Germany had ways to learn carrier design before Graf Zeppelin

Should Graf Zeppelin's flaws be excused because it was Germany's first aircraft carrier?

Only to a point: Germany had ample ways to experiment and learn from other navies but chose to proceed directly to a fleet carrier.

Graf Zeppelin was Germany's first carrier, but Germany had other ways to gain experience before attempting a fleet carrier. A test vessel comparable to USS Wolverine could have supported practical experiments. British carrier-development reports and professional papers were public, and German-Japanese technical exchange offered another source of information. Germany instead chose an ambitious design without first building a test bed or fully absorbing lessons from other navies.