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24 ways to impress your friends

UX

Everything we make is made to be used: read, heard, pushed, swiped, clicked, followed, interacted with. Hard edges must be smoothed and blunt instruments sharpened. Users carry the web we’ve made with them and it must be ready to work on whatever they have to hand. From prototypes to product, from wireframe to web app, and all the research, analysis and testing in between, there are at least twenty-four ways.

  1. It All Starts with a Humble <textarea>

    Andy Bell

    Andy Bell rings out a fresh call in support of the timeless concept of progressive enhancement. What does it mean to build a modern JavaScript-focussed web experience that still works well if part of the stack isn’t supported or fails? Andy shows us how that might be done.

  2. Be the Villain

    Eric Bailey

    Eric Bailey asks us to take on the role of King Herod in our projects to consider how the products, services and processes we design could be abused to cause harm rather than to do good. No matter how good our intentions, we must remember that not every user has pure motivations and that every tool is a weapon if you hold it right.

  3. Designing for Mobile Performance

    Mustafa Kurtuldu

    Mustafa Kurtuldu mulls over the topic of performance - both perceived and measured - for users of mobile devices. Of course, in managing to deliver millions of gifts around the world on the night before Christmas perhaps Santa is the real expert in mobile performance.

  4. Jobs-to-Be-Done in Your UX Toolbox

    Steph Troeth

    Steph Troeth rallies the workshop elves around an idea for revolutionising their worksheets and giving them a new way to think about approaching each job. One thing’s for certain, as Christmas approaches there’s always plenty of jobs to be done.

  5. How to Do a UX Review

    Joe Leech

    Joe Leech offers a rundown on his UX review process, sharing tips about analysing data and creating personas, and setting out findings in a form that benefits clients. From quick wins to workshops, there are gifts here everyone will be grateful for.

  6. Cohesive UX

    Cameron Moll

    Cameron Moll brings the tenth 24 ways to a close with a look at the increasing need for common experiences across devices. Despite our differences, there are more things we share than divide us. Merry Christmas!

  7. A Holiday Wish

    Jeffrey Zeldman

    Jeffrey Zeldman beckons us cosily closer to his warm websmith’s hearth to spin a winter’s tale of hope born of (user) experience. Regardless of job title or discipline, we’re all designers. It takes all the reindeers to pull the sleigh.

  8. Taming Complexity

    Simon Collison

    Simon Collison wonders why we sometimes sacrifice powerful complexity in the name of empty simplicity. To create engaging experiences with loyal communities we should embrace and tame complexity. Easier than Christmas with your in-laws, surely?

  9. Going Both Ways

    Jonathan Snook

    Jonathan Snook saddles up to take us on a whirlwind tour of the world of bidirectional documents. “What’s left to write about internationalisation?” you may ask. Allow Jonathan, if you will, to offer you some festive words of direction.

  10. Ghosts On The Internet

    Gavin Bell

    Gavin Bell takes some time to consider date-based content and how we publish it on the web. We’re generating more digital content than ever, and the date and time of creation is an increasingly useful metric. But how do we publish that in a way that remains useful for us now and the generations to come?

  11. Performance On A Shoe String

    Drew McLellan

    Drew McLellan rounds off our series with a look at the challenges facing a site that needs to cope with occasional peaks in traffic without spending out on high-performance hosting that’s not needed for the majority of the time. Come behind the scenes at 24 ways and see how we keep the site online through the month of December each year. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!

  12. A Gift Idea For Your Users: Respect, Yo

    Brian Oberkirch

    Brian Oberkirch gives a little respect back to his users, and suggests some way in which you might be able to do the same. Like a plate full of brussel sprouts, your users deserve a little respect, you can’t just rush in there. Not that I consider my users to be in any way like stupid old brussel sprouts. Oh no. What a mess.

  13. Tracking Christmas Cheer with Google Charts

    Brian Suda

    Brian Suda rings in the festivities by demonstrating how merriment can be plotted on a graph using the Google Charts API. It’s critically important to keep track of my mince pie consumption each year – it goes on my tax return. If you like your stats visual, let’s see how it’s done.

  14. Showing Good Form

    James Edwards

    James Edwards takes the good stuff down off the shelf and illustrates how forms can be built to be both highly stylable and remain accessible to all comers. Good looking and accessible all at once? Surely it can’t be so.

  15. Accessible Dynamic Links

    Mike Davies

    Mike Davies kicks off a mini-series on Accessibility and JavaScript by considering a number of techniques for hiding links, yet keeping them accessible. And when I say hiding links, I don’t mean hiding your links to seedy underworld of organised crime, no sir. Moving swiftly along…