There is a long-running debate on this subject – hand-coding or PSD to HTML conversion – which one is better?

If you have a good designer and a good developer, the process of taking a PSD design and turning it into working HTML/CSS can be rapid. This is especially true if your designer uses design patterns that are easily converted to code (e.g. 960px grid). 

The front-end developer may be able to take it from there and quickly whip up the necessary CSS/jQuery as needed for that site. It could happen in as little as two days but usually takes three or four on average, depending on how complex the site is and what functionality must be coded on top of the basic HTML.

HTML or CSS? Which is better, PSD to HTML conversion, or hand-coding?

Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Naturally, everyone has their own opinion on which is better Hand Coding offers the advantage of complete control over virtually all aspects of a website’s appearance and functionality.

 On the other hand, converting a PSD (Photoshop Document) into one or more functioning web pages offers speed and simplicity in completing a project quickly; however, it sacrifices advanced flexibility that hand-coding can offer such as individual styling for each page element (most notably headlines), easy maintenance due to one file per page, etc…

Comparing Cost 

While both approaches offer benefits and drawbacks, keep this in mind: Hand-written code is far more scalable. This means that the code will be easier to update, maintain and enhance later on down the road after your site goes live. Most hand coders agree that maintaining a PSD to HTML conversion in the future is far more costly than making updates to a hand-coded site.

 Advantages of Hand Coding

• Code is responsive by nature (devices)

• Touch gesture interaction (mobile)

• Web fonts instead of images (retina screens)

Disadvantages of Hand-Coding: 

• Can be overly complex for projects needing simplicity/minimalism; projects requiring frequent updating; web design competitions; small teams working together.

• Requires high-level skills/knowledge of technologies like HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, MySQL, etc. This takes time to learn and master which cannot be applied to other aspects of the business.

Advantages of PSD to HTML Conversion:

• Lower initial costs (Which is important for small businesses, startups, and non-profits)

• Faster during the beginning stages of project ramp-up (prototype stage)

• Easier for less technical people to update or make edits to the website after launch. 

Disadvantages of Converting PSDs to HTML conversation :   

• Mobile responsiveness issues because dimensions are not set in pixels/ems/percentages. This leads to mobile zoom which reduces usability since it’s difficult for users to see what they’re clicking on without zooming back out again. And if they do get the hang of it, they’ll be more likely to get frustrated with your site and consider going elsewhere next time.

• Web fonts may not convert properly which forces you to fall back on image replacement techniques (which can cause page load issues; if a large number of images is used).

• HTML that was created via a  PSD to WordPress conversion method is usually less semantic and difficult to maintain/update which then requires interaction with the developer or webmaster in the future. 

• It’s often hard for a quality analyst to check a website built from a PSD since it’s difficult for them to navigate through the site without seeing what its intended design should be like. This means more time is required by your QA staff to manually test your entire site versus having separate pages/folders you can send their way to help improve efficiency and save money.

The Final Verdict

Depending on your time frame and project needs PSD to HTML conversion and PSD to WordPress conversion may be a quick solution to getting a website up and running quickly, but many website owners discover soon after going live with their new site, that the initial speed of implementation doesn’t equate to long term success or longevity of their website when they have trouble updating it themselves in the future without assistance from an outside source due to lack of customizability. Hand coding, on the other hand, will start more expensive in terms of time and money, but it offers overall benefits that far outweigh the initial costs overall for nearly all web projects over time.

 Read More: Your First Mobile App Wireframe