CategoryTechniques

August 16, 2013 — The proliferation of mobile devices, increased user expectations, and the very real risks of losing customers and dropping in search result rankings have laid a heavy burden on developers to optimize loading time at all costs. The Web development community previously didn’t spend much time concerning itself with load issues and for that reason and more, Web developers aren’t conditioned to think very hard about the unique load requirements of their clients’ websites. We need to include a specification for load requirements as a regular checklist item when bidding and planning Web work. Read more…

August 12, 2013 — In this article, we’ll demonstrate methods to identify how people interact with a website differently on mobile devices, and the design decisions that can be made based on this understanding. Our objective is not only to improve Web performance but to increase the client’s return on investment. The following techniques center on the two unique characteristics of mobile phones: small batteries and small screens. Read more…

August 10, 2013 — In this article, Stephen Shaw introduces a technique for perfect horizontal and vertical centering in CSS, at any width or height. The techniques works with percentage-based width/height, min-/max- width, images, position: fixed and even variable content heights. Read more…

July 30, 2013 — Welcome to the second part of the sample chapter from Smashing Book #4. You might want to read the first part of this chapter beforehand — if you haven’t already. In part 1 we explored the infrastructure of the Internet and the make-up of a Web server. We left off at the stage where our Web server software is up and running again, and we’ve just double-checked this by telnetting an HTTP request and received the successful response code. It’s now time for… finding your website! Read more…

July 23, 2013 — Help! The Internet is gone! In this article, Paul Tero explores the infrastructure of the Internet and the make-up of a Web server, imparting lots of little tips and commands along the way, opening up a new perspective on how websites can stop working — and be fixed. Read more…

July 8, 2013 — If you read Smashing Magazine, you’re probably already on board with creating the best possible website experience for your audience. And if you go the responsive design route then you’ll need a strategy to make images flexible, too — a responsive image solution. This article leads you through the basics, and then arms you with the information you’ll need to pick the best responsive image solution for your situation. Read more…

July 3, 2013 — In this article, Martin Gittins will explore the idea of consciously restricting yourself to a set of core tools that you know, love and trust, so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the staggering array of resources and options available to designers. You should know what your most precious tools are, and keep a portable set close at hand. Read more…

June 27, 2013 — Placing a Twitter feed on one’s website has almost become compulsory. Embedding a feed isn’t all that difficult if you are comfortable with Twitter’s default widget, but making your own will enable you to blend it into your website seamlessly. Once you grasp the basic idea behind how this widget is created, you can add many of your own and customize them to your (or your client’s) delight. Read more…

June 21, 2013 — The WordPress functions.php theme file provides an efficient way of modifying WordPress on a theme by theme basis. This file contains mostly theme related functions but it can also be used to enhance or modify default WordPress behavior. This file is saved inside the themes’ folder and a limitless amount of modifications can be added. Read more…

June 18, 2013 — In this article, Matt Gibson will explain, from his own experience of refreshing his agency website, why he and his team abandoned a separate mobile website and will review their process of creating a new responsive design. A responsive website means better content parity for users and a single website to maintain! Read more…