The Best Collaboration Tools for Web Developers and Designers
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In the web development and design industry, it’s normal for entire teams to build websites without meeting in the real world. In fact, one survey found that 4 out of 5 developers do most of their work remotely, making video calls and DMs more common than face-to-face chats. But is cohesive collaboration possible when nobody’s in an office?
The simple answer is yes, and it’s all thanks to technology. By implementing the best collaboration tools for developers and designers, you can build websites and navigate workflows from wherever you are in the world. Learn more with this look at the top remote-work tech for web development.
Best for Ideas: Stormboard
Manage projects, host meetings, and brainstorm business ideas using this powerful digital platform. Stormboard is an online workspace for agile teams that brings the ease of a whiteboard into a collaborative digital environment, giving everyone the chance to pitch their ideas.
Add content in ways that work for you, using text, images, and videos to organize and visualize plans.
You can also take advantage of over 250 whiteboard and business process templates, making it easy to kickstart a collaborative session.
Use the platform to bring together a global team in a professional, creative environment where unstructured conversations turn into rich, rewarding workspace meetings. From discussing color palettes to building tech stacks, Stormboard provides the ideal digital canvas for more cohesive collaboration.
Once you’ve finished a meeting, you can export your ideas into documents, spreadsheets, images, and more, making it easy to turn your chats into shareable files. Your whole team can work on your Storms before and after conversations, too, keeping the momentum going even when the cameras are off.
Best for Hosting: 20i
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20i is a professional managed hosting service that utilizes the cloud for high web speeds and reliable security. Design, develop, and deploy entire websites, working with your team to bring ultra-reliable hosting to your clients.
One of the big perks of 20i is that it’s been built to suit development agencies as well as independent designers. With the Agency Hub feature, multiple team members can streamline collaboration and manage web projects all from one platform.
It also implements top security features, which is essential when you’re enabling remote access. From two-factor authentication to a file permission checker, you have complete control over who views your projects.
Keep your websites up and running with 20i’s powerful managed cloud hosting and maintain collaboration as you build.
Best for Version Control: GitHub
Tap into the power of AI with GitHub, built to enhance website and software development with a full fleet of useful tools. Check out advanced features including contextualized AI coding assistance and automated code testing, and use their wide range of development features to level up your work.
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GitHub marks itself out as one of the key development collaboration tools thanks to features that allow multiple team members to write, review, and comment on codebases.
Version control makes teamwork stress-free, too, and ensures that other developers can adjust and change the code without jeopardizing past work.
This is a must-have if you want to embrace creative solutions, giving other developers the confidence to try new code without losing what’s already there. Track changes and merge code for continuous and harmonious development.
An added bonus of GitHub is the fantastic open-source community. Work with professional developers around the world on existing projects and tap into a global pool of knowledge, taking collaboration to the next level.
Best for Messaging: Slack
Successful web collaboration for development and design teams relies on a flawless communication system. This is where Slack comes in.
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As one of the world's leading instant messaging platforms, Slack makes it possible to work with a remote team and keep everyone in the loop. With an intuitive interface and emojis, it’s fun to use, too!
Where Slack shines is in its ability to create different channels for separate projects, topics, and team members, enhancing focus for more productive chats.
Send a direct message to an individual or ask a question in the entire team’s group chat, choosing your channel based on your needs.
You can also take advantage of easy file exchange, with Slack making it possible to share documents and sections of code.
Integrate with your existing cloud storage, too, for a cohesive tech stack.
Best for Feedback: Redpen
One of the most useful web development collaboration tools is Redpen, a digital feedback tool designed specifically for images.
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Share work-in-progress websites for group annotations, enabling visual suggestions that are simple to understand.
Add boxes and comments to different elements and draw directly on the image for quick feedback that won’t be lost in translation.
Redpen goes further than feedback, too, providing a comprehensive checking tool for your web development work.
From spotting bugs to sending complete diagnostics reports, use the software to double-check any designs before they go live.
Final Thoughts
In the digital age, remote collaboration doesn’t have to be tricky. Using the tools and software we’ve looked at, any web developer can tap into a global team for creative, stress-free projects.
To kick off your collaborative web development journey, get started with Stormboard today.
About The Author
Chris Harley is a passionate mental health and wellbeing writer, focusing on sharing his experience and improving the lives of others. When Chris isn't researching the latest holistic and wellbeing therapies, he's spending time with his two cats, usually curled up on the sofa reading a book.
