4 Ways to Learn Anything (Including Web Design)

How did you learn web design? For years, I’ve been asked this question. After being featured on Lifehacker, I’ve received an influx of these questions.

I have developed an unspoken method of learning that has helped me learn six programming languages and hundreds of applications like InDesign or Photoshop.

With these tips, you should be able to learn anything. Most are programming-focused, but you should find that they work with many things in life. In addition, you’ll be able to gain knowledge quickly and with results.

Without further ado, I present my methods.

Find (or create) a project to work on.

To learn PHP and MySQL I created a online website that complimented a school magazine I was working on in third grade. Though it was stupid not to use a CMS, I gained valuable coding advice. To learn CSS, I upgraded that website to run off divs instead of tables.

Later on, I told my friend I was going to make a website for him, and I started to learn jQuery and JavaScript. The point of the story? Learning always works best when you have an application. If you don’t have a portfolio yet, make one! If you want to learn, find a friend and imagine you are creating it for them.

If it’s learning a program, bring it up and start staring. Try basic controls. If this doesn’t work (for example, I was completely lost when it came to InDesign’s interface) then Google is your friend. Simply Google whatever it is and you should find it very soon.

Find a friend (or a community) to support you.

Sometimes lone coders don’t realize how much the help of a friend can be. When you’re someone like me who is arguably at an age where most people don’t… code, then every friend that loves to code can be amazing to you, for example, my friend Kevin who has supported me, or my other friends who’ve never laughed at me for loving programming.

If you’re lacking on the social side, create something for the community, like a WordPress theme. Submit it to directories. People will most always begin to email you with praise or questions, and you will begin to feel loved. I did, when over fifty people emailed me with praise or questions about Stunning Silence.

When making something for a community, it is best to exploit a community full of people and love. For example, without knowing it, by making a WordPress theme I was creating something for a thriving community.

Things like CSS templates, while useful, will probably not generate such a response. When making your creation, remember to submit it to directories so you will get recognized. It’s a win-win situation: you get appreciation and they get an amazing theme.

Contribute to forums.

When you’re lacking knowledge and need to find out something fast, submit a question to forums. You will be able to generate quick answers to your questions when you post them.

Remember to pick a forum that is thriving. In the past, I have used several forums. Since my questions are mostly focused on the programming / computing areas, I have found Stack Overflow (programming) and Super User (computing) most helpful.

When you post a question, you may be helping others. But don’t just post questions for others to answer. Remember to contribute to these forums as well by answering questions. For places like Stack Overflow, whenever a person asks a question, reply with code bits.

By helping others, you will be learning too. Each question can be considered as a mini project. With this in mind, although you are not building your portfolio, you’re building your knowledge. In addition, when you make a mistake, others will be quick to point them out. You will learn much.

Apply pressure to yourself.

If all else fails, give yourself a time limit. If you’re a freelancer, treat your learning as a time-tracked project. Since you should have found (or made) a project, simply count this project as work.

Track time on your learning. Make sure you’re not wasting too much time on something. However, this being said, there is a difference between wasting time on something and understanding something thoroughly.

Write down what you’ve learned in a Google Docs document or a notebook. It doesn’t matter where it is as long as you write it down. It will help you learn and it becomes a helpful resource in the future.

If you’re feeling especially ambitious, blog about it. By blogging, you’ll let other people know you’re learning. Provide helpful tutorials to those who like tutorials. While we’re on the topic, please make suer you are not following tutorials when learning. Tutorials defeat the purpose of creativity. Make your own.

And last but not least, collect examples of good work. If you’re a graphic designer, collect examples of good art in an Evernote notebook or an actual notebook. When I see a cool logo, I will usually take a screen capture of it and save it in my Evernote notebook.

When you have time, look through your collections. They provide great inspiration. In addition, instead of staying on the computer, take a walk outside. It will relieve your head when learning. When you come back, you should find that nature has soothed your mind.

–

Please bookmark this resource if you liked it. I thrive on your compliments and comments. If you have anything to add, let me know.

Photo credits: pagedooley, chitrasudar, 1Happysnapper.

4 Comments: