I think this effort is the next step in making the web a better place, just like the web standards movement brought change in how everyone builds for the web and how browser manufacturers build their browsers. We should be encouraging designers to look for inspiration in the real world and teaching them how to invoke certain emotions and reach certain audiences through design.

I think the biggest problem is that “web design” as an industry is made up mainly of self-taught, trial and error designers who make up their own curriculum as they go along. Plus, there is no requirement to earn a certification or get a license to become a designer, unlike becoming a doctor or an attorney.

I think once we start to see standards in web design programs in higher education that include a wide range of creative and technical courses we’ll see more designers that truly understand both creative design for the web as well as technical limitations and/or possibilities.