Designers shouldn’t learn to code — developers should learn to design

  • 26 February 2022
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Henrik Ståhl
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I recently wrote this article in UX Collective on Medium with some thoughts on the everlasting debate about whether or not designers should learn to code:

https://uxdesign.cc/designers-shouldnt-learn-to-code-developers-should-learn-to-design-2505f8c3fe0d

Even though ”platitudes” is the word that comes to mind when evaluating the conclusions in the most popular articles covering this topic, you can’t really argue against the general sentiment: UX designers do not have to code. Although it can be a competitive advantage, it is far from a requirement.

[...] unlike many others, I don’t think software development benefits as much from designers learning the trades of programming as developers learning the trades of UX and UI design.

 

I don’t consider it a particularly controversial statement, but I know it’s sometimes a pretty sensitive topic. :innocent: What are your thoughts on this?

PS. I love working with designers who have basic knowledge about frontend development (mainly HTML and CSS), so I am in no way against designers learning to code. :nerd:

3 replies

Johanny Pestalozzi
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@Henrik Ståhl thanks for bringing up the topic! I think in some organizations, especially if they are small, like startups, it is appreciated when the staff can do multiple tasks. In this way, the team has a comprehensive set of skills. However, in larger organizations, tasks are more specified and distributed, so designers may not need to code. What do you think?

Dr. Johanny Pestalozzi (She/Her)
Henrik Ståhl
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@Johanny Pestalozzi It’s definitely appreciated when staff can do multiple tasks in smaller organizations. But I actually believe it’s equally appreciated in enterprise orgs. Designers definitely benefit from knowing some basic traits of programming (primarily HTML and CSS of course). But I think it’s even more beneficial for the organization if developers know the basic traits of UX and UI. :slight_smile:

Johanny Pestalozzi
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@Henrik Ståhl got it! Absolutely agree! :raised_hands_tone4:

Dr. Johanny Pestalozzi (She/Her)

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