Johan Steenkamp
“Mobile users want to see our menu, hours, and delivery number. Desktop users definitely want this 1MB png of someone smiling at a salad.”
—Tweet by @wilto from One Web by Jeremy Keith
October 2011
5 posts
“I’ve noticed brands are happy to “incentivize” or bribe social media consumers to “Like” or “Follow” or review them. The inherent problem with this approach is that it flies in the face of the transparency and honesty upon which social media platforms were built.”
—Death by Discount: How Brands Fuel Unrealistic Consumer Expectations by Kent Lewis
16 Pixels for Body Copy. Anything Less is a Costly Mistake
Builds on what Oliver Reichenstein said in 2006 with the 100% Easy-to-Read Standard - given growing small screen mobile usage it makes even more sense.
“You see, in most cases, if you’re building websites with the font size set between 10 and 15 pixels, you are costing your clients money. And I aim to prove it.”
“There are some particular findings that are pivotal to issues such as readership, readability, andcomprehension, which is really what body copy is all about. If people won’t read it, or if they can’t read it or understand it, then what’s the point of having it?”
“Siri is the most concrete example yet of my mantra that the web today is about APIs and services, and has very little to do with HTML.”
—Jeff Croft referring to Apple Siri
None of Your Users View Your Site in More than One Browser
Trying to make your site look the same across all browsers is misguided and counterproductive.
Since reading the sage advice from the Modernizer documentation:
“And remember, none of your users view your site in more than one browser; It’s okay if it looks and acts differently.”
I noted that Paul Irish posted a good article Tiered, Adaptive Front-end Experiences.
Paul points to TAFEE (pronounced: taffy): tiered, adaptive front-end experiences. Customizing the experience to the unique capabilities of each browser, prioritizing a fast and good UX over consistency.
He also links to a useful article from Paul Boag, Where are my Rounded Corners?.
Paul Boag also provides a handy PDF you can give to your clients explaining why it’s probably a good thing if your site does not look the same in all browsers.
I’ve been using HTML5 Boilerplate which now has Modernizer baked in. There is a lot to like about HBP including Ant build script - well worth trying.
Joni Korpi, developer of Less Framework, Frameless and Golden Grid System also has a nice post: Leaving Old Internet Explorer Behind discussing the use of media queries to break away from lame legacy browsers.
