A Designer’s Guide To Coding: To Learn or Not to Learn

Photo by Farzad Nazifi on Unsplash

In the past two decades or so, the tech industry has boomed like no other. Learning to code has become just like learning any other subject — like maths or science. Every other person currently in their 20s has dabbled with code in one way or another. Some have been learning right from school and absolutely love it and some only recently took it up and have a newfound belonging in the tech industry.

I’ve had my fair share of experience with code too, as a computer science engineering graduate myself. I began coding in about 2014 and even pursued it as a career for almost a year. But it turns out it was never really for me. Nonetheless, my experience in code did teach me a LOT that I wasn’t expecting.

One thing about code that needs to be understood is that it is an incredibly vast field. There’s about 700 programming languages, algorithms and data structures, networks, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, web development — which further has a front end and back end, and a lot more. Even courses covered in colleges barely scratch the surface, but it did allow me to explore what I liked and what I didn’t. As a designer or anyone that isn’t from the tech field, it can be pretty overwhelming not knowing where to start. It can be even harder to understand some more complex topics without a mentor. So the question is — where do you start?

Approach

Before we get to the where ask yourself this — why do you want to start? There could be two reasons.

1. You’re looking to learn some new skills in the tech field to shift into coding/freelancing as a developer.
2. You’re looking to become a better UI/UX Designer.

There is quite a bit of overlap between the two of course, but it is important to know the distinction. Wanting to learn code as a new skill will take quite a lot more effort than bettering your design skills with knowledge of code. Let me explain why.

Starting a career in code will require extensive exploration of many fields, like the ones mentioned above. While a course or two might give you a basic idea, it takes months, sometimes years to get the hang of even one of these fields. And like it is with design — there is a lot of overlap between said fields. It would take an incredible amount of time, dedication and passion. Of course, starting something for the first time is never easy right?

What I can say is that it is a highly rewarding field. Solving some code related problems has given me one of the biggest confidence boosts ever. Not just that, but it also offers some very high paying jobs — with the right skills.

Here are some courses I found very useful —

1. Web Development — starts right from the basics of HTML and CSS up to the nitty-gritty details and covers almost all major highlights of being a full stack developer. Highly recommended, especially if you’re a designer wanting to learn more about how websites are built.
2. App Development — another skill that’s in high demand is app dev. Covers everything from basics to complex topics.
3. Python — this is probably one of the most widely used languages today and a must-have skill if you’re looking to get into Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence.

On the other hand, it’s a whole other journey if you want to understand coding for the sole purpose of being a better designer.

Why learn to code?

As a designer, I’m sure you might have come across a ton of posts saying it is important you learn to code. But have you ever questioned why? As someone that transitioned from tech to design, I saw multiple advantages.

1. The number one advantage I’ve seen is that it makes both your life and your developer’s much simpler. Code and design jargon sometimes tend to be completely different which creates a huge communication barrier at times. A designer knowing even the basics of code can bridge that gap to a large extent. As an ex front end dev, I have faced situations where it was very frustrating to explain why the design wasn’t easily translated into code.
2. Not all designs can be implemented to code. If not impossible — at least pretty difficult. And it is important as a designer to identify and prioritise the importance of a particular design. For example, adding transitions to your design might be as easy as putting it together in your prototyping tool and using auto animate. But it’s not as easy in code. It usually uses at least a couple of libraries and a significant amount of code to recreate a particular type of transition. A designer’s understanding of this means they can find solutions that are faster and easier to implement all the while not compromising on usability — at least during the initial stages.
3. Knowing how to code gives you a whole new appreciation for your product. Coding takes a lot of work and knowing exactly how much work goes into just a simple login to home page flow makes you appreciate both your work and your developers’ even more.
4. Of course, with the right confidence and passion, you could end up turning this into a full-time job or a freelance gig too! There's a ton of self-taught web developers that came up just like this.

Now, let’s look into where you need to begin.

Ultimate Guide to Designers in Code

Now, most UI/UX designers work to design either websites or mobile apps (this is excluding the up and coming AR/VR, watch design, and design for other electronics in general). A majority use HTML, CSS and JavaScript as their base, especially websites. Having an understanding of just these will give you much more clarity about your developer’s role and your role as a designer.

Mind you, this hardly scratches the surface of the actual code that is being written for your product but it’s a start. At the end of the day, this is only to understand the syntax, properties and styles that are being used and how you can better leverage them as a designer.

Some resources you might find helpful —

1. HTML and CSS — these are essentially the skeleton and style for your website.
2. Javascript — this essentially gives functionality to your website. The course also includes the basics of HTML and CSS.

There are also websites like w3schools and GeeksforGeeks that offer snippets of explanations for topics with examples, especially useful if you want to understand a particular topic better.

Final Thoughts

A designer’s role is crucial to the development of a product, especially since we understand the importance of each feature being built. But it’s also very crucial to understand the significance of each feature and prioritize accordingly. It could end up being monumental in saving both your time and your developer’s.

To sum up, I’d say learning even the basics of code could help you in ways you never imagined and could even be a huge confidence booster when working with the tech team. It's not easy of course, but it’s worth it!

Feel free to get in touch with me over Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram about any questions or suggestions!