> "The HTML/CSS guru should not exist anyway since the designer is supposed to decide how the page should look like,"
It's this idea that leads to a whole host of trouble. It's the implicit statement that HTML and CSS is just about a visual presentation. A designer (in the typical "I'm a web designer" mould) is singularly unqualified to deliver an accessible experience. Because they cannot let go of the visual aspects, and focus on the non-visual elements. And a lot of that is because Photoshop doesn't support concepts like text-equivalents to images, and tests for whether the page reads correctly in a non visual way.
And then there's interaction design. It's rare to see a web designer have a solid grasp of interaction. Again, because Photoshop doesn't support these concepts.
A static visual representation isn't enough. And so the output from designers with some HTML experience is not enough.
But you're right. The HTML/CSS guru should not exist. But designers are not amenable enough to take up those reins at a high enough quality. And programmers and engineers also seem incapable of generating high quality markup and CSS.
HTML/CSS is where the technical meets design, and neither specialists seems to comfortably handle this intersection. So integration is a pain point.
It's this idea that leads to a whole host of trouble. It's the implicit statement that HTML and CSS is just about a visual presentation. A designer (in the typical "I'm a web designer" mould) is singularly unqualified to deliver an accessible experience. Because they cannot let go of the visual aspects, and focus on the non-visual elements. And a lot of that is because Photoshop doesn't support concepts like text-equivalents to images, and tests for whether the page reads correctly in a non visual way.
And then there's interaction design. It's rare to see a web designer have a solid grasp of interaction. Again, because Photoshop doesn't support these concepts.
A static visual representation isn't enough. And so the output from designers with some HTML experience is not enough.
But you're right. The HTML/CSS guru should not exist. But designers are not amenable enough to take up those reins at a high enough quality. And programmers and engineers also seem incapable of generating high quality markup and CSS.
HTML/CSS is where the technical meets design, and neither specialists seems to comfortably handle this intersection. So integration is a pain point.