When we’re not spending time debating on the right way to code websites—CSS, tables, and all—we’re probably stressing over the details that go into the design process itself.
It’s never a one size fits all solution when we’re faced with these issues, but I feel like we’re in this exciting transition in the web design industry where it’s better than ever to reevaluate methods and try throwing curveballs.
Drop Photoshop; mockup in markup
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are more powerful than ever, and designers such as Meagan Fisher and Andy Clarke want us to present live mockups of in the browser instead of in Photoshop. The reasons and advantages are compelling:
- In design, content should always come first—and starting with the markup lets us do that.
- Photoshop does not render type the same way browsers do.
- “Ignorance is bliss”: what your client sees in his own browser is what he gets. No misleading expectations rendered in the static images are created.
Of course you’ll still have to break out Photoshop to create graphical details, but prototyping kits and frameworks should speed things up too. Also, the overall idea is to manage your client’s expectations and move towards a live, realistic mockup instead of a static one.
Show only one mockup
Should the number of design proposals really vary from one client to another? Andy Rutledge is firm on his belief that it should always be one, and the logic is simple:
…if the designer is sufficiently competent there is almost always one best solution to the design challenge.
Dig deeper and you will find that the bottom line is to “keep a tighter reign on the creative process”. Avoid being at the mercy of your client and putting on a “dog and pony show” just to prove you deserve to be hired. You’re the expert.
If you can’t uphold a one-mockup-only policy, be ready to draw the line when they ask for a hybrid of your two or three designs. Or ask for a pay raise.
Ready, set, pitch
I’m just scratching the surface of the design discussions that are already out there, but as both the year and the decade end and 2010 comes rolling in, it’s time to shake things up!
So many people admire Andy Rutledge and his insightful articles at Design View; but that seems to have changed overnight with his latest offering, USA.gov Redux.
It’s a thoughtful look into the redesign of the USA.gov website, but what has got people irked—primarily in 140 characters or less—is the deliberate sprinkling of provocative political views against Barack Obama and his brand of “Change”, from start to finish. It’s present even in the final mockup.
I’m not sure if the article was written in all seriousness, or hilarity, or satire, which makes me hesitant in even asking, was Andy right to mix design and politics in such a sour tone? We certainly have seen it work well in a hopeful context.
But we can’t try to pretend that design is pure and free from any sort of intent—whether at the hands of a designer manipulating the vision of his client into what he deems fit, or a designer who sees eye to eye with his client one-hundred percent. It seems the latter is impossible, but the former should not be laced with malicious agenda.
Mozilla Labs, already releasing innovations that hint at the Web in the coming years, has launched the Concept Series. This is an initiative that pushes for the “development of the online experience” where everyone can contribute.
We’re hoping to lower the barrier to participation by providing a forum for surfacing, sharing, and collaborating on new ideas and concepts. Our goal is to bring even more people to the table and provoke thought, facilitate discussion, and inspire future design directions for Firefox, the Mozilla project, and the Web as a whole.
Concepts may take the form of Ideas, Mockups or Prototypes.
The Concept Series starts strong with several concept videos from Adaptive Path, Wei Zhou, and Aza Raskin.
Aurora Concept Video by Adaptive Path
Lifestream - Redesign history and bookmarking by Wei Zhou
Firefox Mobile Concept Video by Aza Raskin
Of the three, Aurora is clearly the most ambitious as it demonstrates with 4 videos how future web browsing will be completely intuitive and pervasive. Websites can share information with one another so that a user can extract relevant information. The Web will continue to act as information provider regardless of location or the real-world objects and situations he is dealing with.
Multitouch technology is also gaining traction as the ideal way to interface with the Web. Specially assigned gestures will become especially convenient on small mobile devices. Mimicking a 3-dimensional space is another popular concept which also addresses space constraints. And of course, aside from advances in software, hardware will also play a major role in the interactions onscreen.
What’s your idea for the future of the Internet? Contribute to the Mozilla Labs Concept Series and have your say. Remember, the best way to be prepared for the future is to make it ourselves!
First of all, I’d like to give a big thank you to all of you who’ve been speaking up on the two redesign concepts I’ve posted. Your comments are appreciated, and – as you’ll hopefully will see – duly noted. I don’t always agree, but then again you won’t agree amongst yourselves either, so that’s fine. What would design be without a bit of controversy, eh?
That being said, the third redesign concept is here, with two different W logo solutions, and a brief explanation regarding the slanting design that you apparently either like or dislike.
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