There's already all kinds of resources to purchase on design (including Design for Hackers, which Wells mentioned). And if you're willing to pay for it, that's awesome. But the thing is, most of us developers aren't, because we don't think we'll be good at it, we don't think we need to be good at it, we don't think it's worth the investment, we aren't "designers" and therefore don't want to spend the cash on it, etc.

But we really need everyone to understand good design theory, at least at a basic level. It streamlines the development process, and it may even prompt a few developers who hadn't really thought about it to do a little more with design.

What I love about Hack Design is that it is free and very casual, which means I can look into it in my spare time because of my own interest and motivation, without any investment and without any risk.

Also it should be noted that the course is largely comprised of a curated set of already-out-there blog posts, articles, tools, and other materials. Curated is the active word there; it's like a guided tour of the design community. The toughest thing about getting started with any new area of learning is knowing where to start, especially with something so vast and foreign to many of us as design. Having someone to point you in the right direction, let alone guide you step by step through the entire foundational process, is a huge leg up.

Okay, I'll stop gushing now. I just really enjoy and appreciate this course.