tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33130087486851935742024-03-18T03:46:08.171-04:00Ronkowitz LLC - Web Development and Design ServicesKen Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-90679792397790013062024-03-04T16:34:00.001-05:002024-03-04T16:34:00.126-05:00More About AI-generated Images<p>I have been continuing to experiment with the many AI applications that are generative. These apps generate new content. Generating text - such as with ChatGPT - has received most of the attention in the past year. Generating images came along later but has taken hold and now video and audio is the latest generative thing to do.</p>
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<p>It is certainly tempting to create an "original" (Is that accurate?) image rather than pay for stock images or search for royalty-free ones that come close to what you want to use.</p>
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<p>Below is one I made using Microsoft's <a href="https://www.bing.com/images/create/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">bing.com/images/create/</a> which is just one of those available for free (at least for now). I gave a simple prompt: "man at keyboard using Bing to create an image of a woman using her smartphone." It is a good image. Certainly far better than anything I could do on my own.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4416" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/bing-ai.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p>I could revise the prompt and ask it to be in the style of van Gogh, or have him sitting outside or whatever. It's bit off from what I expected. By "image of a woman using her smartphone" I wanted her to have the phone in hand, not the man. I tried again using "man at keyboard creating an image of a woman using a smartphone" and one of the results is below.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4421" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/creating-image-2.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p>Very different and closer to my intent. Here's an oddity - my revised prompt originally said "beautiful woman" and the app rejected the prompt as having language that goes against their policies. That's odd because it gave me four beautiful women anyway, including one that has a woman who looks like some comic book fantasy. (below)</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4423" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/creating-image-3.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p>For an article I was writing about hiking, I generated (I can't quite say I "created" it, can I?) several images. Very simple prompt: "man hiking in the forest in black and white." It generated 4 images and then I revised the prompt. </p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4595" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/woods4.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p class="has-text-align-center">Not sure why he has a hiking/waking stick.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4596" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/woods3.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p class="has-text-align-center">Adding color and a sunset</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4598" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/woods-sunset.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p class="has-text-align-center">You can change the point of view - as with a ground-level low angle.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4600" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/hiking.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p>All of these are photo-realistic or painterly, but you are not limited to that, such as with this android blowing out its birthday cake candles.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4601" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/android-birthday.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p>It can become game of "stump the AI." Let's try "a woman and a robot walking hand in hand through a hall of mirrors."</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4603" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/woman-robot-mirrors.jpg?w=500" /></figure>
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<p>I haven't always gotten exactly what I intended, but I have not stumped it yet.</p>
<!--/wp:paragraph-->Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-39340863576998540932024-02-05T09:00:00.004-05:002024-02-05T09:00:00.140-05:00AI-Generated Images<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMVyuN97KY2s7fbFr1jvNfd_1OuOX2kXOd6tvOqdDAxCWwb0QgcRflRsLtj283T0FwOLMK18w5LBtVYtQS5Hy4oVha0OS5_Un_er5uJOfMZo7a-FbHIla8yjRVE616EmvPmAbfpi-reTzlHvqi8fci9nb_F7Ki0MCGNoG5hTEXjhn6f8rKk3XblgLDRY/s1024/android%20drawing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMVyuN97KY2s7fbFr1jvNfd_1OuOX2kXOd6tvOqdDAxCWwb0QgcRflRsLtj283T0FwOLMK18w5LBtVYtQS5Hy4oVha0OS5_Un_er5uJOfMZo7a-FbHIla8yjRVE616EmvPmAbfpi-reTzlHvqi8fci9nb_F7Ki0MCGNoG5hTEXjhn6f8rKk3XblgLDRY/w400-h400/android%20drawing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Artificial intelligence scares some people. When AI takes over human roles and takes the form of a human, that is quite scary. AI writing essays scares teachers and pleases students. It also scares people whose income comes from writing. None of us want to be replaced by a machine.</p><p>I have found that AI used to create images seems to be less scary. Oh sure, if I were a graphic designer, artist, or photographer, I would be frightened that my career would be replaced by AI.</p><p>I have been playing with a few programs. These are all free - for now. I do some drawing, painting, and photography myself with my hands, but I would not rate them as professional. </p><p>One of the first things I tried was Microsoft Bing <a href="https://www.bing.com/images/create/" target="_blank">bing.com/images/create/</a> These programs are very easy to use. You input text - a prompt - describing what you want to see created. The more detailed the prompt, the more likely it is that you will get a result that matches the one in your imagination. Beyond that, you don't have a lot of control. You can't choose colors for small parts of the image but you can describe a style (like a Renaissance painting, or anime etc.) and details add details.</p><p>For example, you could ask for an illustration of a woman. That is very broad. Let's try again - an Asian woman on a computer monitor. How about a man creating an image of an Asian woman using his phone and Bing and projecting it on a monitor. Okay, just as a test of its capabilities, let's add a small teddy bear.</p><p>And here is the result:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEkjyhMwYGlAvNYOmQPIvMDd53JMwcpU-71Nnc2LShS_wv5PrwEFGy0V0eUG2Lgz9bsZHD_KaJEv826fgSLu7hhYGjRUI51bz6JBCDT9MaJqRXgtJycmtviHApHjj3T9_TuWoJPRwpDFS4sCuMfX4qm-QarpwHweVkaOhLrPJ2y-MCQ2s42p1KtiTo9Q/s1024/bing%20ai.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEkjyhMwYGlAvNYOmQPIvMDd53JMwcpU-71Nnc2LShS_wv5PrwEFGy0V0eUG2Lgz9bsZHD_KaJEv826fgSLu7hhYGjRUI51bz6JBCDT9MaJqRXgtJycmtviHApHjj3T9_TuWoJPRwpDFS4sCuMfX4qm-QarpwHweVkaOhLrPJ2y-MCQ2s42p1KtiTo9Q/w400-h400/bing%20ai.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Do a search and you'll find lots of these programs. <a href="https://www.craiyon.com/">www.craiyon.com</a> is another one. I also liked experimenting with <a href="https://deepai.org/machine-learning-model/text2img">deepai.org/machine-learning-model/text2img</a>. I went down a similar path asking variations on a woman standing by a wall, sitting by a lake, etc. <div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYAH4KqcVbAs4TIfoa_0Dc1F7tAB35C-xmpas9EBtyVmr81lIkS8dA_SrTdvorCJy7oruIxGS3dir2oI4g3WsZFip30QwJtlZuWkfay9hLCaEluIHn_C6Hjjl961AVwG4u2YjMYSaGlEdC5VdYw8et1VMoFpdaM4dQuagkzsU09_82VIfPlWn21HCU04/s512/woman%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYAH4KqcVbAs4TIfoa_0Dc1F7tAB35C-xmpas9EBtyVmr81lIkS8dA_SrTdvorCJy7oruIxGS3dir2oI4g3WsZFip30QwJtlZuWkfay9hLCaEluIHn_C6Hjjl961AVwG4u2YjMYSaGlEdC5VdYw8et1VMoFpdaM4dQuagkzsU09_82VIfPlWn21HCU04/w400-h400/woman%201.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> I'll keep posting things I create on my main site at <a href="https://ronkowitzllc.com" target="_blank">https://ronkowitzllc.com</a> and I'll be using them for a lot of my posts online.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I would like to see more control over these simple tools - such as being able to start with a photo of my own - and they are not perfect in following prompts. Did you notice that in the image at the top of this post that Bing misspelled Bing?</div>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-91298696979583246452023-12-05T16:11:00.001-05:002023-12-05T16:11:14.619-05:00Possible Web Design Trends for 2024<p> </p>
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<p>There are always end-of-the-year predictions about almost anything and that includes what the future of web design might be. Web design platform <a data-id="https://pros.squarespace.com/blog/2024-web-design-trends" data-type="link" href="https://pros.squarespace.com/blog/2024-web-design-trends" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Squarespace suggests five web design trends</a>. </p>
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<li><a href="https://pros.squarespace.com/blog/ai-design-trend" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Artificial Intelligence (AI)</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://pros.squarespace.com/blog/subtle-nostalgia-design-trend" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Subtle Nostalgia</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://pros.squarespace.com/blog/hyper-reality-design-trend" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Hyper-Reality</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://pros.squarespace.com/blog/analog-design-trend" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Analog</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://pros.squarespace.com/blog/minimalism-revival-design-trend" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Minimalism Revival</a></li>
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<p>These possible trends go from fairly conservative Analog, Subtle Nostalgia and Minimalism Revival to the more radical AI and Hyper-Reality.</p>
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<p>For example, Analog web design, sometimes referred to as retro web design, uses vintage elements from a pre-computer era to create unique visitor experiences. Often relying on handcrafted imagery, print effects, and tactile textures, the aesthetic uses outdated techniques to produce feelings of authenticity and familiarity for brands.</p>
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<p>Hyper-Reality makes reality elusive: you can’t tell the difference between real and unreal. Technological advances give us lots of ways to enhance reality—by airbrushing photos, editing videos, or creating personalized user interfaces. But when the boundaries between reality and technology become distorted, you’ve entered a state of Hyper-Reality.</p>
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<!--/wp:image-->Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-14203120280088956992023-08-16T17:51:00.001-04:002023-08-16T17:51:00.141-04:00Website, Blog, or Website with a Blog?<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PaowtI4YCCM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"> For my full thoughts on this topic, see the post on my main website<br />(which does have a blog incorporated) at <a href="https://ronkowitzllc.com/?p=4077" target="_blank">https://ronkowitzllc.com/?p=4077</a></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-29076505905273742272023-08-01T08:30:00.001-04:002023-08-01T08:30:00.141-04:00Finding Your Website's Niche<div class="separator"><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4073" height="368" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/pexels-photo-3937174.jpeg" style="height: 501px; width: 356px;" width="261" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Sharad Kachhi on <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-flat-screen-computer-monitor-on-black-wooden-table-3937174/" rel="nofollow">Pexels.com</a></figcaption></figure></div><!--wp:image {"align":"center","id":4073,"width":356,"height":501,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"}-->
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<p>I have written before about the specialized website. For example, if you have a restaurant and want a website there are things particular to restaurant websites that you certainly want to include. There are also web designers who specialize in certain kinds of websites. There are plenty of design firms that will do any kind of website. They might have a person who works on certain kinds of websites. More likely they have templates that they use for different types of business sites. </p>
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<p>So they might have a restaurant template and possibly they even have a person who works on those kinds of websites. More likely they have templates that they use for different types of business sites. So they might have a restaurant template.</p>
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<p>You might call this type of website a niche website. A niche can be defined as a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service. Niche marketing is a part of any marketing strategy and a niche website is often a part of that overall marketing strategy.</p>
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<p>I seem to have fallen into becoming a designer of sites for writers and artists which I am very comfortable doing. Most of my work comes from recommendations from existing clients. </p>
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<p>Some advice if you are looking for a designer: Find a designer who has built sites in your niche, and don’t use a generic templated website. Unfortunately, many of the DIY and free website-building platforms are template-driven and so hundreds or thousands of sites will look like your site. Of course, a designer can start with a template and then customize it so that it has a more original look. I do that frequently. </p>
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<p>I read an article about <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/now/dental-marketing-guy-provides-design-142900808.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">marketing a dental practice</a> via a website. That is an example of a niche design. I would assume that some elements of a dental practice website would cross over with medical practices but really you would find many differences that need to be considered. </p>
<!--/wp:paragraph-->Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-61811817181863478512023-02-01T10:30:00.001-05:002023-02-01T10:30:00.175-05:00Do I Still Need a Website for My Small Business?<p> </p><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/pexels-photo-262978.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/pexels-photo-262978.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Photo by Pixabay on </span><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/blur-breakfast-chef-cooking-262978/" rel="nofollow" style="text-align: left;">Pexels.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></figcaption><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">A friend who owns a small restaurant asked me recently if she still needs a website for her business.<br /><br />She has a Facebook page and social presence on Instagram, and Twitter and has regular activity on Yelp. In her opinion, most of her traffic goes to those places.<br /><br />She can also do her own updates to all those places and interact with customers. She can add events, post new menu photos, and change options. Her issue is that she has a website that she pays for every year. It costs about $250 for that but she pays by the hour for a designer (not me) to update the website. That part runs her about $500 a year. Plus she pays for her domain. Is it worth it?</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">So this is a question of website versus social media.<br /><br />Her only hesitation is that all those social sites point/link to the website. Yes, the website gets traffic, but it is not her main way of getting the word out to old and new customers.<br /><br />My advice was to keep the website. In total, she spends about $1000 a year. Not insignificant, but not a huge investment even for a small business. She could cut costs by using a free hosting website and maybe find a cheaper web services person or even learn to do updates herself using something like WordPress.<br /><br />My main reason for keeping a website is that even in 2023, people just assume every legitimate business has one. Are you a business if you don’t have a website?<br /><br />Any thoughts?</div></figcaption>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-72565503803860128902023-01-02T13:04:00.003-05:002023-01-02T13:04:58.412-05:00Is Apple's New iCloud Website Design Beautiful?<p>Apple's iCloud website has looked the same for a while. The old design followed the block design of earlier iOS versions. So, it is no surprise that the redesign looks more like the iOS widgets that Apple users are already used to seeing elsewhere.</p><p><span face=""Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">The new </span><a class="hawk-link-parsed" data-component-tracked="1" data-url="www.icloud.com" href="https://www.creativebloq.com/news/www.icloud.com" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #e94e1b; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">iCloud website</a> is <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">customizable so that you can choose which apps appear as </span>tiles with previews for various iCloud services, including Mail, Photos, Pages.</p><p>A post I saw said that "<i><a href="https://www.creativebloq.com/news/apples-new-icloud-website-design-is-a-thing-of-beauty" target="_blank">Apple's new iCloud website design is a thing of beauty</a>. </i>That seems a bit extravagant to me. It is more of catching up with a design used by them elsewhere.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sAwiGpovmjS4eEatkdVFFM-1200-80.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="278" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sAwiGpovmjS4eEatkdVFFM-1200-80.jpg.webp" width="494" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample screen provided by Apple</td></tr></tbody></table>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-9416745841144158032022-12-01T08:40:00.007-05:002022-12-01T08:40:00.177-05:00Sustainable Web Design<p class="has-text-align-center" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“If the Internet was a country, it would be the 7th largest polluter.”<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />— from the <a href="https://www.sustainablewebmanifesto.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff706c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Sustainable Web Manifesto</a> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Using the Internet is bad for the environment?</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s astonishing how much carbon is emitted due to Internet usage. Before I get into the why and how of that, let me say that there are so many benefits to having the Internet and people are so addicted to using it that we are not going to get people to stop using it. How long do you think it will take to get all the gasoline vehicles off the roads and shut down all the fossil fuel power plants?</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Therefore, it makes sense to be more conscious and more sensible about how we do things online and its connection to the environment.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">No-code website solutions like WordPress, Wix, et al, are very popular, templated, easy to use, inexpensive, and terrible for the environment. Look at <a href="https://www.websitecarbon.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff706c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">websitecarbon.com</a> which calculates the carbon scores for websites.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">No-code websites are pre-packaged with almost all the functionality the designer thinks you might want to use. Most people don’t use all that functionality, which means it has a lot of unnecessary code and therefore emits more carbon.</p><div class="wp-block-image" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><figure class="aligncenter size-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: table; margin: 0px auto;"><img alt="code" class="wp-image-3592" data-attachment-id="3592" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="simple-code" data-large-file="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/simple-code.jpg?w=480" data-medium-file="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/simple-code.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/simple-code.jpg" data-orig-size="480,360" data-permalink="https://ronkowitzllc.com/2022/10/13/sustainable-web-design/simple-code/" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/simple-code.jpg?w=480" srcset="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/simple-code.jpg 480w, https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/simple-code.jpg?w=150 150w, https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/simple-code.jpg?w=300 300w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px; vertical-align: bottom;" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; caption-side: bottom; display: table-caption; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em; text-align: center;">start from scratch?</figcaption></figure></div><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">An <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/09/01/why-web-designers-need-to-think-about-sustainable-web-design/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff706c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">article </a>in Forbes magazine is about why web designers need to think about “sustainable web design.” The quote I started with -“If the Internet was a country, it would be the 7th largest polluter.” – comes from the <a href="https://www.sustainablewebmanifesto.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff706c; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Sustainable Web Manifesto</a>. Designing a sustainable website isn’t easy for the average person. For example, to make cleaner, lighter code, you need to build from scratch. Even professional web designers use templates these days.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My Poets Online website was built from scratch, so I ran a test and the result is “Hurrah! This web page is cleaner than 84% of web pages tested.” That’s good. Next, I ran the test on this WordPress website, which is built from a template, and the result is “Uh oh! This web page is dirtier than 69% of web pages tested.” Not good.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What can I do to make it greener? Rebuilding it from scratch is unlikely to happen. I just don’t have the time. I have 11 of my own websites/blogs and I have six clients for whom I manage websites. Your best opportunity is to go green when you start a new website.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But there’s also the hosting. A hosting company that uses renewable energy to power its websites is better. I don’t know what WordPress uses.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can use as little video as possible since they make a site slower and a bigger drain. The same goes for images. Smaller is better. Do you use a png that is 3500 pixels wide but resize it online to 400 px? Then just upload a 400 px version instead.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Remove unnecessary code. That is easier said than done and especially difficult for someone using templated sites. In fact, messing with the code may not even be possible. Squarespace hides the code pretty well and one reason is that you can change a line or two and wreck your entire site if you don’t really know how to code.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The first step in greener websites is educating designers. In my own informal survey of friends who have or design websites, I found that none of them knew what I meant by sustainable web design, and almost all of them could not tell me how a website pollutes.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>reposted from <a href="https://ronkowitzllc.com/tag/web-design/" target="_blank">ronkowitzllc.com</a></b></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-11487839698163236462022-09-01T14:50:00.009-04:002022-09-01T14:50:00.175-04:00How Should You Learn User Experience Design?<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2QQQtiFwXjU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>Despite seeing suggestions to not call people "users" in UX, user experience design affects everyone, whether they work in technology at a high level or use technology from systems to someone just using their phone.</p><p><a href="https://www.creativebloq.com/features/abigail-posner-ux-design" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Google's Abigail Posner says</a>, "When we use the word 'user' it implies just when that person is using that device. The device is the story; the user is just the person who uses it. So if we take away that word and think about the human being then the kind of research that we would use would be much broader, much deeper, and therefore really allow us to understand the human being who uses that technology or uses that software."</p><p>Gizmodo lists the <a href="https://gizmodo.com/gizmodos-degrees-of-the-future-2022-1849357231">Degrees of the Future 2022</a> top UX Design programs at universities. But is the Google UX Design Certificate a worthwhile alternative?</p><p>It is a low-cost design certificate and worth considering if you are new to the user experience (UX) design field or job market. It costs students less than $200 from start to finish.<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: right;"><i><b>This post originally appeared at <a href="https://ronkowitzllc.com" target="_blank">RonkowitzLLC.com</a></b></i></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-66009586604366691152022-08-09T18:54:00.000-04:002022-08-09T18:54:28.065-04:00A More Fluid Squarespace<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_596,c_limit,q_auto:best,f_auto,fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2022/07/01-90771019-squarespace-fluid-engine.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="596" height="298" src="https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_596,c_limit,q_auto:best,f_auto,fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2022/07/01-90771019-squarespace-fluid-engine.gif" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Squarespace</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I have been using <b><a href="https://www.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Squarespace</a></b> for some websites for ten years. The company has been around for 20 years and lots of designers and people who are not designers have used it to build their own websites.</p><p>This year they launched Fluid Engine, a new platform that is heavily drag-and-drop technology. It's the first really big update since I have used the product.</p><p>It allows much more customizable sites. The template used in the decade before (Layout Engine) kept you in a 12-column grid where you could drag and drop widgets and resize them - but you were still forced to fit the grid. Now the "fluid" allows you to place them almost anywhere on the screen. You can also make overlapping images and also stretch images to the edge of the screen for a full-bleed layout.</p><p>More at <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90771019/squarespace-radically-revamps-its-web-design-tools-for-the-first-time-in-10-years" target="_blank">fastcompany.com/90771019/squarespace...</a></p><p><br /></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-55631829633203541202022-07-01T14:30:00.001-04:002022-07-01T14:30:00.178-04:00Types of Web Developers<p style="text-align: center;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrMCTY8NaOXvl8etP-Qld91FE6MHL5HV_QbcDGrQ7bRHRIcCZ3B-HhdRILEdNj5gdBa3MQNNEFHt4dbvi6y9DKYDebpItmNk7uPr-W1Eeb36UwpsgMrTnKZXhRr-J-Ti__hM12GwHHAlcz_ioeMgA5JVRtmgYCG_WKE_8j2x_cxMlKsTqO7-GCTDZ/s640/web-design%20pixa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrMCTY8NaOXvl8etP-Qld91FE6MHL5HV_QbcDGrQ7bRHRIcCZ3B-HhdRILEdNj5gdBa3MQNNEFHt4dbvi6y9DKYDebpItmNk7uPr-W1Eeb36UwpsgMrTnKZXhRr-J-Ti__hM12GwHHAlcz_ioeMgA5JVRtmgYCG_WKE_8j2x_cxMlKsTqO7-GCTDZ/w400-h266/web-design%20pixa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>Web development today is a broad field. It has changed much since I first started to learn HTML in the 1990s and create websites that it is almost unrecognizable. For one thing, it is now a part of almost every industry. I can't imagine any business - from the local pizza shop to an industry leader - not having a website (possibly multiple websites) and a strong social media presence.</p><p>Some of the biggest changes I have seen came from the rise of mobile, faster bandwidths and cloud-based software. </p><p>But I still have people ask me when they hear that one thing I do is web development is "What does web development mean?" It's a tough question because it varies so widely. Web developers design and create websites, and applications, use cloud-based software, maintain sites and handle the technical aspects of a site’s function. </p><p>For that local pizza shop, all that may be done by one outsourced company or even one person, but for large companies, all of that entails large departments with the work being specialized and handled by different individuals.</p><p>When I started building websites in the 1990s, it was for myself. Next, came websites for the school district where I worked. When I moved to work at a university, I became part of a team and had specific parts of the very large website that I was responsible for maintaining and designing.</p><p>Today I would put developers into some general categories.</p><p>Back-end web developers handle the technical construction of a website. They create the basic framework of a website. If you're using a platform like WordPress, they do most of the back-end. </p><p>Front-end web developers are responsible for how a website looks. They do the layout, and incorporate graphics and applications for things like e-commerce.</p><p>Full-stack web developers manage both the front- and back-end of a website or application and are good choices for smaller businesses.</p><p> API (Application Programming Interface) developers allow applications to access data and interact with other external software or operating systems. This is critical to the online processes businesses use.</p><p><!-- wp:paragraph -->
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<!-- /wp:paragraph --></p><p>UI/UX developers specialize in the user interface and user experience and creating an online customer experience that is both visually appealing and functional. </p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-63481558888564583952022-04-01T08:00:00.031-04:002022-04-01T08:00:00.187-04:00First Web Impressions<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ea6ac8_3a05ee3ce7f74190b92a4e1e097cef1f~mv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="800" height="293" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ea6ac8_3a05ee3ce7f74190b92a4e1e097cef1f~mv2.jpg" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">graphic design website</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Do people really judge a company based on the first impression you have of their website?</p><p>We learned as kids that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but surveys show that when it comes to businesses and their websites first impressions are powerful.</p><p>Good web design and effective <a href="https://ronkowitzllc.com/tag/seo/" target="_blank">search engine optimization</a> are the right combination. Of course, though a visually appealing website makes a good impression, there needs to be more to a site than just a slick home page or template.</p><p>For example, the website must work on a desktop computer and on a variety of mobile devices. </p><p><b><i> <a href="https://ronkowitzllc.com/category/design/web-design/" target="_blank">More on web design</a></i></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.wix.com/blog/creative/2018/09/best-website-designs/" target="_blank">Some sample sites from Wix</a> that feature particular aspects of sites </i></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ea6ac8_1f13b2cac05142ac805c5f4d660c0f1d~mv2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="800" height="273" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ea6ac8_1f13b2cac05142ac805c5f4d660c0f1d~mv2.gif" width="455" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">use of </span><a class="_3Bkfb _1lsz7" data-hook="linkViewer" href="https://www.wix.com/blog/2019/08/what-is-parallax-scrolling-explained-with-examples" rel="noopener noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; cursor: pointer; line-height: var(--ricos-custom-link-line-height,unset); margin: 0px; min-height: var(--ricos-custom-link-min-height,unset); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">parallax scrolling</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-9208545942353111912022-01-03T13:00:00.001-05:002022-01-03T13:00:00.175-05:00Categories of Web Design<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="instagrams" class="size-large wp-image-3329" height="500" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/18b0a503-926a-41a1-916b-a94b8e2346d7-e1640541629555.jpg?w=500" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pandemic Instagram via <a href="http://instagram.com/cedarbeanscoffeejoint" target="_blank">instagram.com/cedarbeanscoffeejoint</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><p>I have some web designs and content lists I use based on categories. For example, I have done several writer's sites (especially poets) and ones for artists and photographers. Each has some unique needs. </p><p>Artists and photographers obviously want to feature their images - and also protect the images so that they won't be downloaded at high quality and used without permission. It's hard to fully protect images other than watermarking them because it is so easy to do screen grabs. So, designers will use smaller or lower-quality images and perhaps code to disallow right-click saving. </p><p>Writers probably want to show some of their writing - an excerpt of prose and maybe a few poem samples. As with images, it's hard to fully prevent copying of text and that may be the cost of being online. You can make a page of text into an image to prevent quick copy and paste of the text, but you may also <em>want</em> to share your work and sometimes even encourage sharing via social media links. </p><p>During these two COVID-19 pandemic years, many restaurants found their website more important than ever. It may have needed an upgrade to allow for placing online and takeout orders. Menus and hours may have changed. They may have wanted to include information about the safety measures in place. </p><p>I haven't worked on any restaurant sites in a few years but I read this article on <a href="https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com/how-to-create-an-engaging-web-design-for-your-restaurant/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">designing restaurant websites</a> which has an eye to the special needs of that category and to what the pandemic may have changed. Small things like adding a pop-up info box or notification bar on your home page so that that you can feature changing elements (like hours, availability, or even staffing needs) is one design element that may have been needed. </p><p>I know that my local favorite coffee place, <strong><a href="https://cedarbeans.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cedar Beans Coffee Joint</a></strong> in Cedar Grove, New Jersey - added information (shown below) in a notification bar to its already well-designed website.</p><div><p style="text-align: center;"><em>"Excited to announce 100% capacity indoors with masks optional in NJ. We are also operating with curbside delivery and walk-ups in the store. Please continue to utilize the <a href="http://mycoffeehelper.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">MyCoffeeHelper</a> app to place your orders (it's fun!). </em>
<em>Follow us on <a href="http://instagram.com/cedarbeanscoffeejoint" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/cedarbeanscoffee" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> to stay informed about events, and promotions."</em></p>
They added the app for ordering quick and contactless pickup in the worst of these pandemic times, notifications about policy changes, and they have an email option for updates that is always useful, along with a very dynamic social media presence.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="cedar bean site" class="wp-image-3327 size-full" height="336" src="https://ronkowitz.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/cedar-beans-e1640539870990.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://cedarbeans.com" target="_blank">cedarbeans.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It helps that the Cedar Beans' owner is Dave Fletcher who also runs a digital branding agency, <a href="https://www.themechanism.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>The Mechanism</strong></a>, and so he was well aware of what needed to be done. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Design by categories is a good approach and it always includes taking a close look at what your direct competitors as well as what others in your category are doing as best practices.</div>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-62392111720855582502021-12-07T09:30:00.001-05:002021-12-07T19:27:27.880-05:00Design Tools Survey<p><a href="https://uxtools.co/" target="_blank">UXTOOLS</a> has posted their <a href="https://uxtools.co/survey-2021/ " target="_blank">2021 survey of designers</a> about their work and the tools they prefer to use.</p><p>One section that you may want to jump to is their "<a href="https://uxtools.co/survey-2021/#toolkit" target="_blank">toolkit recommendations</a>."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-25040747878699155752021-11-01T12:30:00.002-04:002021-11-01T12:30:00.170-04:00Becoming a UX Designer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40RUuWIDeTuUyXCeQ2uOL9da3K14ZdVtaQen-7WAL_ysmOYvhASHfTqctazQS-DSkdO19mZ__eruWOsv8ASF4bKitRxU_DCOF5w-HBTSJoq89pQB3Q0JUtRYL9inRSsTy2Jzg6-c75iQ/s640/ux+survey.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="640" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40RUuWIDeTuUyXCeQ2uOL9da3K14ZdVtaQen-7WAL_ysmOYvhASHfTqctazQS-DSkdO19mZ__eruWOsv8ASF4bKitRxU_DCOF5w-HBTSJoq89pQB3Q0JUtRYL9inRSsTy2Jzg6-c75iQ/w521-h340/ux+survey.jpg" width="521" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very simple UX survey you may have encountered - Image via<span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3239623" style="text-align: left;">Pixabay</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Unless you work in UX or in automotive design, you might not think about the user experience inside your car. <a href="https://wp.me/p3Fqb9-QP" target="_blank">I recently wrote about automotive UX</a>, but really most products, if not all products, have UX factors. That is why the job prospects for a career as a UX (user experience) designer look very good.</p><p>According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay for Web Developers and Digital Interface Designers is $77,200. (Though of course, this can vary by level of experience and geographic location.) Unsurprisingly, this is a field that is expected to grow significantly in our digital-centric world. Demand for UX designers is expected to grow by at least 8% by 2029.</p><p>What is UX and what does a UX designer do?</p><p>Any time you interact with a product, a website, or app, that's the user experience. </p><p>If you go into a store and walk around unable to find what you want, that is a poor user experience. Are there signs to get you where you want to go? That's navigation, not unlike the menu on a website or signage on a highway or in a theme park. </p><p>The crossovers are many. Are you stuck waiting around just to check out at Walmart? What about checking out on walmart.com? Different tools but still UX.</p><p>A UX designer makes sure the product is straightforward to use, and that it's a seamless experience for the consumer. But isn't that what a web designer does? On a small site or for a small company, the two jobs might be combined, but they are separate jobs these days. </p><p>The web designer builds the skeleton and skin of the site. The UX designer optimizes how the site functions, and the flow of the user experience. They absolutely should be working together. </p><p>The UX designer also is involved in marketing, and often with other teams, clients, and customers. </p><p>Tasks might include:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Analyzing marketing data about customers.</li><li>Conducting surveys, focus groups, or other research to see how people use the site/app, and what they think.</li><li>Testing the UX in real time as a customer</li><li>Information architecture (maps or other organizational graphics) that shows how the site is laid out, and how the user moves through it.</li></ul><p></p><p>People enter the field via a number of paths. Now, there are college courses and degrees in UX or software development or graphic design but the skills needed include not only computer skills, but data analysis, project management, and UX-design-specific training. Communication skills are also a major asset, given how much time UX designers spend collaborating with others. Non-degree devoted to UX design as online boot camps, training programs, and certification programs can teach the skills necessary to become a UX designer if a job does not require a degree.</p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-48998652221213092882021-09-08T07:30:00.000-04:002021-09-08T07:30:00.202-04:00Design With a Mobile-First Mindset<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-7cdiEXJ2pf2IvyV4YEm0Kia1xBLqpW7bCA4ZNQpCXOMo5sDZM1-IDz-EuV7NPT6POhVlbDy9jajD27XRXB_rFCpTO0-CWjDDZT1TlqGftpwKX4XgmZYIutsN0jCubYpSu20WXj56aY/s2048/mobile+phone+pexels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-7cdiEXJ2pf2IvyV4YEm0Kia1xBLqpW7bCA4ZNQpCXOMo5sDZM1-IDz-EuV7NPT6POhVlbDy9jajD27XRXB_rFCpTO0-CWjDDZT1TlqGftpwKX4XgmZYIutsN0jCubYpSu20WXj56aY/w400-h266/mobile+phone+pexels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Adrianna Calvo - Pexels</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Most people are searching, at least via Google, using a mobile device. Still, many people and many ranking systems, and even some designers typically look at the desktop version of a site as the main or perhaps the best version. This can be a problem. </p><p>Pages and entire sites can look great on that designer's 30-inch monitor but fall short on that smartphone.
It is a problem for ranking sites, like Google search, which admits that when the mobile version of a page has less content than the desktop page their algorithms are not evaluating the actual page that is seen by a mobile searcher. </p><p>They have been trying out ways to make results more mobile-first for the past 5 years or so.
I know that Google tells me about issues with sites and many of those issues are about mobile views. The Google Search Console <a href="http://search.google.com/search-console/" target="_blank">search.google.com/search-console/</a> will be primarily using the mobile version of a site's content to rank pages from that site. That means you need to have a mobile-first mindset.</p><p></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-20125875869695884932021-08-02T09:00:00.001-04:002021-08-02T09:00:00.168-04:00Generational Website Attitudes<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kUGCS-PNuTsqs3XOgQ2NEhdiitUqw6CUT9kQRwGYRgdKWuZUREF1dqw6hZx-9dXbSvnHCVpu2mqRfWymHwQFaRNjAg2N5zhmZ9EHp9UPe8bf4pN7rueZEHB_hc-vLJ-S7q8wTytTSjs/s1280/personal+branding+needpix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1280" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kUGCS-PNuTsqs3XOgQ2NEhdiitUqw6CUT9kQRwGYRgdKWuZUREF1dqw6hZx-9dXbSvnHCVpu2mqRfWymHwQFaRNjAg2N5zhmZ9EHp9UPe8bf4pN7rueZEHB_hc-vLJ-S7q8wTytTSjs/w400-h196/personal+branding+needpix.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A study by website builder and web hosting company Squarespace has - not surprisingly - shown that having an online presence is top of the priority list for Gen Zs and Millennials. These age groups grew up on the Internet. <a href="https://newsroom.squarespace.com/blog/squarespace-survey-reveals-genz" target="_blank">Squarespace partnered with The Harris Poll to survey over 2,000 US adults</a>, in an effort to uncover the roles of websites in daily life and how memorable they are.<p></p><p>A few of their findings:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>49% of the Americans surveyed can remember the color of a website better than someone's eye color. That number is 71% for Millennials and 58% for Gen Zs.</li><li>Around 60% of Gen Z and 62% of Millennials believe that how you present yourself online is more important than how you present yourself in person. </li><li>The vast majority (92%) of Gen Z would start their own business. It is 86% of Millennials, 74% of Gen X and 50% of Baby Boomers. </li><li>Gen Z is more likely to remember off the top of their head the last website they visited (43%) than their partner's birthday (38%) or their social security number (31%).</li><li>44% of Gen Z and 39% of Millennials say they make a better impression online than in person It is only 21% of Gen X and 8% of Baby Boomers who feel that way.</li></ul><p></p><p><i><a href="https://wp.me/p3Fqb9-Pz" target="_blank">more at Ronkowitz LLC</a></i></p><p><br /></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-74469402822573215322021-08-01T19:45:00.005-04:002021-08-01T19:45:37.201-04:00Feedburner Changes<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">This blog had used the FollowByEmail widget from Feedburner. But r<span style="background-color: white;">ecently, the Feedburner team released a system update announcement, that the email subscription service will be discontinued in August 2021.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: left;">The feed will still continue to work for programs that read it BUT the emails to subscribers will no longer be supported.</div></span><p></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-54156048454546515032021-07-01T08:00:00.001-04:002021-07-01T08:00:00.174-04:00Alternatives to the Retired Facebook Analytics<div class="separator"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126052185@N03/14602233446" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Metrics-Guide-Facebook-Insights-Analytics-Infographic"><img alt="Metrics-Guide-Facebook-Insights-Analytics-Infographic" height="946" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/3891/14602233446_15b085cd13_o.jpg" width="563" /></a></div><p>Facebook Analytics, which was a standalone tool available at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/analytics">facebook.com/analytics</a>, was retired as of June 30, 2021. I looked at the reports and exported the charts and tables for several of my accounts before it was taken down. Honestly, I did not find it very useful.</p>
Why did they decide to retire this tool? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/search/?query=analytics&ssid=ad3pW0Jb7KxIqMH" rel="noopener" target="_blank">They say</a> it is part of "an initiative to consolidate business tools." There are other "measurement products" that can give you some insights and data analysis capabilities. (The Insights sections of Facebook Pages and Instagram Profiles remain.)
<p class="_3p8">Other built-in tools to use:</p>
<div class="fcb"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/205614130852988">Facebook Business Suite </a>enables you to manage your Facebook and Instagram business accounts, if you have those type, and can show you detailed insights about your audience, content and trends, though this tool may not be available to you yet.</div><div class="fcb"><br /></div>
<div></div>
<div>If you use ads, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/200000840044554">Ads Manager </a>lets you view, make changes and see results for all your Facebook campaigns, ad sets and ads.</div><div><br /></div>
<div></div>
<div class="fcb"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/898185560232180">Events Manager </a>can help you set up and manage Facebook Business Tools like the Facebook pixel and the Conversions API, and reports actions taken on your website, in your app and in your physical store. </div><div class="fcb"><br /></div>
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Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-32699354559118280062021-06-01T14:43:00.002-04:002021-06-05T15:18:12.538-04:00To Stock Photo or Not Stock Photo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq-kK8dA1FsHPnPfid9CKcE3vxP0RXuXuze1nLxwsUc9h3zOV-SGu4SWFlLBC16A237io8bsJahi_W2BhwgcJOfyg_kPVu_hRpH7A38O874bmt7nM3aCg49FmEbKghCHTA4zGK4geLn4/s640/35mm+film.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="640" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq-kK8dA1FsHPnPfid9CKcE3vxP0RXuXuze1nLxwsUc9h3zOV-SGu4SWFlLBC16A237io8bsJahi_W2BhwgcJOfyg_kPVu_hRpH7A38O874bmt7nM3aCg49FmEbKghCHTA4zGK4geLn4/w508-h226/35mm+film.jpg" width="508" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/geralt-9301/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1668918">Gerd Altmann</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1668918">Pixabay</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I was reading an article about using stock photos. In this case, it was <a href="https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4104723.html " target="_blank">about hotel property websites</a> but the ideas apply to most commercial websites. </p><p>I'm not a fan of using stock photos. For many clients, the cost is an issue, but there are other reasons not to use them. </p><p>There are a good number of <a href="https://www.stockphotos.com/free/" target="_blank">royalty-free photo sites online</a>. The contributors are often professionals but even the amateurs are generally quite good. <a href="https://pixabay.com/" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> is one of those sites.</p><p>Stock photos can be generic and impersonal. They may represent your industry but not <i>your brand</i>. The fees for using a local professional photographer to shoot photos specific to your business may be cheaper and better suited to your brand. Be sure you are buying all the rights to the images and that they won't be reused - possibly on a competitor's website.</p><p>Original photography is always the best option because it is specific and because there are no issues with rights. DO NOT grab images found on the Internet that are not identified as royalty-free and get into trouble that will co$t you. </p><p>Orignal might even be photos the client can provide or may have a friend who is a good photographer. Another danger of stock photos is that since you don't own exclusive rights, they may show up on other (competitor) websites.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS58VHvCP707Hv_TYnUufye33K633nZ-0Aofk_1Y1cfI7E990RjQ_usBXRPQCFM-UBCYdD4oNc_8ufIyW8wRI6WUC8cNRv1wdh1reLamOKFiUU5Vgmb9e7je5eneOL9elC1CQ4a3Zoak/s640/woman+photographer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="640" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS58VHvCP707Hv_TYnUufye33K633nZ-0Aofk_1Y1cfI7E990RjQ_usBXRPQCFM-UBCYdD4oNc_8ufIyW8wRI6WUC8cNRv1wdh1reLamOKFiUU5Vgmb9e7je5eneOL9elC1CQ4a3Zoak/w505-h366/woman+photographer.jpg" width="505" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/bruceemmerling-93533/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5149838">Bruce Emmerling</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5149838">Pixabay</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some definitions:</p><p>Royalty-free image: When you buy a royalty-free image from a stock photo site, you can use it as many times as you like after you buy the license. Royalty-free images have no right to exclusivity, whereas other stock imagery categories may have this right.</p><p>Rights-managed image: For competitive reasons, the buyer may demand terms in their stock image license that prevent other entities from using the same photo. Rights-managed images may have fluctuating market value based on their size, exclusivity rights and usage.</p><p>Public domain: This category is free stock photos that you can use without buying a license. The free images that comprise this category have no usage limitations and generally do not require attribution.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-22615098242546813182021-05-01T10:20:00.001-04:002021-05-01T10:20:00.418-04:00Web Design Process Questions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAFotAq5HMG4h_v_OydNlPVRTUO2_LRhd3CyYZpr1S698OJf0gqOiavm8OP1ZkfoJq53hN5ti4G233mQyakVx7nZ3D1_3fvoKJFQChduFhKYKJULzalHgaSWv0dTyyUc_1lPMzkqSA4g/s960/questions-pixabay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="960" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAFotAq5HMG4h_v_OydNlPVRTUO2_LRhd3CyYZpr1S698OJf0gqOiavm8OP1ZkfoJq53hN5ti4G233mQyakVx7nZ3D1_3fvoKJFQChduFhKYKJULzalHgaSWv0dTyyUc_1lPMzkqSA4g/w541-h169/questions-pixabay.jpg" width="541" /></a></div><br /><p>The web design process is an interaction between client and designer and includes a lot of questions from each party. Clients often start with costs and how long it will take to get the site online, but it's hard to answer those questions with any specificity without me asking them other questions.</p><p>There is some information I like to get in an early contact - maybe from a contact page on my site. For example:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Do you want to improve an existing website or create a brand new one?</li><li>What is the URL of your existing site (if any)? and it already exists </li><li>Who is hosting your site?</li><li>Have you purchased a domain name or signed up for a hosting plan? If not, what is your ideal domain name?</li></ul><p></p><p>Once we are starting the design process, I will send them a link to my portfolio and to some other sites similar to what they want and ask which websites they like and why. They will often pick a very nice site that is way beyond their budget. Sometimes simple looking sites are not so simple/inexpensive because they use customer designs or include stores.</p><p>Not all my web design work is with businesses (I do a lot of artists and writers sites) but it is good to know which websites their competitors or peers are using and what they like or dislike about them. What makes your personal brand stand out from similar sites?</p><p>I do a lot of this process, especially this past year, via email and phone (preferred), but the face-to-face meeting is still the best for me when that is possible.</p><p>You can find a lot more questions to consider asking at <a href="https://www.business2community.com/web-design/what-to-include-in-a-web-design-questionnaire-02366079" target="_blank">business2community.com</a></p><p><br /></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-16564250757774576912021-04-01T07:00:00.001-04:002021-04-01T07:00:00.609-04:00Wix Playground Academy<p>The popular website design platform Wix has been offering its Wix Playground Academy which has been held twice at the company offices in New York City. The program is meant for design students and freelance web designers in the early stages of their careers. An online version of the course was recently conducted in Europe and some of the academy's 150 graduates have already found jobs in high-tech.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.haarets.co.il/img/1.9640210/2417755614.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="800" height="257" src="https://img.haarets.co.il/img/1.9640210/2417755614.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Participants in Wix Playground Academy in New York City Credit: Wix</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This summer they are planning to bring the Academy to Israel where the company is based. During the intensive five-week session, students will meet (virtually) with some leading designers from around the world and be mentored by industry leaders and designers from the Wix design studio. </p><p>Wix is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market at a market cap of $16 billion and has 200 million registered users. The company has about 5,000 employees, 2,600 of them in Israel. Company headquarters are in Tel Aviv.</p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-40404095612380218092021-03-01T14:00:00.006-05:002021-03-01T14:00:03.537-05:00Mobile First Design<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPw2NGNUUMFbtGWmPSzi3x8MxEZH2Z2deSEj3D64UA_PbYrM8YVXWJXmmSDBMNvkM3zwFpDulAsJxkRR5PC5z1DRECcxj6Etdt5cazTON0erG8ERqqU-fPpsJLqOgkiOR_MbSjlRTuMo/s709/smartphone+small+pixa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="695" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPw2NGNUUMFbtGWmPSzi3x8MxEZH2Z2deSEj3D64UA_PbYrM8YVXWJXmmSDBMNvkM3zwFpDulAsJxkRR5PC5z1DRECcxj6Etdt5cazTON0erG8ERqqU-fPpsJLqOgkiOR_MbSjlRTuMo/s320/smartphone+small+pixa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/jeshoots-com-264599/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=410311">Jan Vašek</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=410311">Pixabay</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As mobile users continue to push aside desktop and laptop users, the idea of mobile-first design becomes more important. </p><p>This doesn't mean that you ignore non-mobile users. You need to think mobile first but desktop second. Focusing on just the essentials, web designers are able to keep the mobile-first user interface simple and intuitive. Navigating mobile websites is not as precise or convenient as with a mouse or touchpad so optimize for smartphone screens. That includes optimal use of white space, minimal columns (or only one), and simple, large typography.</p><p>For more mobile-first tips <a href="https://www.techiexpert.com/5-guiding-principles-of-mobile-first-web-design/" target="_blank">techiexpert.com/5-guiding-principles-of-mobile-first-web-design/</a></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-73473089065044018192021-02-01T19:00:00.001-05:002021-02-01T19:00:07.617-05:00The Infinite Scroll<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBXBOebNQrtNwa4kBj6gm15C-CJ6zTpZTltk0WoKV_vMeMF7HrbFQATY3Kn-ThrUKwnNhRvnkA3PrZqDoB8pl8MKP1KvRqmWMHzLyCqIjs5DWW3iUgfedM3JOq-CbD8ZGtQf2ySe_Ug0/s220/infinity.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBXBOebNQrtNwa4kBj6gm15C-CJ6zTpZTltk0WoKV_vMeMF7HrbFQATY3Kn-ThrUKwnNhRvnkA3PrZqDoB8pl8MKP1KvRqmWMHzLyCqIjs5DWW3iUgfedM3JOq-CbD8ZGtQf2ySe_Ug0/s0/infinity.gif" /></a></div><br />Of course, infinite scroll isn't really <i>infinite</i>. <p></p><p>Infinite scroll became a design practice about a decade ago. It is a web design technique where, as the user scrolls down a page, more content automatically and continuously loads at the bottom, eliminating the user’s need to click to the next page.</p><p>In earlier decades, the idea of having a long web page (nowhere near infinite!) was considered poor design. In fact, early web design was based on the design of print, especially, newspapers, which thought of the initial desktop screen view without scrolling as the same as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold" target="_blank">"above the fold"</a> for a newspaper. </p><p>A 2006 study by Jakob Nielsen found that 77% of visitors to a website do not scroll, and therefore only see the portion of the website that is above the fold. Some designers still believe <a href="https://www.abtasty.com/blog/above-the-fold/" target="_blank">the "fold" is worth considering today</a>, but the move to small screens and mobile design has changed how we define that "fold."</p><p>What are the advantages of the infinite scroll? It allows people a frictionless browsing experience without having to go to a “next page” link, arrow or button. Without an endpoint or bottom, people tend to keep scrolling. Therefore, this scroll is designed to pull you in.</p><p>It is a bit addictive - a rabbit hole and some people warn that it has psychological and even societal effects. The term "addictive technology" is sometimes considered antithetical to "ethical design."</p><p>In 2019, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley introduced the Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology (SMART) Act which would outlaw social media platforms from using certain practices, including infinite scroll.</p><p>Infinite scroll can also make navigation especially difficult for users with disabilities. </p><p>One typical design feature - the footer - is diminished, if not eliminated in the infinite scroll design. This area typically contained “About” and “Contact” links and perhaps an entire menu and information that was carried over to the rest of the site. It is a long scroll back up to the top of an infinite page to get to the main menu.</p><p>Many users know how to jump back to the top of a long page, but not everyone, and it can be frustrating to a new viewer.</p><p>It's easier to "get lost" on a long page. Long pages also load slower, which is an issue for anyone on a slower connection.</p><p>So, should you use infinite scroll? It is a consideration. And a compromise is longer but not infinite pages. I find most designers are not recommending it to clients, but be informed.</p><p>More at <a href="https://builtin.com/ux-design/infinite-scroll">builtin.com/ux-design/infinite-scroll</a></p>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313008748685193574.post-73655662867793840312021-01-01T18:00:00.127-05:002021-01-02T20:01:20.354-05:00A New Year Is A Good Time To Update Your Site<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-zE9_TlFjkuv0DqRq9OZYTFWKEHa6G6oqyHXqUCeKh2_M4mqmFdgq68hCjK5UmUZgSOBaNjL4qS0AAfvjdk3ru4huNFI_c83EDSQfLLV8uZbnH2K74DFaEYhyphenhyphenYf9X7Tt9uBTRBcToQk/s2048/team+meeting.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-zE9_TlFjkuv0DqRq9OZYTFWKEHa6G6oqyHXqUCeKh2_M4mqmFdgq68hCjK5UmUZgSOBaNjL4qS0AAfvjdk3ru4huNFI_c83EDSQfLLV8uZbnH2K74DFaEYhyphenhyphenYf9X7Tt9uBTRBcToQk/w429-h640/team+meeting.jpg" width="429" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://www.pexels.com/@pavel-danilyuk" target="_blank">Pavel Danilyuk</a> from Pexels</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">A New Year Is A Good Time To Update Your Site - but not because it's a new year, but because every site should be reviewed and renewed on a regular basis.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span>WordPress offered an article about <a href="https://wordpress.com/go/web-design/11-signs-its-time-to-update-your-site-design/" target="_blank">signs that it is time to update</a>. I don't think most sites need a full</span><span> site redesign which can be costly and time consuming. If you're using WordPress, Squarespace, or any of the popular providers, it is possible to select a new template and apply it with a minimum of revision.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">It's not a con but I know clients who have seen their site refreshed with a few design changes and think of it as a "new" site. Templates and CSS make this possible.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">So, why redesign a site if not for the sake of newness?</span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span><span>Sites that are a few years old may very well load slowly. Though the loading time may not even be noticed by the owner, e</span><span>very one-second delay in page load time can reduce customer satisfaction by 16 percent, says</span><span> </span><a href="https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/speed-up-your-website/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: opacity 0.15s ease-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Daily Egg</a><span>. It's easy to test your speed using a free tool like</span><span> </span><a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: opacity 0.15s ease-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">PageSpeedInsights</a><span>, which can reveal underlying design issues.<br /></span></span><span><br /><span>Has your branding changed? Consider the site's color palette, typography, logos, and images. Are they what you are currently using in other forms of marketing?</span><span><br /></span></span><span><span><br /></span>What is your bounce rate? If it is above 40%, it could be because of </span><span>design issues, such as confusing navigation, low-quality content, or poor page load times. <br /></span><span><br />More than half of global internet traffic now originates from a mobile device (</span><a href="https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet-usage-statistics#post-navigation-1" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: opacity 0.15s ease-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">BroadbandSearch</a>)<span>. Is your website mobile-ready? Responsive design means the site will scale to different device screen sizes. New sites have this as the default but older sites probably aren't really mobile-friendly.<br /></span><span><br />The home page is still usually the place for first impressions. You may want to start with that page ina redesign or with pages that your analytics tell you are getting the most hits. <br /></span><span><br />How do you try to engage and convert visitors to leads or customers or returning visitors? Low conversion rates are a reason to redesign. S</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">ubscribing to emails still might work, though it's getting tired. A </span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">contact form is almost standard now. Forms with easy to click options via radio buttons and checklists speed up the process. Can you offer a free download of - depending on your business - an </span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">e-book, white paper, audio file, video, samples, coupons. <br /></span><span><br />Many if not a majority of sites are now "secure" with an httpS protocol. Fear of a site marked as "insecure" by a browser can stop people from exploring further and hurt your SEO. (Hello, Google and their Chrome browser. Learn more about </span><a href="https://en.support.wordpress.com/https-ssl/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: opacity 0.15s ease-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">HTTPS and SSL</a><span> on WordPress websites.)</span></span></p><h3 style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.366; margin: 0.75em 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Finally, it may be that your site just isn't up to date with features like an eCommerce checkout, online appointment scheduling, custom web forms, credit card acceptance etc. </span></span></h3><h3 style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.366; margin: 0.75em 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">Now is a good time for an evaluation. </span></span></h3><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px 0px 2.4rem; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><div><br /></div><div class="wp-block-image" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Noto Serif", Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div>Ken Ronkowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02900812689003111586noreply@blogger.com0