In my experience as an educator in web design, I see how students work with and interact with computer programs differently. Photoshop is an amazing image editing program that allows students to create professional presentation graphics or surreal images out of dreams and nightmares. There are specific skills needed to manipulate the program, but rarely do they get a response from the computer that states, “Sorry, your image can not be viewed”. Because of this, there is a large safely net that allows exploration with the program. At any point if your work isn’t looking the way you wanted it to, then they simply undo the steps.

Now more advanced web design programs do not have this ‘safely-net’, like Dreamweaver and Flash. There is little room for experimentation. There typically is a process you need to follow and once you learn and understand this project, it very well is quite easy. But learning this process has a curve that is unique to each of us.

When you watch us professors lecture and demonstrate skills in class, you expect precision and accuracy. When we stumble over a word or a technique, we lose credibility. We can review the importance of Practice, but it is the deliberate motions that athletes aim for in each shot, hit, throw, or catch they make. Actors call this technique “hitting your mark”. Whether on stage or in front of a camera they are expected to be perceive with their lines and movements. It is the same determination that you need when learning a new software program. You need to, ‘Think before you do it.’

Try this:
Scenario #1:
While sitting in front of your computer, pick up your mouse with your hand
(depending on if you are left or right handed).
Move it over to the opposite side of the keyboard and place it anywhere.

Scenario #2:
Now put the mouse back. Before you do this again, really focus on how you are going
to hold the mouse before you touch it and exactly where you are going to place that
mouse down on the other side of the keyboard. Visualize the steps and locations
before you do it and then try it again doing exactly what you imagined.

Did you feel the difference? Both Scenarios do the same thing with the same movements. But moving the mouse from one side to the other, didn’t Scenario #2 feel a little more efficient?

It is important that you take control over what you do when working with these programs. It is easy to get sloppy and just want the program to work the way you intend it to. But without the determination and focus, you’ll always be a little sloppy and this opens the door for mistakes. When learning a program for the first time, the more you can minimize your mistakes, the less frustrated you may be.

This concept of moving with purpose is just as important once you understand a program where you are working with the design of the project. The use of type, color, content layout, navigation, etc. all can be hastily dropped onto a canvas. But it is the focused determination in how you apply and create each of these elements that will result in a more successful outcome.

Whether it is working with a computer program, creating a logo, or grabbing a stack of handouts, selecting one, and handing the stack to the next student, visualize the motion you want to make and then do it efficiently.

This concept isn’t new and as I was researching this topic I came across Japanese tea ceremonies that practice the concept of mindfulness. The Japanese tea ceremony is a lesson in perfection. Each choreographed movement is preformed with focus and care. Consider how your movement interacting with a computer can be more mindful as well.

Image via Okinawa Soba [Flickr]