I recently came across this article by Nacho Somalo, and it struck me as surprisingly clarifying: this is the work I spend a large part of my working day on (and my after-hours time ;P), and it is also what I’d like to keep developing for at least the next few years of my life. In my experience, most companies today work in fairly siloed departments: the marketing person does marketing, the developer writes code and the designer designs.
You simply do not see — or rarely see — those multidisciplinary profiles that are clearly needed in fields such as Web Usability or Web Analytics. The tasks associated with these roles need a broader, interdepartmental approach to be developed properly. It is important to know both the technical side and the business side, as well as to have training and experience in the field.
Why are these profiles so rare? The truth is that I do not know the answer for sure. It may be because companies simplify their organizational structure, or because people themselves prefer to focus their expertise on a single field and stay focused, without stepping out of their comfort zone. Whatever the reason, in my opinion people who can adapt to several roles and functions within a company are a blessing, because they allow greater flexibility when planning and handling unforeseen events.
Going one small step further, we find the “web optimizer” or web optimizer, the person whose job would be to improve the key KPIs of a website, whether it is an eCommerce site, a magazine, a forum or a blog network. And to improve these indicators you need experience and at least an understanding of the following aspects of a website:
- Analytics
- Usability
- Online Marketing
- Business perspective
- Technical knowledge
- Passion for the Internet
Other knowledge could also be added to this list, such as SEO, design or Community Management, which means that it is obviously not easy to find someone who meets this whole profile, but I certainly believe that in the fairly near future these types of profiles (along with another one I would like to follow: the growth hacker) will give people plenty to talk about.
Here is a landing page I created to explain this in more detail:
Web Optimizer (discontinued site)
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