Website design is the process of planning and creating websites that can be read/viewed by web browsers
31
votes
5answers
2k views
Why aren't we supposed to use <table> in a design?
What are some clear and logical reasons for why we shouldn't be designing websites with tables? Where are the benefits, what has been driving this idea in the industry? When is it okay to use a table?
...
24
votes
5answers
2k views
How important is responsive web design?
I've heard a variety of opinions regarding the pros and cons of using responsive web design recently and was wondering whether it was necessary for small businesses that target small geographical ...
13
votes
7answers
332 views
13
votes
3answers
292 views
How can I figure out what technologies a site is built on?
I'm researching building a site by looking at what other people have done but I don't know how to determine what technologies or platforms are being used. How can I tell what any given site is ...
12
votes
3answers
5k views
How do I set up a cookie-less domain?
I've read that it's best to serve static content (css, javascript, etc.) from a cookie-less domain or subdomain for better performance. I assume a domain is not cookie-less by default. How do I ...
12
votes
7answers
3k views
Fixed width vs dynamic width
I've noticed more and more sites have gone to a fixed-width layout, where resizing the browser window just causes scrollbars to appear, as opposed to a flexible layout, where resizing the browser ...
12
votes
3answers
977 views
Make your site anti-bot?
I remember a site closed due to misuse and i wonder if bots have a part of it. If the bot is POSTing something to my site what are ways i can combat it? I was thinking of setting some cookies and ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
What deliverables should a web developer expect from a web designer?
Are there a standard set of deliverables a web developer should expect from a web designer? If I was to hire a designer to create what a website should look and feel like, what deliverables do ...
10
votes
2answers
375 views
How to evaluate a web developer?
I want to hire someone to set up a website. What do I ask to determine competence and
integrity of the individual? Is there a chart of reasonable charges/costs? How do I know
if I am being ...
10
votes
5answers
475 views
User Registration forms— Do we need a user name?
Lets say we are designing a new website's registration form.
Would I need to provide a space for a username, or should I simply require an email address?
Are there any serious issues with either of ...
9
votes
13answers
4k views
What is the typical example of old school website design?
I want to build a website for a retro thing that was popular in the mid 90s (beginning of the commercial internet).
So I want use old designs that was very popular at that time.
The first thing that ...
9
votes
7answers
277 views
As a non-designer what are some good sites/books/tutorials for learning web design?
My graphics skills are seriously lacking. I can see when something looks nice and when it doesn't but have a hard time coming up with anything myself given a blank slate. What should I do?
9
votes
3answers
317 views
Reponsive Web Design : Does it download the same amount of data on every device?
I want to redesign my blog and website on wordpress to accommodate ever increasing mobile users and tablet users.
I am also hearing about responsive design. I want to know does a responsive web ...
8
votes
3answers
388 views
Design -> Crowdsourcing or hire a pro?
I'm a web dev since a decade now, but my design skills are... well, are the designs skills of a programmer! Anyway, I've been working on a personal project for some time now and I would like some ...
8
votes
6answers
260 views
How to ensure a web designer is selling you an original design
If I get the web-design done by someone else, how can I ensure he is not simply passing me some recycled work or blatantly copying/pasting somebody's (or his own) work?
There really is no way to ...
8
votes
3answers
296 views
What font technique is being used here?
While I was attending this event (http://worldtour.fogcreek.com/) I noticed this page had custom fonts for the Address part in the top left corner (i.e "Fog Creek Software 55 Broadway Fl 55....") When ...
8
votes
4answers
415 views
Updating/Redesign website…how to retain/transfer ranking?
What steps do I have to take in order to make sure that I keep my search engine rankings after I redesign or update my site?
8
votes
4answers
6k views
How do you save/export changes made in Firebug?
Using Firebug to edit CSS, how do I save/export changes made to the CSS?
TOOLS: Firefox, Firebug
MAJOR UPDATE: If you know of a way to lock the forward/back/refresh on a FireFox tab, please let me ...
8
votes
3answers
119 views
How do I know what image type to use?
I'm working on a website which will use images in several different applications, from action buttons to avatars to larger detail images. What factors should I take into consideration to decide ...
8
votes
6answers
1k views
Poor Man's Clean URLs vs. Mod_Rewrite
At the company where I work, we're getting ready to design a new web site, and there's some disagreement about how to do clean URLs. Over the past year we've been making small improvements to our ...
8
votes
2answers
191 views
How to create great interfaces in PhotoShop, etc
Being a developer wanting to be a designer, I'm really interested in learning how to create top notch UI for websites, mobile apps, etc. However, I know nothing about PhotoShop or anything related to ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
Is the debate about em VS px VS % in typography still valid
I have been reading a few articles about why em's are better than px in typography. And the base has to be in %, best is even to have body{ font-size:62.5%; }.
One of the better articles I could ...
7
votes
5answers
338 views
How do I get my users to love the intranet?
When designing an intranet for corporate use, what design practices should I follow that are different from those targeted to the internet/customer world?
What kind of questions should I be asking ...
7
votes
6answers
3k views
Cheaper alternatives to 99Designs.com (outsource CSS design) [closed]
I'm designing my own website as a side project and I want the site to look professional. (Read, not designed by a programmer.) I don't mind spending a little money to have a professional do it, but ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
How can I make fonts render the same way across different web browsers?
I am building a website for a client, and we had hoped to use plain text, not images in the navigation bar. The font we are using is Century Gothic (I believe that this font is available on the ...
7
votes
3answers
7k views
What is the 'most common' width and height that websites are being designed for these days?
I'm working on a group project and trying to get my colleagues to submit a drawing regarding their vision for an online application; this application will be viewed through a PC. Although I suspect ...
6
votes
6answers
878 views
Can you recommend a CSS Framework (or UI Framework) for enterprise web apps?
Is there a CSS Framework that tries to provide for business applications, specifically?
I've looked at the Mocha UI which is based on MooTools. Honestly, though, I'd like to avoid dealing with ...
6
votes
4answers
247 views
How should I deal with a 'Contact Us' Form?
Often you'll see websites with a "For any questions, please contact us..." followed by a box for your name, email, subject, maybe some invoice data...
When should these be implemented on a website? ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
How much should a newbie charge a client for web design work?
I was asked to design a website for a client. Personally, I'd work for free since I'm just in it for the experience of working with a client but they insist on paying me so I will get an idea as to ...
6
votes
1answer
174 views
Where do you draw the line with the new html5 elements
I have read this article http://diveintohtml5.org/semantics.html#new-elements on the different new elements in html5. Now I want to create my new portfolio with the this new markup. It is quite ...
6
votes
3answers
361 views
Building a restaurant site… How should I implement online ordering?
I have been looking into different 3rd party solutions for this for some time now, and have been disappointed in that I cannot find a decent comparison of features, or really any recommendations at ...
5
votes
5answers
334 views
Why don't websites have contact emails? [duplicate]
I find websites having a contact form which you must put in your own email address. It is frustrating because I would rather send an email my self.
What is the rationale for doing this and not ...
5
votes
4answers
881 views
Any tool to sketch layout?
Is there any kind of tool to sketch the layout of website roughly? For example just to draw a basic sketch of the design to show others? Thanks
5
votes
6answers
6k views
Royalty free templates for website [closed]
Which is the best source to get the free website template, royalty free?
5
votes
2answers
209 views
How to deal with a client who redesigned their own site badly?
I am a freelance designer/developer. I am starting a registered business and will be offering other services soon and I am in the process of expanding the portfolio section of my existing website but ...
5
votes
2answers
168 views
Green Website Design
This is kindove a strange question, but...
There was a site called Blackle ( http://www.blackle.com/) which "claimed" to save energy by using a black background (it doesn't: see here: ...
5
votes
4answers
103 views
What should I keep in mind when looking for a designer?
I know there's not a cut-and-dried answer to questions like these, but there might be some guidelines I should be thinking of and it may help others as well. The case is as following:
I run a wiki ...
5
votes
4answers
279 views
Do span elements in the middle of a word affect a crawler's ability to detect content?
I have a site with a heading tag like this:
<h1><span class="initial">H</span>andyman <span class="initial">S</span>ervices</h1>
I've done this so that I can ...
5
votes
2answers
117 views
Whatchamacallit: You know how there are breadcrumbs and sliders and whatnot
What do you call it when a web site (especially corporate/retail) has a series of rows with thumbnails, each with a little caption/description beneath explaining some benefit or feature of a product ...
5
votes
2answers
168 views
Managing accounts on a private website for a real-life community
I'm looking at setting-up a walled-in (i.e. mostly private, with a small public-facing login page) website for a real-life community of people, and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with ...
4
votes
5answers
277 views
Do user names used for login need to be unique?
Assuming a non-commercial site where users login with a user name and pw, do I need to enforce unicity of usernames?
Note: The db will use a separate unique index to identify the users.
The site is ...
4
votes
2answers
173 views
Why do user registration process not end with the user logged in?
Often I see websites when at the end of the registration process the user is not logged in. What is the rational for that?
It seems redundant to ask a user to reenter their credentials just after ...
4
votes
4answers
167 views
Counter on website (visitors)
I got a feeling a client is going to ask me to implement a counter to show how many visitors visited the site. To me it looks very unprofessional but the next question the client is going to ask will ...
4
votes
2answers
256 views
When should i consider having text as an image in my website heading
i see many sites that have their heading as an image. what is the benefit of this? when is a best practice to use text as images as opposed to just having text in my html. is this just for ...
4
votes
3answers
299 views
Large site footers
I have noticed that lots of new site use a gigantic footer with columns that represent their navigation? What is the philosophy behind them? Are they for SEO, semantic layout, or is that information ...
4
votes
2answers
151 views
Website restyle, SEO migration plan?
I am currently in a project for one of my biggest clients. We have built a website that will -replace- the old website.
When it comes to actual content its is largely the same. However, the ...
4
votes
4answers
491 views
Confirm (enter twice) pw and email at registration - good idea?
Many sites seem to require that their users enter their email and password twice during the registration process. How useful is it really? It seems it could be a pain in the neck for many users, for ...
4
votes
3answers
173 views
Why do many websites have so many javascript includes?
I notice this is the case mainly for rather sophisticated pages. However, why don't developers simply combine the JS files and condense it all together? Is it not a more efficient method, in terms of ...
4
votes
3answers
180 views
Should layout be solely based on CSS?
Is it a good sign if your website looks like a plaintext file with hyperlinks when the stylesheet is disabled?
4
votes
3answers
162 views
Flash vs JS+css+html — Website
So I'm working on a fairly large project, it's a website that will service about 7000 customers, the website gets about 2500 hits per day, and will be packed as a server and re-sold as a total ...
