
Smashing Magazine we smash you with the information that will make your life easier. really.
-
Screen Resolutions and Better User Experience
By Smashing Editorial, November 23rd, 2007 in How-To | 63 Comments
In order to work well, designs have to be optimized for simplicity, transparency and, consequently, optimal user experience. The user experience itself is, however, in many cases just an elegant term employed with false intentions and wrong approaches.
Optimal user experience is rarely achieved by visual design elements, although some stakeholders are strongly convinced that it actually is the case. What actually matters is the fact that the content is accessible and legible — and although visual design can support the content and help to communicate with your target audience in a more effective way, it is not a solid foundation to build a successful web-site upon. (In fact, to compromise stakeholders' understanding of design solutions is your primary task if you strive to be a professional web-developer.)
Whatever stages you are going through in your design process, to perform well you need to make sure that your design works for most visitors, whatever screen resolution they use. It's not about the graphics visitors see; as stated above, it's about the content they are looking for.
-
Attractive Online Diagrams, Charts And Maps
Data charts and diagrams are used when statistical data has to be presented in the most convenient and usable way. Visual charts are clear, visually appealing and easier to perceive than some simple enumerations or tables - mainly because users don't have to analyze the meaning of presented facts, but can perceive main tendencies through the visual weight of the facts — directly. You can create charts in graphic editors or use special applications (software or web-apps) which can help you to create your charts in few minutes. However, once you'd like to update an old chart, or create a new one, you have to run the application and create new images over and over again. That's not flexible. Or maybe you just want to offer your visitors not a simple image, but a powerful dynamic chart.By Smashing Editorial, September 20th, 2007 in Developer's Toolbox | 43 Comments
To gain a greater level of flexibility you need to take a closer look at further approaches.
-
Data Visualization: Modern Approaches
Data presentation can be beautiful, elegant and descriptive. There is a variety of conventional ways to visualize data - tables, histograms, pie charts and bar graphs are being used every day, in every project and on every possible occasion. However, to convey a message to your readers effectively, sometimes you need more than just a simple pie chart of your results. In fact, there are much better, profound, creative and absolutely fascinating ways to visualize data. Many of them might become ubiquitous in the next few years. So what can we expect? Which innovative ideas are already being used? And what are the most creative approaches to present data in ways we've never thought before? Let's take a look at the most interesting modern approaches to data visualization as well as related articles, resources and tools.By Smashing Editorial, August 2nd, 2007 in Graphics | 548 Comments
-
Data Grids with AJAX, DHTML and JavaScript
In order to be presented effectively, information needs structure. The more intuitive data structure is designed, the better users can understand the content. Consequently, the data can be scanned and extracted in a more meaningful and systematic way. Table is a perfect example of a well-structured data presentation, which is easy to analyze and easy to handle. Used for its original purpose - to present data, not to style it -, it can convey ideas effectively. And this is what most of us are actually trying to achieve in the Web.By Smashing Editorial, May 30th, 2007 in Developer's Toolbox | 111 Comments
Furthermore, the user experience can be greatly enhanced with further optional functionalities - such as sorting, filtering and fast editing. What solutions can you use to provide them in your tables?
Few months ago we've covered the basics of semantically correct CSS-based tables - among other things, we've presented solutions for Zebra tables and few tables with sorting and filtering functionalities; but we've missed some important ones.
Now it's time to get this right and list the rest - 17 free solutions for data grids, developed with AJAX, DHTML and/or JavaScript. In a brief and descriptive overview.
-
CSS-Based Tables: Modern Solutions
We coninue to present some of the best CSS-techniques which web-developers can always use working on their current web-project. Recently we’ve taken a look at the best css-based forms, today we present some useful techniques for displaying information in a tabular mode. In fact, tables can present data quite efficiently, particularly if you can use [...]By Smashing Editorial, December 29th, 2006 in CSS | 86 Comments
Sponsors
- Advertise with us!
Smashing Links
Stay in touch
Popular Posts
- 100 Wordpress Themes
- 83 Wordpress Themes
- 80 AJAX Solutions
- 75 JavaScript Techniques
- 70 Best Photoshop Tutorials
- 70 Best Illustrator Tutorials
- 53 CSS Techniques
- 50 Blog Designs
- 50 Graffiti Artworks
- 50 Brilliant Photos
- 50 Movie Posters
- 40 Free Fonts
- 40 Creative Layouts
- 35 Beautiful Icon Sets
- Beautiful Desktop Wallpapers
- Beautiful Macro Photos
- Beautiful Underwater Photos
- Free Design Templates
- Free CSS Layouts
All Posts
- 35 Designers × 5 Questions
- 50 Designers × 6 Questions
- 404 Error Pages
- AJAX Libraries
- AJAX Solutions
- AJAX Tutorials
- Badges and Pins
- Batch Image Processing
- Black & White Photography
- Block Quotes
- Blog Designs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Blog Headers
- Book Covers
- Brochures and Booklets
- Browsers Round-Up
- Browser Test Suites
- Buzz-Monitoring
- Calendar Designs
- Charts and Diagrams: Tools
- Cheat Sheets
- Code Beautifier
- Copyright Explained
- CSS Coding Techniques
- CSS Designs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- CSS Clean Code
- CSS Editors
- CSS Expert Ideas
- CSS Float Theory
- CSS Frameworks
- CSS Free Templates
- CSS Footers
- CSS Forms 1, 2
- CSS Frameworks
- CSS Galleries
- CSS Ideas
- CSS Layouts
- CSS Menus
- CSS Print-Layouts
- CSS Specificity
- CSS Styleguides
- CSS Tables
- CSS Tutorials
- CSS-Techniques
- CSS Tools
- Data Grids and Tables
- Data Visualization 1, 2
- Date Stamps
- Design Books 1, 2
- Design Magazines
- Designer's Checkpoints
- Divine Proportion
- Domain Tools
- Dreamweaver Tutorials
- Drupal
- E-Mail Delivery
- Favicons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Firefox Themes
- Fireworks Tutorials
- Flash Designs
- Flash Slideshows
- Flash Tutorials
- Fonts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Font Management
- Form Design Patterns
- Forums
- Fractals
- Gadgets 1, 2, 3
- Google AdSense
- Google PageRank
- Graffiti
- Graphics Design
- Grid-Based Design 1, 2
- Grunge Design 1, 2
- Hand-Drawing Style 1, 2
- Handwriting and Lettering
- Hotkeys
- HDR Pictures
- HTML Template Systems
- Icon Sets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Icons, Templates 1, 2, 3
- Illustrator Tutorials 1, 2
- JavaScript Techniques
- jQuery
- Laptop Sleeves
- Laptop Designs
- Link Building
- Links in New Windows?
- Macro Photography
- Mascots
- Moleskine Art
- Motion Graphics
- Motion Blur Photos
- Movie Posters
- Music Videos
- Navigation Menus
- Newspaper Designs
- Online Converters
- Online Generators
- Packaging Design
- Pagination
- PDF Magazines
- Photoshop Actions
- Photoshop Tutorials 1, 2
- Pixel Art
- Podcasts
- PNG Transparency
- Portfolios
- Pricing Tables
- Product Designs
- Rain Photography
- RSS Best Design Practices
- RSS Feed Icons
- Screencasting
- Screensavers
- SEO Tools
- Shopping Carts
- Short Movies
- Slideshows & Lightboxes
- Smoke Photography
- Source Code Editors
- Splash Pages
- Start Pages
- Stock Icons
- Space, Nebula wallpapers
- Tab-Based Interfaces
- Tag Clouds
- Textures
- Textures & Backgrounds
- Texture Design
- Tooltips Scripts
- Tutorials
- Typefaces 1, 2
- Type Setting Principles
- Typographic Posters
- Typography In Motion
- Typography Showcase 1 2, 3
- Underwater Photography
- Usability Books
- Usability Glossary
- Usability Nightmares
- Usability Principles
- User Interfaces
- Version Control Systems
- Vintage & Retro Posters
- Vintage & Retro Designs
- Vintage & Retro Tutorials
- Wallpapers 1, 2, 3, 4
- Web 2.0 Tutorials
- Weblog Engines
- Whitespace & Simplicity
- Wordpress Plugins
- Wordpress Themes 1, 2, 3, 4
- Wordpress Toolbox
- WYSIWYG Editors
Fresh Bookmarks
22 Free Seamless Vector Pattern Resources Perfect For Web Design
A collection of resources and articles related to vector patterns.
10 New PHP Content Management Systems
All based on PHP.
25 Beautiful Logos with Sequential Concept
Sequential logos maybe is a new trend among logo designers.
Designing a blog with HTML5
Much of HTML 5’s feature set involves JavaScript APIs that make it easier to develop interactive web pages.
20+ CSS Data Visualization Techniques
Get inspired.
CSS3 – a big storm is coming
With CSS3 media queries and multi-column layouts it will be a whole new ballgame.
Woodgrain: A Free Social Media Icon Set
With 18 social networks represented alongside astandard RSS icon in PNG format,
Webdesign: Five Minute Upgrade
Making Your Design Pop.
45 Stylish Typographical Desktop Wallpapers
These beautifully designed wallpapers are not solely about typography.
The Light CMS Trend
A new trend in CMSs I’m calling “light” CMSs.
Blogroll
- Bittbox
- CatsWhoCode
- Colorburned
- Design Disease
- Designm.ag
- Deziner Folio
- Dr. Web Magazin (.de)
- Dr. Web Shop (.de)
- Freshome Blog
- FudgeGraphics
- I Love Typography
- MakeUseOf.com
- Naldzgraphics
- Noupe.com
- Pro Blog Design
- Search-This
- Six Revisions
- SmileyCat
- Spoon Graphics
- Typesites
- Usability Post
- Walyou
- Webdesigner Depot
- Weburbanist
- Wellmedicated







