Microsoft Design .toolbox
Microsoft are trying really hard to help developers improve their “programmer art”.
The latest initiative by them is the release of the Microsoft Design .toolbox, which is a whole bunch of online videos and assessments presented in a ‘zero-to-hero’ style, timed to coincide with the latest release of Expression Studio.
There are two tracks in the ‘School’ section:
- Principles, which looks at design fundamentals in a conceptual way and,
- Scenarios, which puts the concepts into practice using Expression Studio and Silverlight.
Some of the material has been released before, I’m thinking particularly of Robby Ingebretsen‘s excellent ‘Design Fundamentals for Developers’ session from MIX 09, but most of it is new for this site, as far as I know.
Each track takes about 12 hours to complete and, having completed both, I can honestly say they are a fantastic intro to design for non-designers. I even ordered a design book from Amazon!
