webprogramming -what is the learning pathway ?

Question

i have some knowledge of css,jQuery,Grails,django,servlets and jsp still i can't see me designing good professional looking websites .what am lacking ? should i start learning jQUery ui ,should i get into adobe products like flash i am pretty confused. i am pretty bad in the userinterface part,

Answer 1

If designing good looking UI is your problem, then learning any amount of new technology will not help you much. It is equally easy to design bad UI's in flex as it is in HTML/CSS.

You need to learn concepts of good interaction design first. Start with reading a few good books:

1. Don't make me think by Steve Krug - for understanding of UX and basic design aesthetics
2. Filling in the blanks by Luke W - if you need to design a lot of web forms
3. Read a lot of articles from Smashing Magazine, noupe.com, A List Apart and similar blogs
4. Browse the web looking out for examples of great design, understand what makes them great.

You can spend 30-60 mins every day doing all the above and the rest of the time sharpning your framework/library/scripting skills. The time you spend learning good UX/UI will pay back gradually. If you need instant results, then hire a good designer and make some friends in the designer community.