Web designers and developers experiences of information literacy: A phenomenographic study

•This phenomenographic study uncovers the variation in experiences of information literacy in the web profession.•A relational view is adopted towards the phenomenon of information literacy.•Information literacy is explored within a professional context.

The qualitative research reported here identifies how web designers and developers experience information literacy. Using a phenomenographic approach, this cohort's experience is presented through a map of variation, which includes four different ways of experiencing information literacy. Analysis of 23 in-depth interviews with web workers from different stages of the web design and development process suggested the four ways web workers experience information literacy: staying informed, building a successful website, solving a problem or participating in a community of practice. The study advances the existing understanding of the concept of information literacy, especially in a professional context and from a relational perspective. Additionally, using the web professionals' world as the context of the study, the research contributes to the field of website design and development by shedding light on less-researched information experiences of people involved in the web industry.