Writing / entry /

Becoming a Designer Who Codes, The Making of a Unicorn

Guys, you can be proficient in one or the other, but knowing both disciplines is the key to creating a successful product.

I’d have an idea and then find others to pay to make it. This hurts your soul. Yes, money is a wonderful tool, but so is hard work. I want to challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and learn how to make things.

I recommend learning HTML, CSS, Sass, and JavaScript today. If you want to make apps, I would then learn Swift or Java depending on whether you want to do iOS or Android.

If you’re a developer, you should understand that learning design is a nebulous process. I recommend you focus on the principles of UX design. It will help with what you build while you do programming exercises. Additionally, learning interaction and visual design both take lots of practice and time. You have to develop a feel for it, which won’t happen quickly.

This article includes a great list of resources for getting started, I highly recommend it.