Expectations are Everything
WordPress 5.0 is coming out tomorrow. You should make sure you’re prepared. Also, we can learn a lot about communication from the frustrations and confusions surrounding this software update.
Expectations
How Websites are Like Porches (A Metaphor from CSS Tricks) [link]
How building a porch is like building a website.
Don’t Open Links In New Windows: Part II [link]
More reasons to not force links to open in a new tab or window. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Check Your Assumptions [aside]
Too often, I find that a client and I can have a 30 minutes conversation before realizing we’re not talking about the same thing. Other times, something “obvious” to one person is incomprehensible to the other. Why does this happen?
Let Your Software Be Your Guide [aside]
Software settings can only personalize so much. In the end, we must balance the need to find something that makes sense to us with learning how it’s intended to be used.
The Worst Practice Cycle [image]
I think I’ve identified a common pattern for the way certain “worst practices”—as opposed to “best practices”—continue to live on well past their prime.
External Links: Accessibilty and Control [link]
I know people have their reasons for wanting to make links open in new windows, but there are real problems with that. Here’s a link where someone does a great job explaining why we should stop.
Labels Matter: “Blog” vs. “News”
Labels make a difference. If you say to someone “Here, have this delicious apple,” and then hand them a watermelon, confusion ensues. Obviously, the name of the frequently-updated section of a website is a little more ambiguous. It’s also more important.