Blog posts

I studied web design because I realized that many of the sites I saw on the web had poor user experience – that is, they were a pain to use. In those days, there was little formal web design training. What there was included design and development, but user experience instruction was often limited to good navigation and good architecture. Today, web design focuses on user experience design, which is more about the experience than the design. It isn’t enough to have a website. You want a website that stands out as it meets the needs of the user.

At the end of…

This will not be animated in many email programs:

Back when I started in web design, animated GIFs (pronounced like the peanut butter) were animation from the wrong side of the tracks. We often used them to give a client an idea of what a Flash animation would do. They were seldom used them in actual web work. Animated GIFs were viewed with disdain. They couldn’t do many of the things that Flash could do and were comparatively big in file size.

But when Steve Jobs rang a serious blow to Flash (by not allowing it on any ’i’ device) with no…

Hiring a contractor to do anything for you, including creating a website, requires a partnership. Both sides have needs and expectations. It is the customer responsibility to be sure their expectations are clear. Contractors are not clairvoyants and can not know everything the customer may be thinking about inclusions, exclusions, and time-frames.
Ask Questions and Do Your Research
If you don’t understand something, JUST ASK. It’s not macho not to ask, just dumb. Contractors cannot know what your expectations or assumptions are. Good contractors will try to find out, but even so, they can’ know all that you are thinking. So, if…

Continuing on with the things that create a better working relationship with any contractor, this week I cover Know Your Limitations and Read the Contract.
You’ve got to know your limitations
For each of us there are three resources: time, money and energy. Before starting a project it’s a good idea to evaluate how much you are comfortable spending and what you are capable of spending or investing of each. Basically, how much do you want to spend, and how much could you spend. The reason for this is that your wants may exceed your capabilities in one or more areas and you…

Summer is a time of starting fresh. A few years ago when I thought of moving, I purged the house for months of decades of acquired treasure. When you live in one place for a long time, you tend to get everything pretty much the way it works for you easily on a day to day basis. The problem is, you tend to put aside a lot of things and store things you no longer need. I found that the biggest impediment to getting rid of old clutter was recalling how much money I had spent on it. Today those…

In my last post, I talked about what it takes to be a good client. These guidelines apply whether hiring a web designer to create your business website or a painter to recolor your living space. You know how you want for the desired end result and you know what you can afford to spend. Good communication with a contractor means letting them in on those expectations.

I write about this as much to remind myself as I hire contractors as it is to share my insights for you when you hire one.
Define the desired end result
“We can hit the target,…