50 Steps to Better Design
Making the rounds today is this long list of 50 ways to become a better designer.
Most of the collected ideas — many of which were submitted by readers of the site or fellow designers and friends of the author — are common-sense-simple, but some of them challenge conventional ways of thinking about teamwork and the use of technology.
A number of the tidbits of advice stress the importance of good old paper in web workflows. Sketchbooks are mentioned several times on the list, as they can be used not only to jot down new ideas, but they also prove useful for getting out of a jam while in the middle of a project. Ideas just seem fresher when they are written down on paper with a pen, apparently. Also, the article mentions that frequent brainstorming sessions and meetings with team members can help raise the sense of ownership among everyone involved, helping things get done faster and creating a better product.
One of the most important things to learn, in my opinion, is when to stop working and walk away (See #31, #35 and #7).
Some great advice here, so give it a read and heed well.
UPDATE: The Computer Arts site is being hit by hundreds of blogs today, so if you can’t load it, give it a minute and try again.
