To craft well-designed websites, you have to know 50 names for “blue” and the difference between a font and a typeface. You probably have a degree in illustration or graphic design, or maybe you attended some hip code school in Oakland and call yourself a User Experience Architect.
Right?
Nope! In fact, there are numerous small, simple and practical ways to vastly improve the look and usability of a website, no matter how creative you are(n’t). In this talk, we’ll explore ten of them together, and see how the impact as a whole for both clients and users is greater than the sum of its parts. Make your websites more attractive, easier to use and better designed without feeling like you’re wasting your time or effort.
Isabella Di Fabio Geometry is an essential part of any design. No matter the type of website you are creating, you are likely to use geometric figures to delimit button frames or organize content.
Midwest PHP 2017 DevOps For Small teamJoe Ferguson
DevOps is a large part of a company of any size. In the 9+ years that I have been a professional developer I have always taken an interest in DevOps and have been the "server person" for most of the teams I have been a part of. I would like to teach others how easy it is to implement modern tools to make their everyday development and development processes better. I will cover a range of topics from "Stop using WAMP/MAMP and start using Vagrant", "version control isn't renaming files", "Automate common tasks with shell scripts / command line PHP apps" and "From Vagrant to Production".
With PHP frameworks being more decoupled than ever, and with the help of a package and dependency manager, large and heavy PHP frameworks are becoming a thing of the past. Modern PHP developers now have a wealth of libraries available that specialize at specific tasks, and microservices are fast becoming a preferred way to architect applications. But many don't know how to start.
This talk will briefly introduce what microservices are, and how to use them. Then show how to build a foundation using the Zend Expressive microframework leveraging components of Zend Framework, and other libraries, to quickly create awesome things without requiring an entire framework. Resources for reference and continued learning will also be shared.
This document discusses practical PHP deployment with Jenkins. It begins with an introduction of the author and overview of continuous integration and deployment. The main topics covered are using Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment of PHP applications, with a demonstration of deploying a 500K line Pimcore CMS project using Jenkins jobs for source control, testing, packaging, and deployment. Best practices and architectures involving Git, Jenkins and Zend Server are also discussed.
OOP Is More Then Cars and Dogs - Midwest PHP 2017Chris Tankersley
When developers are introduced to Object Oriented Programming, one of the first things that happens is that they are taught that nouns turn into objects, verbs into methods, and Dog is a subclass of Animal. OOP is more than just turning things into classes and objects and showing that both Boats and Cars have motors, and that Dogs and Cats both speak(). Let's look at OOP in real world settings and go beyond cars and dogs, and see how to use Object Oriented Programming properly in PHP. Traits, Composition, Inheritance, none of it is off limits!
My talk for the Dutch PHP Conference, explaining the point of oauth, the mechanics of oauth2 and the various flows, and a spot of oauth1 for completeness
The SlideShare 101 is a quick start guide if you want to walk through the main features that the platform offers. This will keep getting updated as new features are launched.
The SlideShare 101 replaces the earlier "SlideShare Quick Tour".
DevOps is a large part of a company of any size. In the 9+ years that I have been a professional developer I have always taken an interest in DevOps and have been the "server person" for most of the teams I have been a part of. I would like to teach others how easy it is to implement modern tools to make their everyday development and development processes better. I will cover a range of topics from "Stop using WAMP/MAMP and start using Vagrant", "version control isn't renaming files", "Automate common tasks with shell scripts / command line PHP apps" and "From Vagrant to Production".
Isabella Di Fabio Geometry is an essential part of any design. No matter the type of website you are creating, you are likely to use geometric figures to delimit button frames or organize content.
Midwest PHP 2017 DevOps For Small teamJoe Ferguson
DevOps is a large part of a company of any size. In the 9+ years that I have been a professional developer I have always taken an interest in DevOps and have been the "server person" for most of the teams I have been a part of. I would like to teach others how easy it is to implement modern tools to make their everyday development and development processes better. I will cover a range of topics from "Stop using WAMP/MAMP and start using Vagrant", "version control isn't renaming files", "Automate common tasks with shell scripts / command line PHP apps" and "From Vagrant to Production".
With PHP frameworks being more decoupled than ever, and with the help of a package and dependency manager, large and heavy PHP frameworks are becoming a thing of the past. Modern PHP developers now have a wealth of libraries available that specialize at specific tasks, and microservices are fast becoming a preferred way to architect applications. But many don't know how to start.
This talk will briefly introduce what microservices are, and how to use them. Then show how to build a foundation using the Zend Expressive microframework leveraging components of Zend Framework, and other libraries, to quickly create awesome things without requiring an entire framework. Resources for reference and continued learning will also be shared.
This document discusses practical PHP deployment with Jenkins. It begins with an introduction of the author and overview of continuous integration and deployment. The main topics covered are using Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment of PHP applications, with a demonstration of deploying a 500K line Pimcore CMS project using Jenkins jobs for source control, testing, packaging, and deployment. Best practices and architectures involving Git, Jenkins and Zend Server are also discussed.
OOP Is More Then Cars and Dogs - Midwest PHP 2017Chris Tankersley
When developers are introduced to Object Oriented Programming, one of the first things that happens is that they are taught that nouns turn into objects, verbs into methods, and Dog is a subclass of Animal. OOP is more than just turning things into classes and objects and showing that both Boats and Cars have motors, and that Dogs and Cats both speak(). Let's look at OOP in real world settings and go beyond cars and dogs, and see how to use Object Oriented Programming properly in PHP. Traits, Composition, Inheritance, none of it is off limits!
My talk for the Dutch PHP Conference, explaining the point of oauth, the mechanics of oauth2 and the various flows, and a spot of oauth1 for completeness
The SlideShare 101 is a quick start guide if you want to walk through the main features that the platform offers. This will keep getting updated as new features are launched.
The SlideShare 101 replaces the earlier "SlideShare Quick Tour".
DevOps is a large part of a company of any size. In the 9+ years that I have been a professional developer I have always taken an interest in DevOps and have been the "server person" for most of the teams I have been a part of. I would like to teach others how easy it is to implement modern tools to make their everyday development and development processes better. I will cover a range of topics from "Stop using WAMP/MAMP and start using Vagrant", "version control isn't renaming files", "Automate common tasks with shell scripts / command line PHP apps" and "From Vagrant to Production".
Design should follow key principles like readability, hierarchy, simplicity and alignment. Elements should be easy to read and visually attractive with a clear flow guided by white space. Variety keeps readers interested while alignment and grid design create structure. Designers should consider what tells the story best and have fun in their work.
The 17 Graphic Design Tips All Non Designers Need to KnowRam Chary Everi
I am not a trained graphic designer. But if you’re reading this post, you’re probably not either. And I’m guessing you’re not heading to art school anytime soon.
Why Infographics Are Important for Your Professional PowerPointRRGraph Design
When it comes to making infographics, there are many software options to choose from. Many people want to use software they already have readily on hand or are already familiar with, so PowerPoint is a common choice. However, infographics are unique products that need a careful review of all options.
Read this article: https://rrgraphdesign.com/blog/infographics-are-important-for-powerpoint/
Candice Hall provides an overview of 11 things she learned about creating publications from her PR publications class. Some of the key lessons include the importance of design elements like contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity; using high quality images; leveraging white space; knowing your audience and distribution channels; and tools like InDesign for layout. She also discusses typography, parts of letters, online publications, and how color can impact readers. The overall summary focuses on best practices for publication design and layout.
This document provides tips and guidelines for designing travel blogs. It discusses what design is, how it focuses on both aesthetics and usability. The ultimate goal of design is great user experience (UX). When designing, one should consider the intended audience. Basic coding involves HTML for structure, CSS for styling, and JavaScript for interactivity. Nineteen specific steps for blog design are then outlined, such as font size and line height, limited color usage, responsive design, and visual hierarchy. The document emphasizes keeping designs minimal, focused and easy to navigate.
How to Not Go Viral and Grow by 500,000+ Monthly Visits #StateOfSearchRoss Hudgens
1) The document discusses an alternative approach to SEO that focuses on consistent, high-quality content creation rather than viral content.
2) It proposes a playbook for businesses to generate 5-9 links per piece of content on an ongoing basis through targeted outreach.
3) This sustained approach of content generation and link building is argued to be more effective for business growth than relying on viral content spikes.
To create a dynamic and a feasible website, web designing is a very important factor. Are you looking for a website designer in Australia with extraordinary skills at affordable prices? You can contact us; we will be happy to serve you.
Being a graphic designer implies that you are chained to a workstation without having a life? Wrong! There is more to it than meets the eye. Find out how this creative profession affects their personality.
12 Tips to Make Podcast Cover Art That Works.pdfBarevalue
The podcast has become very popular because of some obvious reasons. You can hear podcasts anywhere, whether you are driving your car, doing exercise, working in the kitchen, and a lot more. But to make a podcast successful, you need to do a lot of things. like How to Create Podcast Cover Art,professional-looking artwork, etc.
How to make the most of your publishing team, a Reedsy presentationRicardo Fayet
How much should self-publishing authors budget for editing, design and marketing? And how can they get the most out of their collaborations with freelance professionals?
In this presentation for the 2017 Novelists Inc conference, Reedsy's Ricardo Fayet shared some exclusive Reedsy data and experiments unveiling the cost of editing and the value of a professional cover design. He's also sharing some of Reedsy's latest marketing resources.
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Designers - IAP 2014DUSPviz
Presentation and workshop on Design Fundamentals and Poster Creation, January 2014, MIT DUSP - special focus on event poster creation.
January 15, 2014
duspviz@mit.edu
Presenter: Michael Foster (@mjfoster83)
Presentation is licensed under a CC-BY-SA 3.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Significant contributors to this work include Michael Foster (@mjfoster83), Chris Rhie (@chris_rhie), and Annemarie Gray (@annemariegray).
10 best practices and design principles to create effective dashboards using Tableau. View the webinar video recording to hear the narrated version of the good, the bad…and the downright ugly in dashboard design: http://www.senturus.com/resources/10-best-practices-for-tableau-dashboard-design/.
Senturus, a business analytics consulting firm, has a resource library with hundreds of free recorded webinars, trainings, demos and unbiased product reviews. Take a look and share them with your colleagues and friends: http://www.senturus.com/resources/.
18 Tips for Creating Beautiful InfographicsEdahn Small
The document provides 18 tips for designing effective infographics. Some key tips include dissecting favorite infographics to learn techniques, using a wireframe to organize content before designing, including a concise introduction and conclusion, using color purposefully to draw attention, sticking to 3 font styles, and knowing when to use different types of charts like bar charts, line graphs and pies/donuts. The tips are illustrated by hyperlinked examples of effective infographic design.
Mobile ui trends present future – meaningful mobile typographyHalil Eren Çelik
This document discusses mobile UI typography trends both present and future. It begins by noting that typography on small screens does not mean small type, but rather type designed with specific intent and meaning. It then provides guidelines and best practices for mobile typography, including using sans serif body text, giving words some space, paying attention to alignment, creating subtle contrast, simplifying hierarchy, and not forcing desktop conventions onto mobile. It concludes by discussing trends like moving away from thin fonts to more readable medium weights and using card-based interfaces to improve link management.
Building great products is not easy. What can we do as designers and product leaders to increase the batting average of the products we contribute to? An answer lies in the way artists and composers have worked for centuries to craft paintings and music. The motif is the smallest atomic unit which inspires everything else.
The document summarizes a workshop on using Datawrapper to create effective data visualizations. It discusses dos and don'ts of data visualization design, such as choosing charts that improve readability, using visual elements to make statements pop out, and showing nuance in data. The workshop demonstrates how to build charts and maps on the Datawrapper platform and introduces the company's team.
This document provides tips for designing effective direct mail letters. It recommends using color and varied formats to attract readers' attention. The tips stress the importance of readable typography and breaking up long passages with bulleted lists. While design elements are important, the copy and headline are most crucial. Readers' attention is highest for the headline, first sentence, and postscript. Effective design enhances the writing without distracting from the key messages.
Design for non-designers: five visual principles to guide youDavid Hall
Are you depressed about your design skills? Panic attacks over that presentation? Looking down the abyss of artistic failure? Well, it’s not that bad. All you need are a few basic principles to help you through.
#1NLab17 - The Apparent Chaos: Bold Design that WorksOne North
Art Director Michael Correy creates a case for chaos in design. He challenges marketers to get out of their comfort zones and instead apply bold and interesting design to stand out from the sea of sameness often seen in the professional services landscape.
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The document outlines the top 10 things the author learned in public relations publications courses. Some of the key learnings included principles of design like C.R.A.P., using Wordpress and InDesign software, planning publications with thumbnails, designing logos and letterheads, the importance of unity in layout, and understanding the language of images. The author provides examples and tips for each item, demonstrating how the courses helped improve their skills in designing various public relations materials.
Modern humans aren’t great at risk assessment.
We often blithely ignore that which could harm us, and are conversely intimidated by things that are quite safe. This inability to recognize threat has vast implications for many aspects of our lives, including our careers.
Do you want to be less stressed? Make better decisions? Learn strategies for identifying (and dealing with!) unnecessary worry? Let's explore the root causes of fear and anxiety together, and discover how we can start to deliberately rewrite our instincts.
Treehouse Festival 2020: "Beer, Bylines & Booleans: Exploring the Secret Supe...Hilary Stohs-Krause
In this session, Hilary Stohs-Krause discusses how non-technical backgrounds point to superpowers that are increasingly valuable for technical positions.
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How to make the most of your publishing team, a Reedsy presentationRicardo Fayet
How much should self-publishing authors budget for editing, design and marketing? And how can they get the most out of their collaborations with freelance professionals?
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Seven Habits of Highly Effective Designers - IAP 2014DUSPviz
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Modern humans aren’t great at risk assessment.
We often blithely ignore that which could harm us, and are conversely intimidated by things that are quite safe. This inability to recognize threat has vast implications for many aspects of our lives, including our careers.
Do you want to be less stressed? Make better decisions? Learn strategies for identifying (and dealing with!) unnecessary worry? Let's explore the root causes of fear and anxiety together, and discover how we can start to deliberately rewrite our instincts.
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Modern humans aren’t great at risk assessment.
We often blithely ignore that which could harm us, and are conversely intimidated by things that are quite safe. This inability to recognize threat has vast implications for many aspects of our lives, including our careers.
Do you want to be less stressed? Make better decisions? Learn strategies for identifying (and dealing with!) unnecessary worry? Let's explore the root causes of fear and anxiety together, and discover how we can start to deliberately rewrite our instincts.
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Want to make an impact in your community, but don’t know how, or feel like you don’t have time?
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More and more people are entering the tech sector without tech-specific work experience, and/or with non-technical degrees (if they went to college at all). While many tech giants still require or heavily favor candidates with a computer science background for technical roles, other companies are recognizing the value of staff with diverse experiences and educational history.
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Steve Jobs. Linus Torvalds. Alan Turing.
Been there, done that.
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RailsConf 2017 - "We've always been here: Women changemakers in tech"Hilary Stohs-Krause
Steve Jobs. Linus Torvalds. Alan Turing.
Been there, done that.
The interesting stories often aren’t the ones we grew up with; they’re the ones we’ve left behind. When it comes to tech, that means its women, and especially its women of color. And while there’s been a greater emphasis lately on rediscovering women’s contributions to technology, we need to expand our focus beyond just Grace Hopper and Ada Lovelace.
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How to Make Your Website Not Ugly: 10 Simple UX Tenets for Non-Designers
1. How to Make Your Website Not Ugly
10 Simple UX Tenets for Non-
Designers
Hilary Stohs-Krause
Ten Forward Consulting in Madison, WI
Twitter: @hilarysk
2. About me
Former journalist (including newspaper
designer)
Full-stack developer in Madison at Ten
Forward Consulting, Inc.
Primarily work with startups, often not a
big budget for design
@hilarysk
8. If usability engineers designed a nightclub, it
would be clean, quiet, brightly lit, with lots of
places to sit down, plenty of bartenders, menus
written in 18-point sans-serif, and easy-to-find
bathrooms. But nobody would be there. They
would all be down the street at Coyote Ugly
pouring beer on each other.”
- Joel Spolsky, founder of Trello
“
@hilarysk
11. WORDS: make speech visual
1. Let your text breathe.
Text-box width: 400 to 800 pixels, or 60 to 100 characters per line
Line-height: At Ten Forward Consulting, our standard is 1.4.
Padding between text-boxes: At least 15px in any direction.
@hilarysk
14. WORDS: make speech visual
Contrast: Don’t put yellow text on a white background
Size: Minimum 16px (depending on font)
2. Make your text legible.
@hilarysk
17. WORDS: make speech visual
Highlight key content
Subheads, with lowercase and uppercase letters
Bulleted lists
3. Make your text scannable.
@hilarysk
20. WORDS: make speech visual
Limit number of typefaces/fonts (2 or 3)
Limit colors (3 to 5, including grays)
Use more complex fonts for headers, more basic sans-serif for text
4. Keep the decoration to a minimum.
@hilarysk
21. WORDS: make speech visual
4. Keep the decoration to a minimum.
@hilarysk
22. WORDS: make speech visual
4. Keep the decoration to a minimum.
@hilarysk
27. IMAGES: use appropriately
99% of the time, should be accompanied by a label
Work best in navigation or menu (like a list of characteristics)
Avoid icons with conflicting meanings
5. Icons
@hilarysk
36. DESIGN: think logically
Alternate between small, medium and wide
Quality trumps originality (in most cases)
Find something that works, and use it as a model
7. Use patterns
@hilarysk
39. DESIGN: think logically
F-shape reading pattern
Top to bottom = important to less important
Above the fold
Avoid putting key content in traditional ad areas
8. Progressive disclosure
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44. DESIGN: think logically
It doesn’t matter if it looks good and is easy to use if it doesn’t work.
Back-end impacts front-end
10. Functionality is part of design
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45. DESIGN: think logically
10. Functionality is part of design
@hilarysk
Design is where science and art break even.”
- Robin Mathew, design entrepreneur
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49. Resources
@hilarysk
General
UX Myths
Nielsen Norman Group
Additional
What’s the perfect width for your online content?
How do people evaluate a website’s credibility?
Readability: the Optimal Line Length
Making Your Icons User-Friendly: A Guide to Usability in UI
Design
Share: The Icon No One Agrees On
8 Guidelines For Better Readability On The Web
Color Contrast Checker
Intro, briefly discuss background; worked as print designer at newspaper, but work primarily as developer
Follow along at http://tinyurl.com/cvcc_slides
Real website from 1996. Who thinks example of well-designed site?
Congratulations! But you might be thinking, plenty of modern sites aren’t that well-designed, either - even popular ones. Why does it matter
Usability: Design - including visual design - informs functionality. How do we know a link is a link? How do we know a button is a button? How do we know what parts of the site are most important and how to get there?
Credibility: Study from Stanford University found that, when accessing a site’s credibility, 46% of all participants cited the site’s visual design - including layout, typography, font size, and color schemes - while only 8% cared about the functionality. Obviously functionality is important, but if they never bother trying ot use it in the first place, functionality won’t get you very far.
Interest: If someone doesn’t trust your site and doesn’t find it attractive, they won’t be interested, and they won’t stay.
NOTE: Always exceptions to these suggestions. For the most part, even when backed by research, they aren’t necessarily hard-and-fast rules. Depends on site purpose, target demographics, etc. But solid general guidelines, especially for sites that don’t require groundbreaking design.
Quote from Trello founder as to why “how it works” isn’t everything.
a major 2008 eye-tracking study found visitors only read 20% of text content. However, applying results of research into how people want to read on the web can result in 124% better usability. Why build something if no one’s going to use it?
Text-box width: Greatly depends on font size and typeface; 50 to 60 characters is what people prefer, but they read fastest at 100 characters, according to various studies. Too wide, and you can’t focus; too short, and it invites the reader to skip lines.
Line-height: Occasionally needs tweaking depending on font/size, but generally it holds true.
Padding: If text boxes are too close, people might blend them together, or try to read them in the wrong direction (ie: from the left column first sentence to the right column first sentence)
Example of good vs. bad (line-height, no paragraph margins, too wide) - from NYTimes with character count up to 74 per line, 540 px wide. Note use of white space
Example of good vs. bad (line-height, no paragraph margins, too wide) - from NYTimes with character count up to 74 per line, 540 px wide. Note use of white space
Contrast: nothing worse than having than text that blends into background. For accessibility purposes, also want to be careful about colors that are the same tone (ie: if you make it black and white, is it still legible?) If not, certain colors render text unreadable for those with colorblindness. WebAIM, an accessibility resource site, actually has a contrast checker to make sure color combinations are legible: http://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
Size: Especially as the American population ages, important to think of text size. 16px is standard, but especially if not a text-heavy page (or even if is), consider bumping up to 18.
Not enough contrast, too small
Not enough contrast, too small
A major 2008 eye-tracking study found visitors only read 20% of text content; for the most part, people skim, they don’t read.
If you don’t give them something to guide them through the page, you stand a good chance of losing them.
The difference between lowercase and uppercase letters helps with scanning
We’ll talk more about centered text in the last section.
FreshConsulting.com
FreshConsulting.com
Too many fonts or color are distracting, and can make user think content is ads, which they subconsciously ignore.
Fancier fonts or fonts with serifs are fine for larger text, but serif text in smaller sizes is harder to read online
Congratulations! But you might be thinking, plenty of modern sites aren’t that well-designed, either - even popular ones. Why does it matter
Study from last year of 190 icons found that for unique labels, only 34% of people correctly guessed what tapping or clicking the icon would do; up to 60% for for more general icons, which is still only about half of people. Jumps to 80% for icons with labels.
Can be good way to add visual to text or create shortcut for user’s brain
Can save space, especially for mobile. Icons like “play”, “email”, etc. fine to use because universal.
Easy to do wrong
Ask audience to think of what icon they would use for “share”
These are all icons that have been used to mean “share.” Adding hover text or key just creates extra work for user, and is likely to make them ignore icon or search through menu instead.
Banner blindness refers to people subconsciously ignoring something that appears at first glance to be an advertisment. If your image is clearly a stock photo, in a location usually reserved for adds, or seems ill-suited to the rest of the content, users often ignore it completely.
On the other hand, too many graphics or photos can be distracting; Nielsen Group found that most effective draws for users eyes are plain text, followed by faces.
Images are best used somewhat sparingly, integrated with content, and have a connection to topic (not just stock photo for the sake of having a stock photo)
Let’s see what happens when you follow zero of these rules ...
Congratulations! But you might be thinking, plenty of modern sites aren’t that well-designed, either - even popular ones. Why does it matter
When it comes to web design, there are tried and true conventions. Use them. Especially for projects with little or no budget dedicated to visual design, just go with what works. As one designer puts it, “There are a billion sites out there to use as inspiration.”
F-shape: Connects back to idea of making text scannable in step 3; need to grab attention, because it fades quickly. But only so much attention to be grabbed, hence top to bottom hierarchy
Above the fold: 2014 study found 156% more people saw the top content area of a page compared with the bottom content area - ie: the part visible before you have to scroll.
Traditional ads: Very top middle, right sidebar
From Nielsen Norman Group - three different patterns for scanning a website, but all follow same general format
From Nielsen Norman Group - three different patterns for scanning a website, but all follow same general format
If your button has a shadow in one place, should have a shadow everywhere. If alerts are red, should be same color of red. If your site has forms, they should have consistent style.
Can’t trust users to make rational decisions - have to make as foolproof as possible. Teach them one pattern, and for the most part, they’ll follow it. So links are always green and underline, or just underlined, or just green.
Even if primarily back-end designer, structure of data models can have direct impact on user-facing implementation. Web design isn’t just fonts and layouts - it encompasses code, visuals and usability, all in one. Keep that in mind before writing any code, and you’ll save time, money and sanity.
Congratulations! But you might be thinking, plenty of modern sites aren’t that well-designed, either - even popular ones. Why does it matter
To reiterate
Congratulations! But you might be thinking, plenty of modern sites aren’t that well-designed, either - even popular ones. Why does it matter