Do I Need to Learn How to Code?

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来自 California Institute of the Arts 的课程

Web Design: Wireframes to Prototypes

个评分

California Institute of the Arts

Web Design: Wireframes to Prototypes

个评分

课程 4（共 4 门，Specialization UI / UX Design）

This course is focused on the application of the early UX research to actual user interfaces: the creation of wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and clickable prototypes. Along the way we will also discuss: - Responsive web design and mobile web challenges - Mobile-first approach - Web typography - The relationship between design and programming and whether it is important to know how to code - The different web technologies that make the web work, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, server-side coding, and databases. This course is the continuation of the course Web Design: Strategy and Information Architecture, in which students completed the first half of a large scale project—developing a comprehensive plan for a complex website. If you are intending to complete the assignments in this course to earn a certificate you must complete the Strategy and Information Architecture course first so you have the materials and data needed to begin creating wireframes and mockups in this course.

从本节课中

An Excursion to Codelandia

This week, you’ll continue the visual design of your websites, refining the look and feel based on peer feedback. Having worked on the homepage mockup last week, it’s time to design the remaining screens. As an important aside, I will take you on a short expedition to the land of code. Although this specialization isn’t about learning how to code, I want to at least introduce you to the technologies that make the web work. And we’ll look at a few coding examples. After all, the web is built upon certain languages—HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. in order to be an effective UX designer, it is helpful to have a rudimentary understanding of these technologies.

Do I Need to Learn How to Code?4:07

Survey of Web Technologies13:49

HTML vs. CSS vs. Javascript: A metaphorical adventure6:08

HTML Basics5:25

Web Inspector8:03

与讲师见面

Roman Jaster
Visiting Faculty, Program in Graphic Design
School of Art

As you know the last phase of the UX design process

culminates in static visual mockups or clickable prototypes.

These methods give us a good idea about

the functionality and the look and feel of our website,

but they are obviously not the final product.

Prototypes are great but they are

no actual websites that users can visit in their browsers.

A functioning website needs to be coded.

HTML, CSS and JavaScript are the main technologies that make the web work.

So, the question is,

do web designers need to know how to code?

Before answering this question,

let me ask a few others.

Does a photographer and need to know how a camera works?

Does a painter need to make their own paint or paint brushes?

Does it print designers need to know how an offset printing press functions?

I'm not sure if there's a clear cut answer here,

but we can probably say that knowing more about one's profession is usually better.

I can certainly imagine an amazing painter who

doesn't have a clue how pains or brushes are made,

but I can also imagine a painter who in the process of making their own tools,

discovers a whole new way of working and creates a new kind of arts.

But coming back to the question at hands,

what about coding skills for web designers,

how important are they?

Well, web technologies, HTML, CSS,

and JavaScript are the medium for web designers.

So, quite literally in order to create custom websites yourself,

you need to know these technologies.

Sure, there are plenty of website builders that allow you to customize

templates and create competent websites without writing a single line of code,

but you will always be at the mercy of what the templates allow you to do and even when

working with templates it is often necessary to write a few lines of custom CSS code.

Of course, the other solution is to consult experts,

you can collaborate with a front-end designer who will

transform your beautiful design into a functioning website.

This separation of work is very common when

you work with bigger teams on complex projects,

and most web design studios have designated designers and developers.

But even if you don't develop the websites you design,

having a basic understanding of coding will make you a better web designer.

Fundamental coding knowledge will help you to understand

the affordances and limitations of the web as a medium.

Knowing what is possible and what isn't with

the current state of technology is quite important,

and knowing how to code also empowers you to make things.

On smaller self-initiated projects,

you won't have to rely on outside help.

You'll also be able to communicate better with developers.

Knowing some basics will even give you a better chance to argue

your point if a developer ever tells you that something just isn't possible.

Finally, certain web design challenges like animations,

state changes and responsive layouts are quite difficult to mock up with static tools.

Sometimes it's easier to jump into code to explore an idea.

Maybe the answer to our question is this,

you don't need to code but it's helpful to know how to code.

The good news is that the fundamental web technologies are quite easy to learn,

you can get a basic understanding of HTML and a few hours,

and CSS can be learned in a few days and mastered within a few months.

In fact, the reason the web took off and became so

popular in the mid 90s was partly due to

the fact that it was so easy for people who weren't

computer programmers to make their own websites.

My advice for you is, try it out,

take an intro course to web coding,

experiment a little bit.

If it isn't for you,

you will have learned enough to be able to communicate and collaborate

with developers better and you can still be an awesome UX designer,

but you might realize that you have a knack for coding.

You might find it really fun and empowering to code your own websites. Who knows?

You might one day become a true unicorn designer,

a designer who knows how to code.

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