More and more people are rediscovering their personal websites as an alternative to social media that provides more control and freedom of expression. It's time to connect our sites even further and create a decentralized fabric of interconnected personal sites that enables each individual to engage in an open discussion – answering, challenging, and acknowledging the ideas of others through a universe of personal sites.
Our static tools and linear workflows aren’t the right fit for the flexible, diverse reality of today’s Web. Making prototyping a central element of your workflows will radically change how you approach problem solving and save you a lot of headaches. But most importantly, you will be creating the right products and features in a way that resonates with the true nature of the Web. A discourse on processes, flexibility, the Web as a material, and how we build things.
When designing and building things for the web, it’s tempting to fall into the trap of doing things the We-have-always-done-it-that-way™. But good design isn't about being right. It's about finding useful, accessible, memorable, entertaining, and appropriate solutions to real problems. A look at three ideas and three inspiring talks from beyond tellerrand 2017.
We have lost control over our content. To change this, we need to reconsider the way we create and consume content online. We need to create a new set of tools that enable an independent, open web for everyone.
In a world of global mass surveillance and multinational corporations owning what we share and like, the need for an open, independent web has never been greater. It is about time to take back control, reclaim our digital future and rebuild a web for everyone.
Design patterns never exist in isolation, they are always part of a greater whole. They are informed and shaped by their context, but also by content and contrast. We should take this into account when we design our pattern libraries and bring them to the next level to make them even more useful and flexible.
Making websites has become increasingly complex. The multitude of options is as promising as it is challenging: How can beginners decide which tools they should use? How can seasoned professionals keep up with newest developments? How can we combine working with learning to close the knowledge gaps that continue to grow? An investigation.
Last weekend, I travelled to Düsseldorf and attended the IndieWebCamp and also beyond tellerrand, a conference about design, development, and all things web. I’ll say it plain: If you never have been at a conference, you should go. If you never have been at beyond tellerrand, you should definitely go as soon as possible. Here's why.
Websites aren't rockets. So why do we still far too often approach web projects like rocket launches? It's time to start planning for continuous change.