Tag: Web

Web Performance For Third Party Scripts: SmashingConf VideosWeb Performance For Third Party Scripts: SmashingConf Videos The Smashing Editorial 2018-08-08T13:30:35+02:00 2018-08-09T16:03:42+00:00 We are continuing our exploration of video from Smashing Conferences this year with two videos that explore the impact of third party scripts. These scripts can add functionality, and give us valuable information, but what do they cost? These two talks will help you to assess the third party scripts you might be considering adding to a site, and to be able to advise your clients or team members when the request comes in to add yet another script to a global include fi...

Web designers are some of the hardest working people I know. Which is why I don’t envy them having to design websites and other content for clients while managing their freelance design business and continually being on the lookout for new clients. Something I’m reminded of when I think about this, however, is the fact that it’s 25% more expensive to find new clients than retain the ones you already have. It makes sense when you think about how much time you put into scouring the web for clients, reaching out in the hopes of pitching your portfolio, and, possibly, onboarding them as a client. it’s 25% more expensive to find new clients than retain the ones you already have Retaining clients, on the other hand, just doesn’t require as much work. You’ve already laid the foundation and esta...

Ladies, Gentlemen, and Our Secret Reptilian Overlords, I asked for more color in last month’s article, and you have delivered. It’s August, now, and to distract myself from the oppressive heat, I have gathered some 20 of these more colorful designs together for your perusal. So as you might guess, there’s a fair bit of variety this month. There’s still some good old monochromatic minimalism for those of you who like that, so never fear. There’s just a bit more balance, this time around. Note: I’m judging these sites by how good they look to me. If they’re creative and original, or classic but really well-done, it’s all good to me. Sometimes, UX and accessibility suffer. For example, many of these sites depend on JavaScript to display their content at all; this is a Bad Idea, kids. If you ...

Attracting Users To Evaluate Your ProductAttracting Users To Evaluate Your Product Joe Leech 2018-08-05T23:30:38+01:00 2018-08-07T12:41:07+00:00 (This is a sponsored article.) The entire ecosystem in which we are designing and researching the user experience is shifting and changing constantly. Traditional UX skills need to be expanded to meet the reality of the modern digital ecosystem. Understanding the user is essential to the job, but you also need to understand the wider user context. How do they discover they have a need? How do they find and evaluate a product to meet that need? This three-part series outlines the three phases of the product life cycle,...

Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers.  The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the Webdesigner News site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week. Note that this is only a very small selection of the links that were posted, so don’t miss out and subscribe to our newsletter and follow the site daily for all the news. Evolving the Firefox Brand   The Age of the Wordless Logo   How I Built my Side Project and Got 31,000 Users the First Week   Art and Copy: Bridging the Gap Between Design and Conten...

Every week we feature a set of comics created exclusively for WDD. The content revolves around web design, blogging and funny situations that we encounter in our daily lives as designers. These great cartoons are created by Jerry King, an award-winning cartoonist who’s one of the most published, prolific and versatile cartoonists in the world today. So for a few moments, take a break from your daily routine, have a laugh and enjoy these funny cartoons. Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below as well as any related stories of your own… Time is money Time machine   Designer boot camp Can you relate to these situations? Please share your funny stories and comments below… Add Realistic Chalk and Sketch Lettering Effects with Sketch’it – only $5! So...

We Are Just Getting Started: 1,000 Smashing MembersWe Are Just Getting Started: 1,000 Smashing Members Vitaly Friedman 2018-08-03T13:50:31+02:00 2018-08-03T11:54:40+00:00 We’ve all been there: bringing a new product to the market is a tough nut to crack. It requires patience, commitment, and a bit of healthy stubbornness. That's the exact attitude we started off with when we launched our shiny new Smashing Membership last October — a friendly and respectful community that keeps this website alive, along with books, webinars, discounts, networking, and a seasoned selection of fancy cats. Thanks to the generous support of Smashing Members, we're incredibly honor...

There’s a certain peace to be found at night, when the world goes dark and silent. You might settle down on the couch for a moment, and just soak in the absence of noise and bustle. However, if you’re at work, and the world goes dark and silent, it’s a lot less comforting. At the very least, it means a delay in your work. If you’re a freelancer, that could very well mean a delay in getting paid. It’s stressful, and it can happen anywhere, to anyone. First world countries can’t always prevent power-outs. Countries like Mexico can set their clocks by them. How do you know it’s rainy season? The power’s out. Oh, and the rain. Now, this isn’t always a terrible thing. A break might be just what you need to gather your thoughts, relax, and get ready to work like mad when the power’s back. Or, y...

There’s no question that making your website’s pages load fast is important. Research shows that people start to lose focus on something after a single second, and lose interest completely somewhere between 4 and 10 seconds. There’s even a direct correlation between slow load times and losing sales, according to Amazon and Kissmetrics. But who has time for complex tools like reading waterfall charts? The easy solution would be to just keep files small and design simple, right? Maybe not. Modern design trends are heading towards animation and detailed, fullscreen images. If you don’t have these assets, your site may look washed out next to your competitors. And while these features may increase user engagement and sales in a vacuum, they don’t do anything for you if they bog down your site...