If you are considering learning WordPress, there are some prerequisite skills that will help you to learn this popular content management system (CMS) more quickly.
Prerequisite skills for learning WordPress
Having certain skills before starting to learn WordPress, makes it both easier and faster for you to learn, as you will be able to focus exclusively on learning WordPress:
If you are wanting to use WordPress to design websites, having a basic understanding of User Experience (UX) design principles is helpful. This is true whether trying to learn WordPress or any other CMS, as you will want to know how to organize, structure, and design pages before building them inside WordPress.
Web designers wanting to learn WordPress benefit from first having an understanding of image editing and vector graphics. While you don’t need to be a Photoshop guru, you will need to know how to optimize the resolution of images for placement on the web, or create an SVG version of a logo. Because all web design, including WordPress, involves working with graphics and images, it is helpful to have some familiarity before trying to build your first website.
Knowledge of the user experience (UX) design process is also helpful. Because you will be using WordPress to create websites, understanding UX design principles helps you to research, plan, structure, and design your site. Skills such as user research, information architecture, and wireframing are all useful to know before learning WordPress.
Experience with a UX design tool is also helpful so that you can plan your web pages before you start to design. You can do this using an app such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD. These apps help you to define the structure, look, and interactions of your website before you start working in WordPress.
Another skill that is useful before learning WordPress is front-end web development. While WordPress is primarily a website creation tool, having an understanding of web development is beneficial. This includes knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. While it’s possible to build a WordPress site without knowing these, they are quite helpful when customizing a page, fine-tuning a layout, or troubleshooting a formatting error with text. While WordPress is designed to be a visual tool for creating web pages, there are times when it’s necessary to work within the web source code, making it useful to understand HTML and CSS.
Communication skills are another important skill for anyone developing a WordPress site. Because websites are often developed for clients, and often require interfacing with other designers and developers, there’s a significant amount of communication required. From gathering and defining plans, setting timelines, sharing progress updates, and gathering feedback, a WordPress web developer is required to communicate in many different ways.
Although WordPress’s interface is user-friendly, individuals who are new to using the platform should consider learning these prerequisite skills or enrolling in a formal training program before working with WordPress. These are especially valuable options for beginners who want to improve their design skills or pursue a career in web design.