Information Cascades and Bad Website Decisions
Why do people put bad design elements and features on their websites? Information cascades are a good way to think about it.
Best Practices
10 Things Your Image of Text Can’t Do (That Real Text Can)
Whenever you can, don’t use images of text, just type out the text. There are an overwhelming number of reasons why.
On CSS Tricks: In Praise of the Unambiguous Click Menu
I just had another post published on the CSS Tricks blog! This one shares why click-triggered submenus are better than ones that appear on hover, complete with diagrams and a demo!
“Resilient Web Design” by Jeremy Keith
There’s nothing like reading a short book about web design on a plane! I just finished reading Jeremy Keith’s fantastic web book Resilient Web Design. It is itself a website, and it’s built so that supported-browsers can store it offline once you’ve visited any page on the site! How resilient! The primary point of the book … Continue reading ““Resilient Web Design” by Jeremy Keith”
Common Heading Mistakes
It’s really important not just to use headings when writing for the web but to use them correctly. Here are the most common mistakes I see when people try to use headings.
8 Reasons Not to Use a Slideshow for Your Nonprofit Website
Slideshows aren’t the new, hip things they used to be, and they never should have been! Now is time to cut the cord on your nonprofit website’s home page slideshow.
Recognizing and Avoiding Domain Name Scams
This week I got a letter about one of my website domains, except it wasn’t from my domain registrar. What did they want and why?
Cases for Accessibility [link]
On my blog, in talks, and in my work with clients, I’ve really taken it upon myself to advocate for accessible design and development practices. There are so many good arguments for accessibility, yet it’s not always easy to get decision makers to buy in to accessibility requirements or commit to investing money in accessibility. Elle … Continue reading “Cases for Accessibility [link]”
Documentation Brainstorm (Reporting Back from InfoCamp Seattle)
Documentation is often a word that elicits groans, but it doesn’t have to! You barely notice good documentation because it just helps you and then you move on. Here are tips for avoiding the bad and embracing the good documentation practices, generated during my sessions at InfoCamp Seattle 2015.
Tip: CTRL/CMD + F for Find in Page [link]
Do you know what CTRL + F on Windows does (or CMD + F on Macs)? In many programs, it allows you to “Find in Page.” This is immensely useful, particularly in browsers and word processors. If you don’t know it, join the club! Apparently most people don’t: 90 percent of people in their studies don’t … Continue reading “Tip: CTRL/CMD + F for Find in Page [link]”
Own Your Content
What if you woke up one day and found your website had disappeared? Would you mourn the hours (or days!) of effort you put into it? Owning your content is the way to prevent that.
No Justification: Don’t Use Right, Center, and Full Justification on the Web
Last week’s post on formatting in WordPress makes way to this in-depth discussion of a simple topic: text alignment. In nearly every case, don’t do it!
A WordPress Formatting Manifesto
I recently released the MRW Web Design Simple TinyMCE plugin for WordPress. It’s a plugin that came directly out of the work I do to serve clients and make using WordPress as easy as possible. In this post, I want to share how I made the final decisions for what buttons I removed from the default WordPress editor, and provide a framework for what it means to format content well on the web.
Quick Tip: Use Real Lists When Writing For the Web
Lists are one of the best ways to format text so that a page is easy to read. Unfortunately, it’s common to see “fake” lists that aren’t as attractive or readable. Learn to recognize real and fake lists, diagnose what kind of list you’re using, and fix them!
Open Letter: Gravity Forms 1.9 Placeholder and Label Settings Mean More Inaccessible Forms
One of my very favorite WordPress plugins, Gravity Forms, is making a mistake with the implementation of two new form field settings. But it’s not too late to change it!
Why Contrast Matters
Contrast. You know it when you see it. Literally! Using sufficient contrast in web design ensures that EVERYONE can use your website. To make your site accessible, you’ll need to understand how contrast is measured and how to test it yourself.