When you first move to a new city, you aren’t familiar with the roads. You buy a map to help guide you, you ask Google how to get you from here to there most efficiently, and you stop and ask people directions.
After you’ve lived in the city for a while, you become familiar and confident. You start to understand the road naming conventions, the north/south corridors that are the fastest, the quickest way downtown from your location.
The more experience you have with the city, the better you understand how to arrive exactly where you want to without running into any snags. But yet, there’s always more to learn.
Like a city, every profession has its own learning curve. Are you exploring past your comfort zone?
Taking the slow scenic route
When I am faced with a new site design, I refer to the things I have learned so far. There’s the fastest route from A to B, but is it the best way to get there for my client? Each web site requires a different set of directions.
It’s tempting to slap different faces on the same website, or to drive the same streets over and over. The only way that you can continue to expand your knowledge – and gain experience – is if you explore alternate routes. The route may be slower but more scenic. It may be boring but fast. It’s important to explore before choosing the route that is best – for you, and for your clients.
