In my career like many, I follow quite a lot of well known people in the same field who are developers or designers who are quite well versed in their knowledge as well content-creators. Have come to follow them on some online learning platforms like LinkedIn, Behance, Udemy or through FreeCodeCamp. Most I have initially found through YouTube, these are just a few of the top 6 in each category that are worth noting.
Developers
I really like Traversy Media work because he is able to break complicated subject matter in a rather simple way to understand. He is also a local to the Greater Boston area too! He covers a vast amount of information in the full-stack of technology which is impressive and have taken many of his courses through Udemy. Ray Villalobos is equally the next best instructor I have come across through many tutorials back when LinkedIn Learning was lynda.com! There is so much in the development field that he is one of my goto sources on the latest and greatest as well. His content is so polished, concise and makes learning fun. Kevin Powell is by far very knowledgeable in CSS, so when there is new syntax released I hit up his video content for deeper explanations.
I ran into Ania Kubow work on YouTube when I was looking for explanation on some JS topics, her knowledge is just outstanding especially in other dev areas. Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski I came across through a podcast called syntax.fm – which they host and when I was searching for additional information on JS. I signed up for Wes’ JS courses through his website after watching a few of his tutorials at one point through another site.
UI | User Interface Designers
Design is by far my first passion and there is so much content out there covering UI/UX. There are so many channels covered on this subject by so many but through the years these are some of the specialists I have learned from.
Jesse Showalter is a great content creator in the design field of UI. I have learned so much on various design and biz practices through his tutorials and discord channel. Howard Pinksky is another great UI/UX specialist for whom I came across on Adobe’s Behance livestream tutorials. The animation and special effects design elements are amazing. Mizko I recently came across, he has such amazing strategy and design content based on his experience with his background in agency work.
I came across Gary Simon content when I was just learning AdobeXD and Figma for the first time. The attention to such detail in the tutorials he provides are great. Rachel How is a newer channel I came across and her content on design and productivity is quite good. The fact that she designs and codes as well is impressive too! As for CG Cookie I have a bit of interest in 3D design and utilizing open source applications like Blender. The channel is created by a small crew of 3D designers who specialize in covering this app and providing a wealth of tutorials on various projects. Sometimes you want to provide artwork that you just cannot get with stock photos and learning a new skill is always in my interest!
UX | User Experience Research & Design
When learning more about user experience there are 3 people that come to mind for me first. Steve Krug who I learned about when attending college and given his book – “Don’t Make Me Think“. There is so much to learn from his content by not overcomplicating things. Jared Spool is another UX Strategist who runs a great community called “Leaders of Awesomeness” – there are just some amazing information on the research process through his work. Paul Boag is someone who I have followed since the start of my career. Came to hear about his work when I would read publications such as Web Designer Magazine or .NET Magazine where he was featured, then later through listening to his weekly podcasts and written contributions to Smashing Magazine. His background in digital marketing and UX best practices are so insightful.