determine what you'll be using the tool for instead of simply paying for a so-called affordable solution when there are far better options right at your fingertips. The challenge is finding a balance between the tool's cost and the software's value to the business. Indeed, any improvements to workflow and collaboration can have a compounding effect on productivity. The trick is to find the middle ground without paying for more software than you'll use to design websites.

Upgrade frequency

Furthermore, the best web design tools receive regular updates to fix bugs and hopefully add new features that weren't available in earlier software versions. If a particular design tool only receives upgrades every few years, that's most likely a red flag because any software requires regular updates to set the stage for newer features. For instance, a design tool might start with minimal user metrics, but after a few upgrades, you'll gain the ability to discover deeper insights or more.

Support offered

Ideal design software should also offer support. The catch is that this support needs to be helpful and not more complicated to use than the tool itself. Some software has automated customer support, but ideally, you'd want to choose a platform that allows you to speak with a real person. However, don't assume that customer support automation is a bad thing; it's standard in the software business, yet that doesn't mean the automation will be helpful when you need help the most.

Community available

Lastly, a great design tool should have a community of users who interact with each other to share tips and troubleshoot issues. Sometimes, the information you receive from colleagues is better than the support you get from the platform itself. Another benefit is that a community of users makes collaborating much more efficient as everyone will be singing from the same sheet of music, so to speak.

Ultimately, the best design tools will have all of these features at a minimum, so that will help you start the hunt. Having said that, are you curious about how to get results straight away?

Try SiteManager today for free and discover how to design and build websites quickly! SiteManager is a top-class, collaborative web design platform that you should strongly consider because it gives designers everything required to create smashing websites. Interested? Please leave your contact information and we will get right back to you as soon as possible!