

Ask HN: Web App design resources (django newbie) - tertius

1 man team needing some pointers.<p>I've been using Django for a while now and want to deploy a little project soon.  It will be digg'ish.<p>I've studied interaction design etc. but need a refresher and maybe some resources that have a Django slant.  I don't mind if they're not, would be preferred.<p>Any suggestions?
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malandrew
I would say that there isn't really a "Django slant" when it comes to UX and
interaction design.

Good UX and interaction design is completely independent from the framework
you choose to work with. It's about psychology and human behavior and
completely independent of the language or framework chosen. On the other hand,
your choice of Javascript framework will probably have an impact, since they
determine what UI elements you have in your toolbox.

I would check out sites like A List Apart, 52 weeks of UX, Smashing Magazine,
Boxes and Arrows, NetTuts, etc. to learn about UX design.

That being said, it is my understanding that Django generally requires more
configuration on a lot of things than Rails does. As a learner, this means
that you may be spending more time on configuring Django for your app that may
be better spent learning and applying UX concepts. Most UX happens at the
HTML, CSS and Javascript layers of your program.

On the other hand, I've heard more advanced devs complain that the conventions
in Rails sometimes gets in the way of doing something different and that this
isn't a problem with Django.

If you already know Python, by all means stick with Django, however if you are
learning the language at the same time as the framework, Ruby and Rails might
be a better choice because of the company you will find yourself in.

In my experience, I have also found that in general the RoR community is
better with UX and UI, however I also get the impression that the Python
community, at least in the US, is taking a lot more interest in excellent
front-ends these days. It may be that the community in general is priding
itself in UX or it may be that more startups are realizing that you can't have
the Asylum run by the Inmates and are hiring full-time front-end developers
from the beginning.

Here's a list of UX Tweeps to follow:
<http://www.luminanze.com/resources/uxtweeps.html>

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tertius
Awesome, thanks for the help.

When I said "with a django slant" I meant that the same person
blogging/talking about UX also has at least some Django experience, i.e. some
other posts about Django design specifically.

I'm on those resources!

Thanks again!

