Design Answer: How can I learn to build cool websites?

Photo by Domenico Loia
Having a desire and curiosity are great first steps, so you’re on your way!
 
Learning the design tools themselves will become useful in the future for you. When your creativity and exposure is stronger it will allow you to output whatever you can dream up.
 
But there in lies the key: creativity and exposure. You need to push your creativity further, and always be exposing yourself to great design.
 
First with exposure: go out and be inspired! Go to sites like Dribbble and Behance and find cool looking designs. Save them in a board on Pinterest to refer to and load up on ideas. Consider it a "design quiver" from which you'll draw on when it comes time to design your own.
 
One step further, take some of those designs and try to recreate them in a design program. By rebuilding them, you'll learn all the small touches that make it so great.
 
 
To strengthen your creativity, I'd suggest 2 challenges you can give yourself.
 
First, come up with a design for a website (a simple sketch will do). Then.......come up with 99 more for that same website.
 
The number sounds ridiculous, but it will stretch you to the edge of your creativity. Your first 10 answers will be the first thoughts that pop into your head. The next 20 will be cliches or other's ideas. But by the time you get to 60, 80, and 100, you'll have to be reaching far far out there....also known as being creative.
 
A smaller and simpler exercise that is easy to do throughout your day is the "3 Use Trick".
 
When you pick up or spot an object, think up 3 different uses for it as fast as you can. "What else could we use those headphones for?" - "Softly hold an egg, bumper for a boat, legs for a robot toy".
 
The goal is to practice innovating on objects. Creativity is just the combining of two unlike things to make something new.
 
(I wrote an article on this trick as well: https://justenough.design/how-to-be-more-creative-the-3-use-trick/ )
 
So those would be great places to start on your journey to better and better UI design. Keep finding inspiration, keep pushing your creativity, and keep practicing.
 
Cheers to your future creative work!

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