With Smashing Magazine, I’ll be doing a workshop on Responsive Design Workflow in Berlin on November 11. Here’s why.
My book, Responsive Design Workflow, has been available since mid-April. The content of the book (as the workflow described within it) is not difficult, but the concepts and techniques presented do become more complex as the chapters progress. For those without coding experience, the later chapters require an openness to new approaches and a certain amount of patience. While the reader is practically hand-held through every step, it can take some time and practice to get used to my approach.
The point of the book is not to say, “this is the workflow you should adopt”, but rather to get readers to think critically about their own responsive design workflow and inspire them to change as needed. I do this by describing my own workflow, which while “different”, has been heavily battle-tested in real projects. I simply can’t describe every workflow out there. I also can’t simply write a book about new workflow theory and not give any examples of a workflow that works. So that’s what I did, and readers can choose whether or not my particular workflow is for them.
Some people have been intrigued by what they’ve read in the book, and I generally receive positive reactions about it. That said, I’ve noticed that for some it’s a lot like cookbook: you read it, you understand what’s there, but watching someone cook from it adds a lot to the understanding of it.
Reading something is one thing, but seeing it done and trying it out yourself adds insight and can be the difference between learning and not learning.
To this end, the Smashing Magazine folks and I have teamed up; I’m hosting a workshop on the content of the book. The first one will be held in just a couple of weeks, on November 11, in Berlin. We’ll have a fun and busy day working through things like:
- Doing content inventories for design comps
- Making simple and effective responsive wireframes in the browser
- Gaining insight into content and design by “designing in text”
- Ease into the responsive design process by making a linear design first
- Planning and documenting breakpoints by drawing breakpoint graphs
- How to make web-based design mockups (and replace PSDs as deliverables)
- How to present your designs to stakeholders
- How to create self-updating style guides
It’s going to be a fun-filled day! There may be new dates and locations for this workshop in 2014, but this is the only one I’m doing for the rest of this year.
Smashing is putting on a bunch of other workshops in November and December, hosted by the likes of Dan Rubin, Remy Sharp, Andrew Clarke, and more. Be sure to check them out.
So if you’re able, come join me in Berlin!