Do Computers Make Web Designers Less Creative?
When the Adobe software first came out, people were amazed at the wonders they did and how efficient they made the design process become. Similarly, when the first Macintosh computer came out, designers were overjoyed, finally, something for the designers as the telescope for the astronomists. However, that being said, has the invention of computers limited the creative process for web design?
Web designers, as much as programming skills are needed, we are also creatives that practice design thinking. Design thinking comprises of various knowledge such as culture and aesthetics, and design thinking fuels the creative process where a web designer comes up with the design of the website. The basis of all creative process actually begins from a hand sketch, sometimes we call it wire frames, sometimes we call it prototypes, but it is actually a sketch that we draw of the final website, a visual guide of how it will look like, and even this basic step has been taken over by computers most of the time.
The right way to work on creative projects is to first brainstorm, research and sketch out the ideas and visuals before production. But the real world has time and financial constrains where budgets make designers work faster and faster. It is almost speed over creative process, and the computer is a reason for this situation. There is so much less interaction between designers and the world as compared to they have with their computers right now.
Hence, does this mean that because of the computer, proper design thinking and creative process cannot be implemented? We do not believe so, while the speed of things have increased a lot with the introduction of computer, it is also true that we can access information faster. We consider the computer to be a tool that designers are addicted to, but it is a tool that help us become better web designers, all we need is to fight that addiction.
Being creative means to be flexible and accepting failures from trial and errors, learn from them and innovate from them. Computers help us understand the world faster, and reach out to the information that we want in far less time than decades ago. We should read up on the design thinking process and popular design publications, implement the creative process with a synergy between free hand drawing and computer software, be flexible, figure out what works the best for you as a designer.
However, remove yourself from the computer once in a while and reconnect with the world. As design is a means to communicate, how can you be a good designer if you do not understand the world you are communicating to?