There is one thing you’re sure to learn when you conduct a survey: just how many things you did wrong. My first attempt at conducting a survey of women web designers, made clear (sometimes embarrassingly so), just how many things I hadn’t thought through very well. It’s been a learning experience.

Back in late April of this year, A List Apart began the first truly comprehensive survey of people who make websites. This, following criticism in the media about the lack of gender diversity at web conferences.

I took an immediate interest in both the initial criticism over gender disparity and the response by A List Apart to conduct the Web Design Survey. One of the primary reasons I took such an interest in this, was because my personal experience was to the contrary.

I personally know more female web designers than male and, in fact, I ended up partnering with one of them to start Object Adjective.

For this reason, I decided to conduct my own small industry survey, Women Who Design the Web, to highlight a cross section of personal experiences, by women working in web design and development.

The first Women Who Design the Web Survey was conducted from May 4, 2007 to October 22, 2007. Over the next weeks (possibly months), I will share some of these insights and personal experiences. Though many of the responses I got were predictable, some were not and the stories paint a very interesting picture.

Below, are the findings to the general questions I asked in this survey.

In addition to these more general questions, participants were asked open questions about their experiences working in web design and development, whether they felt web design was perceived as a masculine industry and what they thought could be done to improve and balance diversity within the community.

These findings, as well as a study into the findings of A List Apart’s Web Deign Survey are to come.

That muck aside, I’ve got some exciting news I wanted to share, even at the expense of my right hand. For those of you following the development of Sidereel, you may have noticed our recent beginnings of integrating the skin for the site.

Well, the exciting thing is there is much more to come. First and foremost, we are starting the process of integrating the NEW and Improved WatchBox. No more crazy-ass lists!

Launching an early Beta for a new application has both advantages and disadvantages. The first being, getting your name out there. The second being, discouraging return users with a very primitive product. We chose to launch with an Early Beta, having faith in our users, but the challenges are still the same. It’s been a learning process indeed, but it’s also put us in a position where things are only better. 1,000,000 and counting.

The new, improved Watchbox will be comprised of a much “prettier” layout, designed by none other than Lauren “I play with my food, I play with my code” Scime and a pretty kick-ass Ajax interface. Stay tuned fellow Reelers. Things are about to get all Chuck Norris around here.

In February 2007, Jason Kottke published information showing the low percentage of female speakers at conferences about design, technology, and the web. Among the conferences under fire was An Event Apart. Jeffrey Zeldman, who founded the conference along with Eric Meyer, has since been adamant about getting the facts.

Take The Survey

My purpose here is find out what women who ARE working in web design and development, have to say about the disparities and what they think can be done to improve things.

This is a new thing for me, so please let me know if there is anything I can do to improve this process or if there is anything I grossly left out. Thank you for participating.