Technical case study: Responsive images at Friendly Work Space
I'm not a fan of one-page websites, as a rule. But making sure that they load as quickly as possible goes a long way to making them acceptable.
Published on 17th August 2015
Blog posts about Internet
The internet plays a huge role in my life, from a place to share photos and videos, to a career, to a means of communication linking me to friends and family all over the world.
“The fold” is still very important in web design
Website visitors can and do scroll the page to find what they're looking for. That doesn't make this scrolling action a good user interface design solution.
Published on 21st July 2015
Funky Kitchen Club website
Remembering my work in 2008 on Swiss t.v.'s Funky Kitchen Club.
Published on 10th July 2015
Twitter Cards – adding previews and summaries to a tweeted blog post
Facebook implemented Open Graph tags a long time ago, so that links from blogs and websites automatically pull in preview images and a summary text. That helps the viewer to see more about the linked page without having to click…
Published on 30th June 2015
Automatically detecting browser language using htaccess
The tourism organization for Lake Lucerne has just launched a great-looking new website. Modern design, nice typography, beautiful pictures and a simple navigation all add to the experience. But one small improvement could be made by adding a few…
Published on 30th June 2015
Containers and modules in web design
Using modules in front end web programming to allow more flexibility and more independence from site layouts for content elements.
Published on 29th June 2015
Avoiding specificity issues in CSS
Holy moly. What a discussion we’ve gotten into over on Twitter about CSS specificity, BEM, and inheritance. I wrote yesterday that the idea is flawed and tries to work around problems which aren’t actually problems at all, but part…
Published on 24th June 2015
Disabling persistent MySQL connections in TYPO3
TYPO3 occasionally throws the following error message when attempting to connect to the MySQL database, blocking the operation of the website. The error also occurs when reporting is set to Production mode in the install tool. Uncaught TYPO3 Exception: #1: PHP…
Published on 24th June 2015
Why using BEM for your CSS is a bad idea
I came across the BEM (Block, Element, Modifier) technique for CSS coding today. On reading half a dozen basic introductions to the technique, I saw immediately that the concept is based on weak coding principles, not code simplicity and reusability.
Published on 23rd June 2015
It’s all about content – open data and the web
When coming up with ideas for new websites or coming up with a use for a new design idea, the reason for the website or app is often on which slows the initial impetus for a designer or front-end coder.
Published on 19th June 2015
A website is never finished
You start off with an idea, progress it to a concept, make a design, fiddle with it for too long, then turn it into a working prototype. If all goes well, then you’re in for a couple more rounds of…
Published on 31st May 2015
Adding diagonal edges to HTML elements
Using CSS pseudo elements to add diagonal borders and edges to the sides of block level elements.
Published on 10th December 2014
Simple alternatives to CAPTCHA
Google announced yesterday that it’s come up with a great new way of avoiding the need for website visitors to fill out the CAPTCHA; the ubiquitous “type the letters from the image into the following field” feature of many…
Published on 4th December 2014
Make sure you use the correct license when you publish your photos online
If you have a social media account or an account at one of the photo sharing websites, you need to make sure that your photos are published using the appropriate license. Flickr allows you to offer your photos under a specific…
Published on 25th November 2014
Caching problem between TYPO3 and Safari solved
Internet browser Safari has long been known for trying to make the web faster and faster. One of the ways it’s done so is by having a very strong browser cache – storing pages and files locally for as long as…
Published on 20th November 2014
CSS Reset done properly
A CSS Reset (or “Reset CSS”) is a short, often compressed set of CSS rules to reset the styling of HTML elements to a consistent standard. I've rolled my own; based on my own experience of CSS programming over the…
Published on 12th September 2014
Can I Use…?
The most useful website I've found to use over the past year for front-end web development is “Can I Use” by Alexis Deveria.
Published on 10th September 2014
Facebook Messenger privacy concerns
If the terms of a piece of software prove not to be to your liking, then don't use it. No-one is forcing you to send messages over Facebook; there are many other options available to you.
Published on 3rd September 2014
Swiss Train View
Swiss railway company Rhaetian Railways has teamed up with Google to provide a “Street View” version of its iconic line through south-eastern Switzerland.
Published on 13th August 2014
Not quitting Facebook
Deactivating my Facebook account for a week was a great experience. Although I've chosen to return, I will be using the social media site with much less regularity and a much more filtered stream.
Published on 7th July 2014
The geographic location of a website
Most websites are housed in so-called server farms, where their physical location is only important in as far as their protection and reliability is concerned. It’s quite possible to have a web server in the shed at the bottom of…
Published on 3rd July 2014
An unwanted friendship
If you had a friend who cheated, abused your trust and did everything in order to profit himself, how would you react?…
Published on 30th June 2014
CMS: separating authorship from layout
My first job in Switzerland was for a newspaper publisher, where I remained for seven years whilst co-developing a newspaper and website publishing system. Building on the basic experience I was gaining whilst making little blogs using b2/cafelog…
Published on 18th June 2014
Blogging in an imperfectly multilingual world
I was at WordCamp Switzerland 2014 last weekend; a WordPress conference aimed at both content creators and developers. One of the many interesting talks on the day was by Stephanie Booth on the subject of blogging in a multilingual world.
Published on 9th May 2014
Password or no password?
Pros and cons to password generation, authentication via email, and whether there are any options to get rid of passwords altogether.
Published on 9th May 2014
Percentage-based CSS column layouts
Laying out a page using percentage-based columns seems to be pretty easy. However, in responsive layouts, you’ll quickly run into problems if you don’t take legibility into account. The most obvious case is when the columns are predominantly text-based, where…
Published on 20th December 2013
Instagram Direct
Instagram is an “app” for smartphones, which allows you to snap a photo, apply a filter effect (if you like) and upload it to the Instagram service. From there, you can share the photos on Facebook, Twitter,…
Published on 12th December 2013
Automating your web design presentations with PlaceIt
One of the key parts of developing a web design, promoting a project with a graphic design, or presenting an idea to a web client is showing them how the design will actually look. Until the requirement to support a…
Published on 27th November 2013
How to create a web design for multiple devices – Part 1
The first in a series of posts outlining the basics of how designers can plan layouts for the widest possible range of internet-capable devices.
Published on 20th November 2013
Shut up about responsive design
The term “responsive design” refers to the fact that a website is suitable for viewing on any device, from a smartphone to a super-sized t.v. screen. But is it actually important, nearly four years after the requirement became prevalent, that…
Published on 19th November 2013
Cleaner layout and better navigation
If you’re reading this on the website (and not in an RSS reader or the like) then you’re seeing the new version of the website. Similar to the old one in general terms, but re-built (again) from the ground up…
Published on 15th November 2013
Lessons from the Big Web Show
Lessons learned about working in the web whilst listening to the Big Web Show podcast. From keeping a project on track to dampening down your ego a little.
Published on 11th October 2013
Image gallery grid layout
Information about the technical solution I've implemented for the grid layout in my photo galleries here on the website.
Published on 2nd October 2013
Lightning on the calendar
One of my landscape photos is chosen for a 2014 calendar, complied from submissions from the Swiss Twitter community.
Published on 1st October 2013
The perils of a non-independent web
Jeremy Keith highlights the dangers of placing your valuable data and creative efforts in the hands of larger companies, out of your control.
Published on 25th September 2013
Keeping your location private when sharing mobile phone photos
The news story in this video highlights technical points which seem obvious to most mobile phone users, but which less tech-savvy people may easily overlook. If you take photos when location services are active on your phone, the photos contain…
Published on 13th August 2013
Technical case study: Bike To Work
Back in 2011, the organizers of Bike To Work Switzerland approached my employer !frappant Webfactory to re-develop their website and the participants’ admin system. I worked with a third-party usability consultant to re-think and re-design the project, before I carried…
Published on 10th July 2013
Who pays for photos should receive photos
Barbara Hess has written an interesting blog post (original in German, linked version automatically translated by Google) on the subject of image usage rights; her approach, with which I agree, is to ensure that clients get the maximum use out…
Published on 29th April 2013
Photo copyright/licensing transgression at ZapTravel
I’m annoyed and disappointed by the fact that a travel website from the USA has decided to augment and support its business by taking images from various online sources – including Flickr – and using them in contravention of…
Published on 23rd April 2013
Breaking the mould for website navigation
The British Design Museum has announced its nominations for the 2013 Design Awards, amongst them the fascinating Rain Room und the latest Windows Phone. But the nomination which interests me the most is the British government’s website gov.uk. The…
Published on 10th April 2013
