10 things every designer needs to know about forms

 interface, Web Design  289 Responses »
Apr 072012
 

Forms, there’s nothing many designers hate more than forms. They don’t necessarily bring the creativity out, or do they? Maybe it’s time we looked at forms again and understand that a form, at its most basic, is a conversation between the user and the software.

Forget point and click, forms represent the richest interaction we as digital designers will face. Next time a form comes your way don’t think it’s just a matter of applying some nice CSS effects or adding a nice jQuery flourish. There’s much more depth to designing forms.

I’ve user tested hundreds of forms and designed some complex forms for insurance companies, holiday booking interactions and many more. Chances are you’ve used one of my forms in the last few months.

Here’s the lessons I wished I’d learnt before I began designing forms.

READ MORE:

via 10 things every designer needs to know about forms | Feature | .net magazine.

 

Create an interactive liquid metal ball with WebGL

 Design, interface, Web Design  435 Responses »
Apr 032012
 

So you want to create an interactive WebGL liquid metal ball? Glad you asked, programming wizard Paul Lewis has got just the thing!

Making websites is tons of fun, but sometimes you need to break free and do something a bit unusual. That’s what we’ll be doing today. We’ll be using the excellent Three.js engine to create an interactive metallic ball. As you click and drag the ball distorts and then slowly settles back to its original shape.

To do this we’ll be covering spring physics, 3D vectors and ray casting (and a few other things besides) all in an effort to create a compelling and fun interactive experience. Let’s start by looking at what we’re going to make.

The thing about experiments like these is that on the surface they don’t look to have direct commercial applications. You’d be forgiven for thinking the same about this one as well, and perhaps you’re right. But my philosophy is that as a developer you learn techniques and solutions to problems in these experiments that can help you in your day-to-day work. There have been many times where this has proved true for me, and I’m certain it’ll work out for you as well. In any case this is going to be tons of fun, so let’s get started on creating our scene.

LEARN THE CODE:

via Create an interactive liquid metal ball with WebGL | Tutorial | .net magazine.

 

The insider’s guide to a successful website: promote

 Internet News, Web Design, Your Brand  40 Responses »
Oct 242011
 

Laurence McCahill, co-founder of Spook Studio, explains how his team has simplified the process of creating a website into three key stages. In the last part of this series he provides 10 top tips on promoting your finished site

So now that you’ve got a kick-ass website you’re all set, right? Wrong. It doesn’t matter how good your site is – if nobody even knows it exists, then you can’t exactly consider it a success. You need to get out there and promote it. Whether this is via search, social media, word of mouth or telepathy, you’ll need a plan in order to focus your efforts and start getting some serious traffic.

via The insider’s guide to a successful website: promote (part 3) | Feature | .net magazine.

Create awesome retro designs with Photoshop and CSS | Tutorial | .net magazine

 Art, Design, Web Design  63 Responses »
Oct 192011
 

Vintage fonts and retro designs are all the rage on the web. Illustrator and designer Naomi Atkinson reveals some quirky Photoshop and CSS tricks to give your designs a retrotastic feel

 

 

via Create awesome retro designs with Photoshop and CSS | Tutorial | .net magazine.

This website is a beautiful mashup of WordPress, Google Maps and photography

 Web Design  238 Responses »
Oct 042011
 

 

 

We’ve seen WordPress do some amazing things, and almost every one of us has used Google Maps to explore the world around us. But Gabe Morton-Cook is taking these two elements and rolling them into one beautiful website, called Travelogic.

This project is intended to bring together three of my passions: Travel, Photography and Interactive Design/Development, as well as to be a method for sharing our travel stories with friends and family.

via This website is a beautiful mashup of WordPress, Google Maps and photography – The Next Web.

The Whys And The Hows Of Textures In Web Design – Smashing Magazine

 Design, interface, Web Design, Your Brand  482 Responses »
Oct 042011
 

 

 

The Function Of Textures

We love texture on the Web for a multitude of reasons. Design decisions shouldn’t be made simply on the basis of, “Oh, well. It looks good.” Design should serve a purpose, and each decision about texture should be made by weighing the pros and cons. Let’s start by going over some of the key benefits.

via The Whys And The Hows Of Textures In Web Design – Smashing Magazine.

No, You Aren’t Going to Quit Facebook

 interface, Internet News, Web Design  408 Responses »
Sep 282011
 

 

 

Sure, it’s easy to say you’ll quit Facebook. Even without the most recent changes, its sheer size and near-ubiquity is enough to make the more paranoid amongst us want to opt-out. After all, the world existed for billions of years before Facebook; certainly life would continue to be just fine without it.

This is true. Still, quitting Facebook is much more difficult than it sounds. After all, what happens when someone sends you a link to a photo, video or conversation, but requires a Facebook login to see? Facebook is unique in its broad social reach. Unlike earlier social networks like LiveJournal, Friendster or MySpace, Facebook isn’t just for younger users. Despite getting its start on college campuses, Facebook is now just as popular amongst adolescents as it is with Baby Boomers.

That broad social reach means cutting the service out of your life is easier said than done. Sure, it’s fun to say “I’ll delete my account and never log in again,” but as soon my cousin posts photos of her new baby and makes those photos only visible on Facebook… well, that kind of kills my resolve.

via No, You Aren’t Going to Quit Facebook.

Building an immersive environment with CSS and JavaScript

 interface, Web Design  259 Responses »
Sep 282011
 

 

 

Technologist Benjamin Bojko and art director Dan Mall, on behalf of digital agency Big Spaceship, give us an exclusive look behind the creation of Activatedrinks.com and explain how they pulled off the loading process and added depth and fluid parallax motion to the particles effect on the site

ACTIVATE engaged Big Spaceship as digital agency of record to oversee digital strategy and production, including the brand’s social and mobile marketing. The redesign of Activatedrinks.com and establishing their Facebook presence emerged as the primary initiatives in re-setting their online presence for this growing brand. When the Big Spaceship team began brainstorms towards these goals we didn’t have a lot of time to pull this off.

via Building an immersive environment with CSS and JavaScript | Tutorial | .net magazine.

.net Awards 2011: the 10 sites of the year

 interface, Web Design  338 Responses »
Sep 232011
 

 

 

In the last of our .net Awards 2011 profiles, we showcase the 10 websites of the year that you have nominated. They all are rich in visual flair and imagination but which one really pushed the boundaries of the web this year?

Over the last weeks we’ve profiled eight categories in the .net Awards 2011. Today it’s the turn of the big one: site of the year.

via .net Awards 2011: the 10 sites of the year | Feature | .net magazine.

10 Excellent User Interface Designs to Learn From

 interface, Web Design  No Responses »
Sep 232011
 

 

 

Over the last few weeks, we’ve gathered together some great resources and information on constructing amazing user interfaces. Here, we’ll take a closer look at 10 beautiful interfaces — five for the web and five for mobile — that you can use as reference points in your own design.

via 10 Excellent User Interface Designs to Learn From.

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