Web Designers in Cape Town have a BIG PROBLEM. In fact, I’m sure the same situation occurs the world over. With the current state of tertiary education in South Africa web design courses have been added as an after thought at the end of graphic design courses. Many greatly skilled graphic designers find their way to interviews for digital design positions thinking that great design skills and the three month section of their studies that covered web design will stand them in good stead for the position.

Upon seeing what actually goes into good interactive design, they end up shocked. To my knowledge, no courses currently running in Cape Town cover usability studies, best design practices, or even the latest advances in technologies like jQuery and Flash. The bulk of what I’m seeing taught is useless HTML design with no purpose. I refer to one large tertiary education institution in the heart of Cape Town whose final web brief was a four page design for a company selling cup cakes. In the real world of web design we face challenges of representing large bodies of data. Making it easy to use and an enjoyable experience for the user thereby incorporating technology that can add value and make the site smooth and functional.

These mislead designers might be shocked that actual industry professionals would tell them to close Photoshop and start with planning, sketching, wire-framing, usability study research and after the design, some serious testing and adjustment where necessary. Then there are aspects of the job that aren’t so obvious; planning, time management, knowledge sharing and continuous self-learning and research.