Value of Coding in UX
When I was first learning about the UX industry, I only had a vague idea of what the job would entail. As I delved into the research, I began to notice that there was one topic that seemed to be highly debated among UX professionals: Coding.
I encountered both ends of the spectrum. Some designers didn’t want to touch code with a ten-foot pole while others knew enough that they could fully code their own portfolio website. This brought me to my question:
Do UX designers need to know how to code?
Since there wasn’t one set opinion out there, I decided that it was time to set out and explore the answer for myself.
Coding Journey
To get started, I took some free lessons for HTML and CSS to get a basic understanding. This helped me to familiarize myself with the fundamentals and served as a great baseline without a full commitment to any particular course.
Now, at my current job, I used a learning stipend to gain access to a more comprehensive self-paced course through SheCodes. This course goes deeper than what I learned previously and also touches on Javascript as well. Although definitely more challenging, I found that having the more structured content has greatly helped to accelerate my learning.
Although I’m nowhere near the level where I could develop something on my own, I can tell that I’ve expanded my basic understanding on what is going on. I found there is something really exciting about being able to put a design into motion and see it come to life.
Benefits of Coding
Even though I have only started learning to code, I have already seen ways in which it has helped me in my workflow.
Improving Developer Communication
I believe that it is important to keep open communication in mind throughout the design process. When designing, I always keep our developers in mind and try to involve them as early as possible to get feedback before hand-off.
With the small amount of coding I have learned, I have found it easier to be a part of discussions and meetings, especially with ones that lean a little more technical. I still may need clarification, but it has helped me to understand what needs to be addressed. I continue to work on improving this channel of of communication everyday and always enjoy learning from these interactions.
More Realistic Designs
Although it would be fun to always do out-of-the-box, blue sky kind of designs, I have to think about the reality behind what I’m creating. There are always limitations, such as technical constraints and deadlines, to consider while designing.
While learning to code, I began to better understand what parts of a design may be more difficult to build than others. Even if I don’t have a full time estimate, just this basic knowledge helps me to better understand how to design within such constraints. Also, maybe even more importantly, it has helped me better understand where I can flex my creative muscles. In this way, I can still provide the best user experience even if it has to be with a different design solution than initially anticipated.
Understanding My Asks
During one of my projects, I worked closely with a developer who was creating reusable components for a design. At one point, I noticed that the white space in the components seemed too small and was able to inspect the page to see that the paddings were set differently than the design. I was able to use this coding knowledge to work with her and get it changed easily.
Although this is an example of a simple change for a developer, I previously had little sense of the complexity of my asks. Having the coding knowledge gives me a head start to better understand if a change may take a few minutes or a few days to get done. There will still be changes that I need advice on from the experts, but it gives me a chance to make sure my asks are within reason.
Conclusion
Do UX designers need to know how to code? Yes, at least the basics.
Would I suggest learning to code? Definitely yes.
Even if coding is technically not in the job description of a UX designer, there is so much to be gained from knowing just a little bit of code. I know that I have only barely started learning myself and I already see where it can provide value in my work everyday. I look forward to continuing to learn to code and better incorporate it into my future designs and collaborations.
