June 4, 2024 — The web is still a young platform, and we’re only now beginning to recognize what “success” looks like for large projects. In his recent Smashing book, Success at Scale, Addy Osmani presents practical case studies featuring the web’s most renowned companies and their efforts to make big changes to existing apps and sites. In this article, Addy shows some of the key insights he has learned. Read more…

May 31, 2024 — Let’s kick off June with some fresh inspiration! Artists and designers from across the globe once again tickled their creativity to celebrate the beginning of the new month with a collection of beautiful and unique wallpaper calendars. Read more…

May 30, 2024 — What does it mean to learn the “basics”, or fundamentals, of front-end web development? Is starting with HTML and CSS still the best entry point to learn how to make websites and apps when we have a seemingly endless supply of frameworks? Geoff Graham thinks so and discusses why you might consider going “back to basics” to start or move forward in your career. Read more…

May 29, 2024 — Imagine finally resolving never-ending discussions about UI decisions for good. Here are some practical examples of decision trees for UI components and how to use them effectively. An upcoming part of Smart Interface Design Patterns. Read more…

May 28, 2024 — Application frameworks have built whole ecosystems on top of them. Let’s take a closer look at serverless platforms such as Netlify’s Platform Primitives and explore how they can increase our productivity with a serverless fullstack experience. Read more…

May 24, 2024 — After years of relying on checkbox hacks to create a “switch” control for forms that toggle between two states, HTML may be gaining a native way to go about it by adding a switch attribute to checkbox inputs. Daniel Yuschick walks us through a first impression of switch controls and discusses current and ongoing considerations that need to be explored further before it is ready for prime time. Read more…

May 23, 2024 — How can we get better at naming? This post is dedicated to naming conventions, tips, and real-world examples that help you name things in a robust and flexible way. Read more…

May 22, 2024 — It’s easy to get lost in a sea of CSS frameworks and libraries, each promising easier styling and smoother layouts. Brecht De Ruyte demonstrates four CSS utility classes (plus a bonus) using techniques that allow them to be used practically anywhere you need a particular layout — be it Grid or Flexbox — with configurable options. Read more…

May 21, 2024 — Should you hide or disable a feature? You’ve probably been there before. Here are some considerations for hiding versus disabling, along with possible alternatives to improve UX. An upcoming part of Smart Interface Design Patterns. Read more…

May 17, 2024 — Many organizations prioritize internal structures and services over customer-centricity, hindering effective decision-making. Through a case study, Talke Hoppmann-Walton advocates for a shift towards an outside-in perspective and proposes the use of a user segmentation matrix to foster alignment across departments and prioritize customer needs. Read more…