Here's some thoughts I had today on my roll as a web developer/designer. Hoping to open this up for discussion.
- andy!
- Work with the functionality, not against it, or around it. The best products are a good marriage of form and function. The worst products focus on one or forget the other.
- Think in terms of user tasks, not pages—This is rule #1 for mobile
- Do anything, as long as you do it consistently
- Be brief, be upfront. Web users rarely read past the first paragraph
- Graceful degradation is an acceptable practice. Don’t waste effort on (money) forcing legacy browsers the exact visual experience as newer browsers, as long as the functionality is there (I’m talking to you Internet Explorer 8!)
- Your visual elements should use HTML 5 first, and images where it’s not possible.
- JavaScript/jQuery is great for interface logic, not business logic.
- Use JavaScript and CSS as complementary tools, they are not always mutually exclusive.
- You don’t have to be original. Look to see if someone else has done it before you, and follow their example.
(or “Good programmers write good code, great programmers steal someone else’s” - old internet adage) - Be inspired. Look at other sites often to see what other people are doing different, and doing well.
BONUS: Whenever possible put a picture of a pretty girl on the home page. (see above photo for example!)
