Building Happy Sites

The Offer

A few months after this airport conversation, I mentioned to Mike that I wanted opportunities to present my ideas and expertise outside of my normal client presentations and meetings - to be able to talk about Web design without there being a sales aspect to what I was presenting.

Mike looked at me and asked, “Do you want to teach?”

So, whether he knew it or not, Mike was asking me to put my money where my mouth was.  I had made my claim that Web design courses should be teaching CSS-for-layout instead of tables and now I was being given the chance to put my prattle into practice.  That’ll teach me to run my big mouth.

Teaching Others To Build Happy Web Sites

Fast forward to the present, where I recently wrapped up the first group of classes that I had been assigned as part of this curriculum – teaching an introduction to Web design, HTML, CSS and Dreamweaver (which is a lot to learn in such a small amount of time).  The class was really enjoyable and incredibly challenging for me personally.  From putting together the slides and handouts for my lessons to creating the lab exercises meant to introduce the class to the tools of Dreamweaver and concepts of CSS-based Web site design (the labs took the class through the build of the fictional ‘Dogprints Design’ site I created specifically for this curriculum - from which the ‘happy web sites’ line and the smiling pooch used in this post originated), the entire experience was refreshing for me in a number of ways.  One of those ways was that it made me look at what I do as a Web designer from a perspective that I haven’t viewed it from in quite some time.

I’m used to explaining the concepts of Web design to clients, but presenting these ideas to students is a very different experience.  One of the main differences between presenting to clients versus students is in the questions that get asked.

Client Questions Vs. Student Questions

Clients ask questions, of course, but those questions are understandably focused on their individual needs and business goals.  Their questions typically center on wanting to know how a project will affect them from a business standpoint and are largely encapsulated by the narrow focus of their particular project.

Students, on the other hand, ask broader questions.  They want to know why things are done the way they are done, how things work and how all these assorted pieces fit in together to create the Web as we know it.  The nature of their interest in the subject matter creates bigger picture questions and answers.

As I stood before my class and answered their questions, I realized how long it had been since I had thought about, or questioned, the foundation-level aspects of the work I do in such a broad fashion.  It was nice to return to the subject matter which I often take for granted in my daily work, sort of like visiting an old friend for a nice chat and a drink or two.

Return of the (Pumpkin) King

I am returning to the classroom in a few weeks as the curriculum shifts into its final section, the capstone projects.  This is where the students will create a final project, either a print piece or a Web site, as the culmination of the course.  I look forward to seeing what the students will create for this project – and also what I will learn from the experience - because as much as this process has been about me teaching others, it has also been about me learning from my students and this new experience.

I decided to take the opportunity to teach because I love Web design.  I love to read about it, to blog about it, and to talk about it with others – so I figured that this would be a good fit for me.  I expected that I’d find it professionally fulfilling, which I do, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I would personally learn in the process of teaching.

It’s appropriate, actually.  One of the final lessons I presented during my last class was in regards to the learning process of Web designers. This is an industry in which you will be challenged to constantly be learning if you wish to succeed and excel.  From reading books and Web sites and blog posts to attending conferences and workshops to just tinkering on your own to expand your knowledge base, Web design is an industry that is unkind to those who are complacent with their knowledge.

What I Have Learned So Far

I am still processing the lessons I have personally learned during this first class, seeing what I can take from the experience and apply to my daily work. Some of my initial thoughts on why this was a great learning experience for me - and one I heartily encourage other Web professionals to explore as well?

The chance to learn to see the work through the enthusiastic eyes of someone new to the industry once again.  To learn to present these ideas and concepts in new and different ways and find new understanding in the subject matter in the process.  To learn, or at least be reminded of, why I love to do what I do.

I love building happy Web sites – and I hope I will always enjoy learning new ways to build them better and teaching others to build them too.