Archive for the ‘web’ Category

A curious seasonal habit of the web designer is the August Supplication, during which the internet reverberates with the sound of begging, back-scratching and unfettered harlotry. South By Southwest voting. I’m sure it’s a system that works excellently for the organisers. The pleas for votes market the conference, and those who plead well are likely [...]

My work is used by millions. When the thought first struck the numbers were lower, but I was stunned. I quickly surmised the only way I could retain objectivity and impartiality was to bury this thought, but it wouldn’t leave me alone. I’m hoping that I can now make sense of it by voicing it. [...]

A few weeks ago, a new travel startup called Tourdust quietly slipped into public release. It was my first major project for Clearleft, so I’d like to explain a little about the design process, challenges and decisions involved in its development. Information architecture The Tourdust proposition is a classic exploration of the long tail: linking [...]

Anyone who’s worked in the web is aware of the “best practice” cult. To me, it’s a lazy creed that exhorts us to switch off and plunder others’ work, and the time has come to rebel. Firstly, there’s the pure language involved. “Best” implies something that cannot be improved upon. A world of best practice [...]

January was the month that Twitter lurched towards the British mainstream. Stats show an astronomical rise in site and search traffic, and the rich and famous are now falling over themselves to connect with their fawning public. One may ask why this tipping point has happened first in the UK, rather than the States or [...]

The time has rolled round again when Clearleft fancies having a fresh face in the office, so we’re currently looking for a Design/Front End Development Intern. It’d suit someone with talent and enthusiasm (or, better, passion) for web design, UX and standards-based development, but who maybe lacks the commercial experience and wants to take a [...]

Users hate redesigns, or so we’re told. To be fair, the evidence does seem to support the argument: the last year or so has given us some clear examples of user backlash. Facebook: Right now, the largest anti-redesign group has 1,656,258 members. I’m with them in spirit: I think the Facebook redesign is weak, although [...]

Some things aren’t meant to be measured. It’s bad enough that people read so much into their blog stats, follower numbers etc, but now we have more evil forces like Twitterank. The number of people willing to surrender their privacy to its password anti-pattern is even more astonishing given its payoff: a dimensionless, reference-free number. [...]