why designers should learn how to code

Why designers should learn how to code

Rik Lomas, Lomalogue Ltd. @riklomas

How the design and development process worked 5 years ago

Design Development

How the process is becoming

Design Development

How should the process be?

Design Development

!e best product companies mix design and engineering

e.g. Apple, Audi, Dyson, Eames, Herman Miller, Ikea, Leica, Lego, Monocle, Penguin Books, Vivienne Westwood, Zaha Hadid

Design Product

Design Product

Cra"smanship.

Understanding code means you will understand the medium and the cra".

“Web design is product design. Drawing a picture of the product is not designing the product.

Web design is experience design. If you stop at the PSD you've stopped well before midpoint in the design.”

# Andy Rutledge

You need to know HTML and CSS to be a designer at Facebook

You need to know HTML and CSS to be a designer at Facebook and Google

You need to know HTML and CSS to be a designer at Facebook and Google and Apple

You need to know HTML and CSS to be a designer at Facebook and Google and Apple and Instagram

“Ability to modify and construct solid HTML and CSS is a BIG plus. [...] You'll be the one moving your designs from Photoshop to code. You should be very comfortable with HTML & CSS or be willing to learn them quickly.

Exceptional candidates will have a fundamental understanding of Javascript and Python.”

# Instagram’s designer job advert

“But learning code is hard...”

“I take great pleasure in talking to developers about jQuery, HTML5 and other such dev terms, completely oblivious to their meaning.”

# Tweet from designer

“If you don’t want to learn code, don’t do digital design.”

# My reply

Are you smarter than a 10 year old?

www.codeclub.org.ukwww.raspberrypi.org

What is there to lose?

Onlineteamtreehouse.comcodecademy.comdesignthencode.comlearncodethehardway.org

IRLlondon.generalassemb.ly

HTML, Javascript, iOS

Javascript, web fundamentals

iOS, Mac

Ruby, Python, SQL

Pre!y much everything digital

Best way to learn?

Best way to learn?Do it yourself.

You will be frustrated.

You will be frustrated.You will solve your own problems.

You will be frustrated.You will solve your own problems.You will learn to be self-reliant.

You will be frustrated.You will solve your own problems.You will learn to be self-reliant.You will be be$er at design.

You will be frustrated.You will solve your own problems.You will learn to be self-reliant.You will be be$er at design.You will be be$er at your cra".

!anks!

Rik Lomas, Lomalogue Ltd. @riklomas