Issue 258May 06, 2008
Zebra Striping: Does it Really Help?
by Jessica Enders
The user of a table would be looking for one or more data points. Therefore, if we set a task that uses a table, and zebra striping does make things easier, then we would expect to see improvements in accuracy and speed.
Community: From Little Things, Big Things Grow
by George Oates
Any community—online or off—must start slowly, and be nurtured. You cannot “just add community.” It must be cared for, and hosted; it takes time and people with great communication skills to set the tone and tend the conversation.
Issue 257April 22, 2008
Creating More Using Less Effort with Ruby on Rails
by Michael Slater
One of the main reasons Ruby on Rails increases productivity is that it makes building new applications, adding features, and making tweaks much easier. The combination of the language (Ruby) and the framework (Rails) means you can do more with less code.
Getting Started with Ruby on Rails
by Dan Benjamin
Web designers have time-tested CSS tricks to use as a starting point, web standards to adhere to, and Photoshop workflows they can rely on. Like these tools, Rails provides standards, conventions, tools, and a foundation upon which developers can construct applications by writing customized code using pre-built Rails libraries.
Issue 256April 08, 2008
Accessible Data Visualization with Web Standards
by Wilson Miner
Here are three techniques for incorporating data visualization into standards-based navigation patterns.
Take Control of Your Maps
by Paul Smith
Rolling your own maps need not be an intimidating affair, provided you understand the problem and the tools to fix it.
Issue 255March 25, 2008
Findability, Orphan of the Web Design Industry
by Aarron Walter
Everyone seemed to have their place in the project life-cycle at the web design agency; everyone but little Findability. Occasionally someone would notice his value to a project, but instead of giving him the care he deserved, they’d just fork over copious amounts of cash to ship him off to his sketchy uncle SEO, who tied him up and fed him keywords all day long.
Sign Up Forms Must Die
by Luke Wroblewski
When planning a customer’s initial experience for your web service, think about how you can avoid sign-up forms in favor of gradual engagement. Show potential customers how they can use your service and why they should care.
Issue 254March 04, 2008
On Creativity
by Andy Rutledge
Except for personal projects, self-expression has no place in design, but constraint is vital to design. No component fuels creativity more than constraint. Constraints are a designer’s best friend. They’re signposts, not shackles. Indeed, without constraint, creativity (and design) is irrelevant.
Design is in the Details
by Naz Hamid
Paying attention to small details—and in some cases, obsessively focusing on “what isn’t right”—can take a design from “nearly there” to “there” and beyond.
