How much does designing for the web and new media differ from traditional graphic design? Not much if the purpose is still to build visual vocabularies that express the client's brand in ways that appeal to their target audience. But what is new is the need for sensitivity to the limitations of the delivery medium. Good design must now work within the technical constraints imposed by both hardware and software, be that screen size or bandwidth or the underlying programming language. And let us not forget the uncertainties introduced by user behavior. New, too, is the expanded role of the interdisciplinary team. More people are involved in design than there used to be.

See also usability, usability auditing.

In the past, software engineers and graphic designers rarely crossed professional paths. Nowadays, by contrast, programmers are more and more being called on to implement the vision of the creative team. This requires a keen awareness of the design-rich and highly interactive nature of the online and new media experience. At the same time, the increasing complexity of the products the creative team are being asked to deliver underscores just how much can still be learned from the world of traditional software development. There it has long been known that habits such as formal application design, QA, version control, collaboration, and the use of object oriented approaches are all crucial for success.

See also technical writing.