In 2022, I started to feel like I needed to understand the fundamentals of coding. I'd been working as a designer for a while, but I was afraid of how hard it might be to learn. I started searching for ways to get into it, but I wasn't sure I could fully commit because of that fear. That's when I found freeCodeCamp as a free alternative to test the waters and see if coding was really for me.
It took me by surprise how things started to come to life with code. I created my first four projects at a very entry level, but they allowed me to understand how everything works behind a website. I started thinking about each part of the UI interface with more accuracy and knowledge, knowing how everything could actually be implemented. You can check my first attempts at code on my CodePen 🙈
After that, I took a subscription to Codecademy (you can check my progress here) and started learning JavaScript along with a lot of UI/UX courses. I'm still using and learning on the platform. Right now I'm doing Create a Front End App with React, which includes a mix of the JavaScript path and the React path. These are skills I believe are a big plus to have as a designer.
My own portfolio site is actually a React app. I received a lot of external help to build it, and I'm still filling it out and updating it. My goal is to have full control and knowledge to operate it on my own.
Learning to code has completely changed how I approach design. Now when I'm working in Figma, I think about how components will actually be built. I design with more intention because I understand the technical side. It's made me a better collaborator with developers too because I can speak their language. I remember my first attempts at hover effects. I was obsessed with them because they're also a good practice to guide the user in the navigation process. On the other hand, I can have a full understanding of the effort put behind each of my design decisions and estimate how complex a project could be. This is very helpful for me in my current job. Depending on the budget and time of the project for each client that is assigned to me, I can regulate the complexity of my design to make the developer's life easier.
Let's see how my path keeps going.
Thanks for reading! See you in the next one!
Agostina 🫶🏻