Apr 22, 2009
One important aspect of developing web applications is creating feedback messaging—such as errors, warnings, and success messages—that will guide the end user through certain tasks. This messaging needs to be clear and visually consistent. For instance, we could do something as simple as setting the background color for a success message to green and the background for an error messages to red. In this segment, you'll see how to create this messaging using Ajax. You might be surprised just how easy it is to create a reusable JavaScript object that will manage all of these different responses. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
Web applications are not only giving the Internet a face-lift, they're paving the way for new forms of usability-based design. Although designers rely on Web applications to provide a tool or service to people, it's really the way that you present information that counts. Most people are apt to pass over or become confused by applications that aren't visually intuitive or appealing. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
If you've recently transitioned to CSS from using standard table layouts to design your Web sites, you've probably run into a few roadblocks while attempting design techniques that once seemed easy. Don't give up. Believe it or not, CSS does make designing sites easier and provides many elegant solutions—it's really just a matter of learning them. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
If you've ever tried to implement transparent PNG files on the Web, you've probably found that they don't work in all browsers, namely, ahem, Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6.0. In this article Kris Hadlock will show you how to use transparent PNGs in your Web sites without having to worry about them breaking in earlier versions of Explorer. To make it easy on you, he has also included the source code as a free download. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
If you're familiar with Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you're likely a fan of its Web-based collaboration features. As a developer, you might consider building similar collaboration features into your own applications. Kris Hadlock will show you how to build the same collaboration feature used in Google Docs from scratch using PHP, MySQL, and Ajax. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
CraigsList is an extremely popular web application used by tons of people in many different countries. In this article, Kris Hadlock discusses how the current CraigsList design could be improved to better leverage data so that it's more accessible and approachable by everyone who uses it. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
Popularized by sites such as Flickr and Del.icio.us, tag clouds are a visual way to depict data used on a web site. Each item on a web site, such as an image, article, and so on can include one to multiple tags and they are often shared amongst items. A tag cloud visually displays a group of tags, depicting the ones that are used more often as larger hyperlinks and the ones used less often as smaller hyperlinks. They are very useful for search engines and serve as a visual way to display popular data on a web site. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
Tumblelogs are more stream-of-conscious than traditional blogs. With this concept in mind, the interactive process for adding items to your tumblelog should be extremely fast, eliminating any distractions and letting your thoughts flow. Kris Hadlock loves the simplicity of Tumblr, but thinks it could be improved to allow posts to be more spur of the moment. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
Text readability is an extremely important part of any Web site, but how do you know what size your users will find readable? Kris Hadlock shows you how to solve this problem by creating a text-zooming component with JavaScript. This component not only enables users to resize the text on your Web site, but it also enables you to restrict what text they can resize. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
The Designing With Code series looks at design and interaction issues in web applications and finds elegant design solutions through code. This week, Kris Hadlock follows up Robert Hoekman's column on Ning, a web application that allows you to create your own social networks. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
Are you struggling to attract readers to your site and then keep them once they've found it? Through a number of simple enhancements, you can create a site that's easy to find and a pleasure to read using the content that's already there. This week, I'll share a few such enhancements that have helped me over the years and that I still use today. I'll show you how to utilize your space without overdoing it, create a successful error page, and make recommendations that visitors find valuable. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
In this article Kris Hadlock will show you how to prevent errors in your forms and ultimately bring them to life through JavaScript. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
Mashups allow entirely new applications to be built by simply combining the APIs from third-party applications. Many large web companies, such as Google, Yahoo, and Amazon, have been providing access to their applications' code libraries for some time. These APIs offer endless mashup opportunities, enabling you to essentially pick and choose the functionality that you want to offer your users by simply integrating multiple applications. You can, for example, integrate Google Maps with Google Adsense to match advertisements with map results or integrate the public transit route and schedule with map directions. The best part? It's easy to do. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
As a business owner and web designer, I understand the importance of creating a winning proposal. A solid proposal is more than just an explanation of what you're planning to do for your client?it involves research, experienced suggestions, professional design, and a detailed explanation of how you can help your client achieve his goals. Read the full article
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Apr 22, 2009
One of the most overlooked additions to a designer's web site is a questionnaire for new projects or potential clients. Done right, a web design questionnaire will be a time-saving addition to your web design. Think about all the time you would save if you knew exactly what a potential client was looking for before you even had your first meeting. It can also help you determine what to recommend in your proposal and how to create a better estimate. Read the full article
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Oct 5, 2009
Kris Hadlock, the author of The ActionScript 3.0 Migration Guide, explains how to customize your organization's presence on YouTube, with some relatively easy settings changes to make you stand out from the crowd. As the social networking landscape broadens, your organization's online presence should grow to match. One social network often overlooked is YouTube. You don't have to be a teenager or a filmmaker to reach YouTube's vast audience; many businesses also can take advantage of YouTube's benefits. For example, your online sales channel could use YouTube to reach the general public, teaching potential customers about your services or showing your product in action. Your support or training divisions could post tutorials or help videos for current users to learn about and keep up to date with the latest features of your product or service. This article shows you how to create a custom YouTube channel for your organization—and make it look professional. Read the full article
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