Category Web Design

Things come easy, things come difficult.

For the past 17+ years, I’ve created websites. HTML, XHTML, HTML5, CSS, CSS3, you name it, I’ve done it. I’ve even used Flash, JavaScript and jQuery to enhance my sites. Again, I’ve used JavaScript & jQuery, but I haven’t known it up to this point.

I’ve spent over a decade trying to grasp it; each time, it would elude me and/or I’d become distracted by something more digestible. With the JavaScript renaissance (the advent of JavaScript libraries, AJAX, and all the other developer toys), JavaScript and related libraries have become a requirement in the front-end developer’s tool belt. And overnight, I was behind the ball instead of alongside or in front. So this year, I’ve made it a priority to not only learn, but know JavaScript. I don’t want nor need to be an expert (as I’m heading down a UX track). But I have to know it, create it, manipulate it.

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There’s two things that befuddle me (well, there are more, but I digress…). Job titles in the web/internet industry and Twitter.

I love Twitter. I primarily use Twitter to follow my mentors and peers in the web/Internet industry. One thing though that frustrates me to no end is that lack of dialog, discussion. I’m also frustrated by the lack of engagement when I post items/questions of interest. I’ll eventually figure that out. But discussion on Twitter is lacking. Sharing online resources and Instagrams is hot, but not opinions and discussions (@mollydotcom, excluding you for now, but you’re my fav).

This was true until this morning. A fantastic thread started between Andy Budd (@andybudd) and Mark Bouton (@markbouton), then spread to a few other luminaries in the web design and user experience industries. For now, I’ll leave them nameless. Below, I’ve attempted to capture the thread in its entirety for posterity, awareness and a note on how a proper debate should be handled. Apologies in advance for any inaccuracies/order discrepancies. Maybe our politicians should consider Twitter during the upcoming campaign. Keep rebuttals down to 140 characters … HA!

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I previously wrote about an experience where a restaurant forced me to visit their website for their menu, only to discover that their website (including their menu) were in Flash.

Recently, I again had the need to lookup a restaurants menu online, via a mobile device. This time, the menu was in PDF format, making me traverse virtual hoops to see what the restaurant offered. Why do restaurants make it so hard to obtain information?

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I recently searched the web for some deals on a new product I had tried out. Visiting the manufacturer’s website, I discovered a coupon offering decent savings. You had to provide your contact information, which for me was a decent exchange for the coupon’s value. I completed the form and submitted it.

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— “Put the cart before the horse.”

Why do website owner’s do this? All the time? They come up with a great website element or feature. Then, they build the site around it. But they forget the primary reason for the site. The goal. Increase sales. Sell books. Increase downloads of brochures. They’ll all agree that these are the reasons they wanted a website in the first place.

Then why is the goofy menu, or the tacky videos the focus?

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Late last year, I wanted to verify thoughts I had on web design and the industry, specifically related to the web design process. I tapped my network at LinkedIn to poll. The results are definitely not scientific, as the questions were polled at different times, with different responders. Consider this just a quick check into the industry, not an all encompassing survey, like A List Apart’s Web Design Survey.

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The topic of using text-decoration versus border-bottom for hyperlinks recently cross my mind. To be honest, I had never consider the effects and impacts of these two different implementations. However, since playing with these concepts, it has become quite an important usability item to me.

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I really don’t know the official term to describe this method. It’s not new, by all means. However, it’s a powerful method of using CSS code & classes effectively and efficiently.

Multiple CSS Classes

First, you may not be aware that you can use multiple css classes on elements. Example:
<p class="classone classtwo"></p>
Here’s where the power comes in. We can use these multiple classes to separate the structure from the “skin.”

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Just learned of a great new web design podcast.

The Pipeline, hosted by Dan Benjamin, features interviews with leading designers, developers, writers, and entrepreneurs. The first episode featured Jeffrey Zeldman, designer, founder of ALA. I found this to be the best interview with Jeffrey.

Other shows feature interviews with Ryan Carson and Jason Fried, with more interviews to come.

Visit the web site to listen to individual interviews, or subscribe via iTunes.

My typical post center around sharing my knowledge and experience with other web professionals. This particular post will depart from the norm and cover the very important topic of diversity & respect in the web industry, specifically related to gender.

I recently attended the 200th episode of the Boagworld podcast. The podcast celebrated by spanning twelve hours with special guests; experts in their specific web-related field. As usual with the Boagworld podcast, there was plenty of banter, including a few music numbers and bad jokes, along with the valuable, motivating information. If you don’t listen to the podcast, I highly recommend it.

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Early in my web career, say 2000, I was always told to limit what you emphasize. The theory is that the more you emphasize, the less something is emphasized. I remember debating with several content producers on this topic.

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I recently had a bad experience at a local restaurant. So what does that have to do with web design?

My wife & I were told to view the carryout menu online. As we were physically at the restaurant, we attempted to view the menu on the restaurant’s website from our smart phones. That failed, due to the site being created solely in Flash.

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It’s a new year, and it’s time to get back to work.

So why do your websites still read © last year or worse?

Most web site owners forget to update their copyright date. And it’s easy to understand why. For most sites, the footer, where the copyright date usually sits, is below the fold and in small type anyways. But for site visitors, it can communicate the freshness of a website’s content. So it doesn’t hurt to make sure this information is updated.

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We are truly blessed.

No, I’m not getting religious. As a web professional, we here in Chicago are truly bless.

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I just concluded a month long, onsite project for a mid-to-large sized company. The project was to consolidate several client-side applications into one web-based application for corporate & field employees. It was personally rewarding on several levels (besides financial). First, got to work with a company that has a seemingly great culture of teamwork and respect, of which I truly appreciate. I also had the opportunity to do some things graphically that I had not focused on before. Now don’t picture anything life changing here, just plenty of expanding rounded corner boxes, a logo, and an animated graphic (.gif) designed in Illustrator that involved 2-3D images. The final task was to create styles that would be implemented on an ASP.NET-based application leveraging ASP components & extensions. The latter proved to be an unexpectedly difficult challenge.

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