There are a lot of negative emotions swirling around right now: fear; stress; frustration; anxiety; depression. And what’s worse is that it feels like there’s no escape from them. We don’t know how long the coronavirus crisis is going to last, so we can’t allow these negative emotions to overwhelm us day in and day out. It’s not sustainable. What’s more, there’s a direct correlation between negativity and productivity. So,...

I know this might seem like an odd question to ask. After all, it’s not like we’re living in a villain-filled Gotham City in need of saving. When it comes to asking the question, “Can web designers save the world?”, I look at it like this: Superheroes don’t exist in real life, so there’s no way that one single person on this planet is going to “save” the world — web designer or otherwise. But heroes that fight small battles that...

Have you ever heard of disaster recovery and business continuity? Basically, they’re processes that enable businesses to survive a crisis — no matter what it’s caused by: a natural disaster, economic downturn, personal emergency, or something else. There’s a lot involved, but one of the most important parts of recovery is how the company manages their finances before and during a crisis. This isn’t just for large corporations,...

Videos aren’t inherently accessible. Even if the content comes from an outside source — like a videographer or a YouTube channel — you’re still responsible for ensuring that every visitor on your website can fully access it. Video can serve many purposes for a website: Home page videos featuring company founders or illustrated walk-throughs of a solution can serve as a unique welcome to the site; Product videos give customers a better...

While it’s important to know about the latest research and surveys impacting web design, I think it’s just as important to stay informed about news that may affect your work as a designer. As such, this roundup of the latest research for web designers includes a mix of reports along with some news and facts about something that people are talking about all around the world: the coronavirus. A Better Lemonade Stand Analyzes the Best Remote...

Whenever a company posts a job opening for a web design employee or freelancer, they typically include a set of hard and soft skills they’re looking for. Hard skills are design skills that are measurable and well-documented. For instance: A degree in a web design-related field; Aptitude with Sketch or Photoshop; Training in color theory and responsive design. Your portfolio and résumé serve as proof of hard skills. Soft skills, on the...

There’s a lot riding on your shoulders as a freelance designer. You have to play the part of salesperson, project manager, web designer, accountant, and more. That’s why it’s critical to develop more efficient ways to work while maximizing results. One way that agencies and even small teams of designers do this is through design systems. By taking the time to create a collection of design standards, reusable components, and documentation,...

In the following roundup of the latest research for web designers, I’ve included reports and surveys that shed light on: The battle between mobile and desktop, Why so many websites keep getting hacked, What’s keeping ecommerce business owners awake at night, and What Google is now saying about mobile-first indexing. Hootsuite Puts a Spotlight on Mobile Although Hootsuite is a social media marketing tool, its Digital 2020 report...

Sadly, some clients can be just as sensitive, and triggered as online trolls; You recommend an update to a logo they designed themselves (even though you didn’t know that at the time); You disagree with their suggestion that paying for backlinks is a legit marketing strategy; You ask them to clarify what “I don’t like it” means in response to the mockups you delivered. Before you know it, they’re providing irrelevant feedback, slinging...

If we look at this from a design perspective, there’s definitely something about the way the user experiences are designed that makes them more attractive than other movie or TV viewing options. Especially Netflix. Today, I want to put the spotlight on Netflix and give you 3 lessons you can take away from the platform’s design and features. 1. Make Onboarding Painless Obviously, Netflix is a household name, so it doesn’t need to mince...

One of the most powerful tools we have in web design is consumer and industry data. It’s like a gauge that tells us whether we’re still heading in the right direction or it’s time to change course and adopt a new strategy or approach. Unless you’re combing the web for the latest news and reports in the areas of design, marketing, and SEO, it’s easy to miss this pertinent data. So, in this roundup, I’m going to take care of that for you....

One of the problems with coining a term like “user experience” or its acronym counterpart “UX” is that it opens up the floodgates for other trendy experience-related acronyms to enter the web design lexicon. CX, DX, EX, HX, JX, PX, UX, (U)XD... Is all of this really necessary though? While I don’t think you need to go adding EX or JX to your vocabulary anytime soon, it’s still a good idea to educate yourself on what these X acronyms...

Inclusive web design is more than just building a website that’s accessible for impaired individuals. Inclusivity means creating an environment (physical or digital) that’s welcoming of all people regardless of their: Age; Race; Ethnicity; Gender; Sexual orientation; Socioeconomic status; Body shape; Physical or mental impairment; And so on… But let’s be honest: it’s not always easy to find photos that feel inclusive —...

One of my mottos in life, and in business is this: “If Google tells you to do something, you better get it done.” And when it comes to using HTML meta tags for SEO, none of us should be messing around. That said, you know how it is with Google search. The algorithms are always changing and what Google deems important one year easily falls by the wayside the next. Which is why some of the meta tags you might run into are nothing more than legacy remnants...