Usability and investments are alike in the sense you get what you give. Very few design projects have an unlimited budget, so resources have to be distributed based on priority. Prioritizing usability over other design layers ultimately results in greater returns. Additionally, usability returns are multifaceted. Where other layers have the potential to affect revenue, […]
WordPress was originally built for blogging. Eventually it evolved into a content management system. Now, many say its future is an application framework. It’s now quick and easy to assemble rich functionality using structured data, user management, and integrations with other platforms. There have been many discussions about using WordPress for consumer targeted applications, but […]
WordPress has several handy functions for granular control over external assets. Specifically wp_enqueue_script(), wp_register_script(), wp_enqueue_style(), wp_register_style(). These functions allow us to register assets so they’re available and can be added to the page where applicable. While these functions give a fair amount of control, if you have a complex site you can end up repeating […]
Some designers treat usability as a series of checklists, assuming usability is no more than including the right elements. Usability isn’t that cut and dry. It’s true that using conventions will improve usability, but there are bigger factors at play. Design is usable when it’s created with an understanding of how users think. Usability isn’t […]
The design phase used to be the most time consuming part of our project but now it’s the smoothest. Where we once sought buy-in along the way with wireframes, style tiles, and finally two finished design concepts we now only deliver a single, fully fleshed out concept. While internally designing with the same tools, we’ve […]
Everyone agrees usability is important. Yet every day unusable websites find their way online. It isn’t a matter of professional versus amateur designers, as both parties violate usability principles. There is a deeper, more complicated problem. I see two common causes for usability blunders: Informed designers don’t have enough strong enough arguments to talk management […]
Named one of the top 10 islands in the world by Conde Nast and top 10 sustainable islands by National Geographic, Mackinac Island is a familiar vacation destination to Michiganders and beyond. The island’s tourism bureau is responsible for providing information on all its events, activities, lodging, shopping, transportation, dining, and more. The new responsive […]
From the inception of WordPress VIP I’ve wondered what it was like to work on a VIP-hosted project. The hosting platform is notorious for being strict on code and process. On occasion, 3.7 DESIGNS would start a project that seemed like a good fit for the platform, but inevitably the projects would never get off […]
You may question first how reliability has anything to do with design, but it’s one of the most important aspects of design. I prioritize it over both usability and aesthetics. By the end of this post you will understand why websites commonly fail due to reliability issues and what you can do to prevent reliability failures […]
There is no greater factor in website success than the planning phase. You might be tempted to start planning with consideration to time, budget, and functionality, but doing so is putting the cart in front of the horse. Before you can figure out what you need to spend, how long it will take and what […]