What 30 Years in Website Design Has Taught Me About Business

Adrian Adams, Founder and Creative Director JABA.

I designed my first major website in 1995, five years before we launched JABA and three years before Google was founded. At the time, the internet was still a mystery to most businesses. Websites were relatively simple, connection speeds were painfully slow and nobody really knew where this new technology was going to take us.

Thirty years later, almost everything about website design has changed. The devices have changed, the technology has changed and the expectations of customers have changed enormously.

However, many of the most important lessons I have learned have surprisingly little to do with technology.

Technology never stands still

When we launched JABA in 2000, nobody could have predicted the enormous changes that were coming.

We moved from hand-built websites to content management systems, from desktop computers to smartphones, and from simple online brochures to e-commerce platforms, web applications, streaming services and complex business systems.

We have lived through the rise of Google, social media, mobile devices, cloud computing, progressive web apps and now artificial intelligence.

The lesson is simple: you cannot become too comfortable with the way you currently do things. Something that works brilliantly today may become outdated much sooner than you expect.

That applies to every business—not just website developers.

Understand the problem before proposing the solution

One of the biggest mistakes in our industry is becoming too excited about the technology.

Clients rarely come to us because they desperately want a particular programming language, platform or technical feature. They come because they have a business problem to solve.

They may need more enquiries, an easier way to process orders, better communication with members, or a system that saves their staff hours of repetitive administration.

The technology matters, but it is only a means to an end.

Before designing anything, we need to understand the organisation, its customers and what the project is expected to achieve. A visually impressive website that does not help the business is still a poor website.

Good communication is just as important as good programming

Some of the most challenging website projects are not caused by difficult technology. They are caused by uncertainty, misunderstandings and assumptions.

Clients do not always know how to explain what they need—and they should not be expected to understand all the technical possibilities.

Our job is to ask the right questions, explain the options clearly and translate business requirements into a practical digital solution.

The best projects happen when the client and the development team communicate openly, make decisions promptly and understand what they are trying to accomplish together.

The cheapest option is rarely the cheapest in the long run

Over the years, I have seen businesses choose a cheap website and then spend considerably more trying to overcome its limitations.

The initial price is only one part of the cost. Businesses also need to consider reliability, security, flexibility, support and what will happen when their requirements change.

A cheap platform can become expensive when it cannot be extended, when plugins conflict, when support disappears or when the entire website must be rebuilt much sooner than expected.

That does not mean every business needs an enormous website. It means the solution should be appropriate, properly built and capable of supporting the organisation’s realistic future needs.

A website is never truly finished

There was once a tendency to think of a website as something you built, launched and then left alone for several years.

That approach no longer works.

Businesses change. Products and services evolve. Staff move on. Technology is updated. Security threats emerge. Search engines change their requirements and customers expect current, accurate information.

Launching a website should be seen as the beginning of its working life—not the end of the project.

A successful website needs attention. It should be reviewed, updated and improved as the organisation learns more about what its customers need.

Trust takes years to build

JABA has worked with some clients for many years—and in several cases, decades.

Those relationships are incredibly valuable to us. They were not created by a clever sales pitch. They developed because we continued to support the client, solve problems and remain available as their needs changed.

Of course, we have not always got everything right. No business operating for 26 years can honestly make that claim. What matters is how you respond when something is difficult.

Listen carefully. Be transparent. Take responsibility where it is warranted and work towards a sensible outcome.

Experience matters—but only if you continue learning

Thirty years of experience gives me perspective, but it does not mean I have all the answers.

In fact, one of the most important things experience has taught me is how quickly yesterday’s expertise can become tomorrow’s outdated thinking.

Today, JABA’s programmers and designers use sophisticated AI tools alongside their own knowledge and judgment. We are exploring new ways to build applications, manage content and help clients use their information more effectively.

I remain fascinated by the possibilities—but I also know that every new technology must prove its usefulness.

Technology changes constantly. Good judgment, honest communication, creativity and an understanding of people remain just as important as they were when I designed my first website in 1995.

That may be the most important business lesson of all.