Category Archives: Design

Web unusability

Posted on September 2, 2015 by David Megginson

Sometimes, like in this FedEx Canada form, companies decide #usability is a bad thing. Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Web | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Breadcrumbs: yes or no?

Posted on August 23, 2014 by David Megginson

In web design, Breadcrumbs are those little navigational links you see across the top of some web pages, like Home → Canada → Ontario → Ottawa or Media»Music»Classical»Beethoven Good idea? Breadcrumbs let you can see where you are in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

It’s never the end of history

Posted on August 23, 2014 by David Megginson

Remember when we thought the web was stuck in a rut, with IE, Flash preroll, fixed-width layouts, and endless browser incompatibilities? Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Mobile | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Mobile web app or web site?

Posted on March 17, 2014 by David Megginson

If you’re creating an HTML5 mobile web application, this is the minimum you need to give your users what Google calls a “homescreen launch experience” on an iOS or Android mobile device: <!doctype html> <html> <head> <title>Awesome app</title> <meta name=”viewport” … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Mobile, REST | Leave a comment

Link: Transitioning To a Mobile Centric World (Bill Gurley)

Posted on July 19, 2013 by David Megginson

http://abovethecrowd.com/2013/07/17/transitioning-to-a-mobile-centric-world/ This article argues that the verdict is in, and users want apps, not mobile web sites.  My friend and colleague Michael Roberts (who, I suspect, is neutral in the debate) shared this link on Google+, and – as if … Continue reading →

Posted in Coding, Design, Mobile | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Is fluid layout old-fashioned?

Posted on February 9, 2011 by David Megginson

No one would mistake me for a graphic designer — I believe that no merely visual design can match the breathtaking beauty of a properly-normalized database schema — but still, I recently found myself helping someone design a simple theme … Continue reading →

Posted in Design | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The past, future, and present of mobile apps

Posted on May 16, 2010 by David Megginson

Now that I’ve had a few weeks to play with my Nexus One, I’m starting to grok the gut-level experience of living with a smart phone. I understand why people download apps, how it feels to have the Internet with … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Mobile | Tagged , | 12 Comments

A farewell to tabs

Posted on August 5, 2009 by David Megginson

I’ve used tabbed layouts in web sites for a while without thinking much about it. I find them less obtrusive than menus, and have always believed that the idiom was familiar to nearly all users because of desktop applications. Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Design | Tagged | 11 Comments