Opinion posts

Mobile web traffic almost doubled in 2012, but that growth slowed dramatically in 2013 and mobile has even lost market share in February.

Are we seeing the beginning of the end of mobile growth on...

Responsive web design has become a near ubiquitous buzzword on the web. Try searching for #rwd on Twitter to find equal parts content and Twitter spam. This is a common phase in the maturing of a new idea. I remember when AJAX was all the rage; the term got driven into the ground. Now, few people talk about AJAX but libraries like jQuery are fully embraced in a developer’s workflow.

This seems to mirror what’s happening to responsive web design. The term is everywhere. A friend of mine is in magazine publishing, she went to a conference recently, and an editor for a well-known new magazine was talking about upcoming trends and mentioned responsive web design. Editors may not be web professionals, but they know...

In the first part of this series we looked at the failings that lead to the structural elements new to HTML5; in the second part of the series we looked in detail at the consequences of those failings; in this final part we’ll look for a way forward, and draw some conclusions about the current state of play.

This is not an abstract problem: people actually have to teach this stuff. The next generation of web designers and developers will be taught with HTML5 as a starting point. I feel sorry for whoever has to try and explain outlining and sectioning to the current and future crop of students. Perhaps they’ll wisely stick to the simple format we have that...

In the first part of this series we covered the failings that lead to HTML5′s structural elements, in this second part we’ll look in detail at the consequences of those failings.

I’ve said several times that HTML5 introduces a new method of structuring a web page, and you’re probably wondering what that actually is. It’s right there in the spec, which introduces the concept of ‘sectioning content’: sectioning content is content that defines the scope of headings and footers. Each sectioning content element potentially has a heading and an outline.

The spec documents its approach to headings, sections, and outlines to make the concept clear. Well, clear to those who...

HTML’s structural elements — article, section, nav and aside — are, at first glance, some of the easiest parts of the HTML5 specification to understand and implement. However, they’re actually some of the most poorly specified, poorly understood, and poorly implemented parts of HTML5.

Created arbitrarily; they attempt to introduce a whole new way of structuring web pages; they violate HTML’s own design principles; they harm accessibility for some users; and you shouldn’t use them.

Yes, I’m coming out guns-blazing against this specific part of HTML5, but please don’t assume I’m ‘anti-HTML5’. I’ve written a book about HTML5, I love the open web, I love good web standards, and I love the fact that after working through a decade...

Every year the world of web design gets a new catch phrase that trends on just about every discussion platform there is. Some time ago, responsive web design was a blip on the radar that picked up a massive amount of steam recently.

We all know why responsive web design is so important, with the influx of mobile devices designers need some way to present their sites so that it looks as good to a person on their smartphone as it does while sitting in front of a 27-inch monitor. Responsive design is just that, the technology that keeps things standard...

People build websites for many reasons: to reach a wider audience; to sell, promote, or express; to appease peer pressure. Novelty stopped being a reason circa 2001. In its place, we have of course: of course I have a website; of course you have to have a Facebook wall, Twitter account, LinkedIn profile, or Pinterest board; of course we all have email.

And, of course, web design uses HTML and CSS — two languages with which browser makers and designers find common ground. But many web designers create amazing variety with the same language rules by asking what if instead of falling into of course.

Others stick with what works.

Those who follow conventional wisdom use not only the language but the...

Your portfolio website sucks.

You built it to showcase your cumbersome genius, the work on there is spectacular, and it should be the envy of the entire web community.

It was designed to bring in new clients, get you picked up on design blogs, win the respect of your peers, prove to your ex-boss that you do have what it takes afterall, and impress...

Restaurant websites have become infamous for their outdated designs, and frustrating user experience. How many times have you visited a restaurant website and asked, “What was this web designer thinking?”

We see the same (often laughable) problems again and again: background music as you skip past another Flash website “intro”; PDF food menus (or no menu at all); all of the content is image-based instead of text, causing extremely slow load times. The list goes on and on…

As you would in any website design project, you must start by putting yourself in the visitor’s shoes and pinpointing their most pressing needs. For restaurants, we know that visitors want to easily browse the food menu. They want to know the restaurant’s location and it’s operating hours. They want to see a few photos to get a feel for the interior dining...

Dieter Rams, a German industrial engineer, is one of the most influential designers of the 20th and 21st centuries. He is best known for his work with Braun consumer products.

Among them are the T3 pocket radio — on which the design of the Apple iPod was based — and the 606 universal shelving system.

One day, as the story goes, he asked himself, “Is my design good design?” His answer to that question gave rise to his famous...

I started my career as an illustrator until a motorcycle accident took my career. My smashed hand, arm, and spirit never recovered to the point I could handle a drawing tool again. I always tried to reach for impact…shock…lasting impressions…some said nightmares.

Luckily, my hand could hold a computer mouse very nicely and, with a lot of study and experience, I moved into the design field and became an art director, sitting across the desk from illustrators as my vendors.

There was a great difference between the people I use to service as clients and myself—I allowed greater freedom to the artist and encouraged them to go a step or two farther with the visual impact. I argued the points with editors to publish art that...