iOS Designer to iOS Development?

[bumstah]

Hi guys, I have a basic question.

I have a graphic design background and I used to work only on Photoshop and Illustrator. However, last year I began diving into more front-end design work dealing with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I have to say I really enjoy coding and the basic programming I've been doing in JavaScript.

Now for someone like me that had no programming knowledge prior to JavaScript, how difficult would it be to learn Objective-C and make apps? I do understand the basics of loops, variables, arrays, and simple OOP due to JavaScript but not nearly as good to make my own web applications.

Would a 3-month timeframe to be comfortable with the syntax and a 6-month timeframe to build my first app be a realistic goal? I know this is pretty subjective, but I'm just trying to grasp a rough idea what my goals should be.

Thanks in advance

 

[Duncan C]

Hi guys, I have a basic question.

I have a graphic design background and I used to work only on Photoshop and Illustrator. However, last year I began diving into more front-end design work dealing with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I have to say I really enjoy coding and the basic programming I've been doing in JavaScript.

Now for someone like me that had no programming knowledge prior to JavaScript, how difficult would it be to learn Objective-C and make apps? I do understand the basics of loops, variables, arrays, and simple OOP due to JavaScript but not nearly as good to make my own web applications.

Would a 3-month timeframe to be comfortable with the syntax and a 6-month timeframe to build my first app be a realistic goal? I know this is pretty subjective, but I'm just trying to grasp a rough idea what my goals should be.

Thanks in advance

If you apply yourself and work at it day after day, week after week, and have an aptitude for it, yes. However, I would not expect to develop a full-featured commercial grade app in that time - rather something simple.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I'm a bit lost - what is your end goal? Are you making web apps or iOS apps? Are your apps going to require services that you program running on servers?

 

[bumstah]

I'm a bit lost - what is your end goal? Are you making web apps or iOS apps? Are your apps going to require services that you program running on servers?

My end goal is to make native apps for iOS, not Web apps. I am not planning on having live servers yet, I simply just want a basic app. Perhaps like a calendar module.

 

[larswik]

My end goal is to make native apps for iOS, not Web apps. I am not planning on having live servers yet, I simply just want a basic app. Perhaps like a calendar module.

Everyone learns at a different pace. I have a few apps in the app store and I have been programming a few years now and I am still learning. One thing is for sure, if you rush your self or start to high up you will most likely feel programming is to hard and give up.

I tried to start with OOP starting with objective C and it was a bit to complex. I stepped back to C and got a good grasp of that and then moved forward to Objective C. It took me about a year to really get the hang of programming.

 

[ohbrilliance]

With some dedication your goals are very achievable. Since you don't have a programming background, I would take the time to understand the theory behind coding, such as variables, control flow and Object-oriented programming. There's not a lot to learn, but doing so will give you a huge step-up. The iOS SDK is heavily based on OO techniques and design patterns.

 

[bumstah]

Thanks everyone for the input.

I feel like I have a much better grasp on what to expect in the future.

I'll probably continue to learn JavaScript until the end of the year and then try to dive into C or Objective-C, depending on how I feel about programming in general. I read from multiple posts here that Kochan's book is highly recommended but the 6th edition is being made so I'll probably wait until it's published!

 

[TouchMint.com]

I read from multiple posts here that Kochan's book is highly recommended but the 6th edition is being made so I'll probably wait until it's published!

Thats where I started its a pretty good book.

I am still not the best coder (actually pretty bad) theres a lot more to developing apps than just coding. I know programmers who can code circles around me but couldnt make a successful app if their lives depended on them. Using your resources, market research and design are also very very important.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Thats where I started its a pretty good book.

I am still not the best coder (actually pretty bad) theres a lot more to developing apps than just coding. I know programmers who can code circles around me but couldnt make a successful app if their lives depended on them. Using your resources, market research and design are also very very important.

That's not developing an app though - that's marketing an app. You can hire people to do that for you, if you can't do it yourself.