# Getting Started: Prerequisites

**What you need to start learning WDS**

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## What Skills You Need

**Required (you probably already have these):**

- Basic design thinking and UX principles
- Ability to sketch interfaces (hand-drawn or digital)
- Understanding of user needs and business goals
- Willingness to think deeply about WHY

**NOT required:**

- ❌ Coding skills
- ❌ Advanced technical knowledge
- ❌ Experience with AI tools
- ❌ Formal design education

**The truth:** If you can design interfaces and explain your thinking, you have everything you need to start.

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## Time Investment

### How Long Does It Take?

**Total course time:** ~10 hours

- Spread over days or weeks at your own pace
- Each module: 30-40 minutes
- Practice exercises: 1-2 hours per module

**Breakdown:**

- **Week 1-2:** Foundation modules (Why WDS, Project Brief)
- **Week 3-4:** Core workflow (Trigger Mapping, Scenarios)
- **Week 5-6:** Advanced topics (Design Systems, Handoff)
- **Ongoing:** Practice with your own projects

**Real-world application:**

- First project with WDS: 2-3x slower than your usual process (learning curve)
- Second project: Same speed as traditional approach
- Third project onwards: 3-5x faster with better quality

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## Tools You'll Need

### Essential Tools

**For sketching:**

- Paper and pen (seriously, this works best)
- OR digital sketching tool (Excalidraw, Figma, iPad + Pencil)

**For AI assistance:**

- Access to Claude, ChatGPT, or similar AI assistant
- Free tier is sufficient to start

**For documentation:**

- Text editor (VS Code recommended, but any will work)
- Markdown support (built into most modern editors)

**For collaboration:**

- Git/GitHub (optional but recommended)
- Shared folder system (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)

**Total cost to get started:** $0-20/month

- Free tier AI tools work fine
- Paid AI subscriptions ($20/month) provide better experience but aren't required

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## Are You Ready?

You have everything you need if you can answer YES to these:

- ✅ I can design interfaces and explain my thinking
- ✅ I have 10 hours to invest over the next few weeks
- ✅ I have access to basic tools (paper/pen + AI assistant)
- ✅ I'm willing to think deeply about WHY

**Next:** Choose your learning path

**[Continue to Learning Paths →](02-learning-paths.md)**

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[← Back to Overview](overview.md) | [Next: Learning Paths →](02-learning-paths.md)
