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The web is full of designs and patterns, both good and bad, new and old. At times it all starts to blur together and the sites start resembling one another. Periodically I like to see what else is out there, to see what interesting ideas have yet to become the web trend of the month. The following is a small list of sites I try to visit at least once a week. As a front end developer I might be looking for something different for inspiration compared to a designer or UX specialist. The following sites will offer not only design and development ideas but also challenge the way we view content on the web, for better or for worse. Site Inspire : Well organized collection so you can easily browse for specific subjects or styles that you are looking for. Mostly leans toward a clean, modern design aesthetic. One Page Love : Single page sites only, great source for … Continue reading
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My last blog post I wrote about the future of web grids by using CSS Grid Layouts. Recently I have been finding a lot of inspiration off of the grid. Finding a way to incorporate some more organic or random elements on the page. Over the weekend I visited the home page for one of my favorite photography social media and mobile app called VSCO and was surprised to see a very unorthodox homepage (figure 1, 2, and 3) The site looks normal at first glance, a simple nav and a list of recent blog posts, but on hover (at large desktop sizes) the post items will load images from the post behind the text in a somewhat random order and position. The interiors are more structured (figure 4) but still give the appearance of a random placement for images and text. It is easy to keep the web in a grid structure using frameworks like Bootstrap, Foundation, or … Continue reading
As a Front End developer, my job crosses over many disciplines, but this post is not about what a Front End developer/designer does (you can read a great article by Brad Frost on the topic to understand more about this balancing act). During the development of a web site, the front end plays key roles throughout the process. Traditionally the front end was reserved for the post-design states of a project, but more and more, we are seeing the front end discussed and thought about earlier. Depending on the organization or team, the front end can be introduced as early as the beginnings of content strategy, site map development, or wireframing. These early front ends are usually grayscale websites with placeholder images and Lorem Ipsum text. The ‘polishing’ of a site with elements like color, drops shadows, gradients, and animations are usually reserved for later. But recently I have found myself adding more and more motion throughout all stages of … Continue reading
Posted in: front end web development
As a front-end web developer I deal with Design, User Experience, and User Interface challenges on a daily basis. I also have my fair share of opinions on what works and what doesn’t work in UI/UX design. Sometimes I am wrong, and recognizing that you are wrong is the first step towards progress. The following is a sample of my ‘list of observations’ (mostly things I was wrong about) from this past holiday season while visiting friends and family. Young children actually use voice search: I’ve spent two days watching kids use (successfully I might add) voice search on a cable box. It was actually quicker and more successful than using the clumsy remote text input. This is a surprising contrast over my failed attempts with Siri or Google Now. Non-developers are more tolerant of broken software: I watched several people acknowledge broken software (video games, web pages, etc…) and merely shrugged their shoulders and move on with the task … Continue reading
Posted in: front end web development