Beyond the FONT Tag: Practical HTML Text Styling

Since its introduction, HTML's FONT tag has been the predominant means of specifying font size, face, and color on the Web. Use of FONT is unfortunate on many counts, not least of which for Web developers is the tedium and bloat of adding, e.g., '...' dozens or even hundreds of times to complex table-based pages. Modem users suffer too: often more than 20% of a typical commerce/portal site's weighty HTML code consists of FONT and its attributes. FONT is slow.

Fahrner, Todd. Cleverchimp (1997). Design>Web Design>Typography

Beyond the Masculine Web: Considering Sex and Gender Differences in Arrangement and Delivery on the Web  

Men and women don't browse the Web the same way; one should design for both feminine and masculine webs.

Bowie, Jennifer L. Texas Tech University (2003). Presentations>Web Design>Information Design>Gender

Beyond the Universal User: How to Design for the Universe of Users  

There are problems with non-user-centered/system-centered design. We must know, understand, and work with actual users so that the people who use the product can do so quickly and easily to accomplish their own tasks.

Bowie, Jennifer L. Texas Tech University (2003). Presentations>Web Design>Usability>Personas

Beyond Web Usability: Web Credibility

If you've been developing websites on Mars for the past few years then you'll be forgiven for not knowing about web usability. You'll still be creating splash intro pages, having pages with massive download times and using more images than you can shake a stick at. Well, back in Earth these days have long gone and today web usability rules the web development world.

Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability

Big Architect, Little Architect

First came the primordial soup. Thousands of relatively simple single-celled web sites appeared on the scene, and each one was quickly claimed by a multi-functional organism called a "webmaster." A symbiotic relationship quickly became apparent. Webmaster fed web site. Web site got bigger and more important. So did the role of the webmaster. Life was good. Then, bad things started to happen. The size and complexity and importance of the web sites began to spiral out of control. Mutations started cropping up. Strange new organisms with names like interaction designer, usability engineer, customer experience analyst, and information architect began competing with the webmaster and each other for responsibilities and rewards. Equilibrium had been punctuated and we entered the current era of rapid speciation and specialization.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Web Design>Interaction Design>Project Management

Big Boxes and Shoppertainment: More Lessons for Web Design from Mall and Retail Design

Explores some tactical issues in structuring and presenting content.

Carliner, Saul. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Design>Web Design>E Commerce

The Big Dig: Mining Nuggets of Value  

It is difficult to apply the lessons learned from e-commerce search interfaces to more complex ones, such as those for libraries or technical material. This article provides a guide to tailoring search interfaces to users with a persona-based approach.

McDaniel, Scott M. User Experience (2002). Design>Web Design>User Interface>Search

Big List of Blog Search Engines

My new theory on blogging is that whenever I can't find a particular piece of information on Google I should just create it myself. What's the point of all this easy-to-use publishing technology if you don't publish stuff, right?

Aripaparo.com (2002). Articles>Web Design>Search>Blogging

The Big O: IA Lessons from Orienteering

Several orienteering strategies - including map simplification and contact, navigating by checkpoints, rough and precise map reading, and using attack points to find the goal - have useful IA parallels. Gene Smith explores how IAs can learn from these parallel techniques and create digital spaces that are easier to navigate.

Smith, Gene. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Design>Web Design>Information Design

Big, Stark and Chunky

Research shows that low-vision people need dramatically different web design. CSS lets you give them what they need.

Clark, Joe. List Apart, A (2005). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Bimodal Distributions Contain Clues

One of the most unusual aspects of data about people and nature is its uneven distribution. Explore the non-normal distribution called bimodal distribution.

Allen, Cliff. Allen.com (2001). Design>Web Design>Statistics>Log Analysis

Blah-Blah Text: Keep, Cut, or Kill?

Introductory text on Web pages is usually too long, so users skip it. But short intros can increase usability by explaining the remaining content's purpose.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2007). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Usability

Blasting the Myth of the Fold

There is an astonishing amount of disbelief that the users of web pages have learned to scroll and that they do so regularly. Holding on to this disbelief--this myth that users won't scroll to see anything below the fold--is doing everyone a great disservice, most of all our users.

Tarquini, Milissa. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Design>Web Design>Information Design>User Centered Design

The Blind Leading the Blind: Theorizing a Web for the Visually Impaired  

An examination of government websites (those required to adhere to Section 508) revealed no common practices or themes.

Moore, Jessica and Joseph Matthews. IAsummit (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Blind to Users' Needs

Making the web accessible by disabled people doesn't necessarily make it usable. Does simplicity always make for ideal usability - or are there instances where an innovative website might be difficult to use, but also hold usability dividends for users prepared to meet the technology halfway?

Starr, Sandy. Spiked Online (2002). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility

Block vs. Inline Elements

HTML elements can be displayed either in block or inline style. The difference between these is one of the most basic things you need to know in order to use CSS effectively.

Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Design>Web Design>HTML>CSS

The Blog Realm: RSS, Aggregators, and Reading the Blog Fantastic

The content management capabilities of blog software and the search options from Daypop provide incentives for information professionals to be aware, at least, of blogging. But for every blogger out there, there are probably a dozen or more others who prefer reading to writing.

Notess, Greg R. Online Magazine (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging

Blog Survey: Expectations of Privacy and Accountability

Reports the findings from an online survey conducted between January 14th and January 21st, 2004. During that time, 486 respondents answered questions about their blogging practices and their expectations of privacy and accountability for the entries they publish online.

Fernanda, Viégas. MIT (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging

Blog Voice: How to Command Attention

With over 4 million distinct blog voices in the blogosphere, how can you differentiate yourself? By being an interesting voice. Interesting voices are made, not born, and now you can learn some ways to become more interesting and influential in blogdom. CAUTION: not for boring blah blah blah bloggers who are smug and self-satisfied.

Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging

Blogging as Social Activity, or, Would You Let 900 Million People Read Your Diary?  

'Blogging' is a Web-based form of communication that is rapidly becoming mainstream. In this paper, we report the results of an ethnographic study of blogging, focusing on blogs written by individuals or small groups, with limited audiences. We discuss motivations for blogging, the quality of social interactivity that characterized the blogs we studied, and relationships to the blogger¡¯s audience. We consider the way bloggers related to the known audience of their personal social networks as well as the wider 'blogosphere' of unknown readers. We then make design recommendations for blogging software based on these findings.

Nardi, Bonnie A., Diane J. Schiano and Michelle Gumbrecht. Comcast (2003). Articles>Web Design>Blogging>Social Networking

Blogging Goes Legit, Sort Of

Despite the timeliness of the issues, many bloggers are wondering whether their craft can be taught in journalism school.

Shachtman, Noah. Wired (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging

Blogi: Ujęcie Psychologiczne

W znaczeniu społecznym blog jest czymś więcej niż tylko narzędziem: jest wirtualnym miejscem skupiającym ludzi, gdzie można przebywać i realizować się społecznie, nawiązując relacje z innymi ludźmi. Blog jest tzw. Trzecim Miejscem zgodnie z teorią Oldenburga, który uznaje, że dopiero w trzecim najważniejszym miejscu (po Domu i Pracy/Szkole), człowiek może tworzyć "prawdziwe" relacje społeczne, które nie są zbudowane na hierarchii emocjonalnej lub strukturalnej (jak w przypadku rodziny i firmy) lecz powstają dzięki posiadanym cechom charakteru, zainteresowaniom czy stylowi życia w grupie.

Cywinska-Milonas, Maria. Onet (2004). (Polish) Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging

Blogs, Podcasts and All That Stuff

I think podcasting is powerful because it gives us the opportunity to reach people in ways we cannot with blogs and websites. Don't get me wrong, blogs and sites have their place. But let's face it, people have information overload! It's often a choice between reading your blog and the 15 other things they need to read. But with podcasts, people tell me that they listen via their iPods while in the gym. They burn them to CD and listen in their car during their commute. They listen on their computer with a headset or speakers.

Morley, Catherine. Creative Latitude (2005). Design>Web Design>Multimedia>Podcasting

Blurbs: How to Write Them for Web Pages

On the web, a blurb is a line or short paragraph (20-50 words) that evaluates (or at least summarizes) what the reader will find at the other end of a link. A good blurb should inform, not tease. Usability testing will help you determine the best way to lay out your blurbs, but this document will help you write the content.

Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2001). Design>Web Design>Writing>Usability