July 14, 2014 — To celebrate the launch of the SmashingConf Whistler, our very first conference in Canada, we’ve prepared a yet another riddle, and of course this time it’s not going to be any easier! How does it work this time? Below you’ll find the first of a few hidden animated GIFs that contain a secret Twitter hashtag.  Once you’ve reached the last level, just tweet out all the hints in one single hashtag to @smashingmag on Twitter! Let’s get to business. Are you ready? Read more…

July 14, 2014 — Back then, when every home had broadband and before anyone had a smartphone, we were living in the Golden Age of web development. We never knew how easy our jobs were. Because of all the things we have to support now, testing has become really difficult and also super-expensive. Now with responsive web design, we have at least 15 browsers working on a myriad of different-sized devices, with many different input types, multiple pixel resolutions and hugely varying connection speeds. There must be a better way to deal with the problem that responsive design has created for testing. In this article, Tom Maslen will devise a testing strategy so that you don’t have to test every device every time you want to update a live website. Read more…

July 11, 2014 — The method of pitting two versions of a landing page against each other in a battle of conversion is called A/B testing, and it lets you test two entirely different designs for a landing page or you can test small tweaks, like changes to a few words in your copy. Running A/B tests on your website can help you improve your communication with visitors and back up important design decisions with real data from real users. With the multitude of tools available, split testing has become easy for even non-technical people to design and manage. Read more…

July 10, 2014 — Instead of having a 10 to 20% profit margin like many businesses, Nathan Barry had an 85% profit margin in 2012. That actually could have been much higher, except that he spent some money on equipment and hiring freelancers. After creating each product, he has only 5% in hard costs for each sale. And the product can be sold an unlimited number of times. In this article, Nathan Barry will show how to profit from selling digital products. Read more…

July 9, 2014 — Because the W3C’s mission from the outset has been to make the web accessible, accessibility features are built into its specifications. As responsible designers, we have the job of creating compelling web experiences without disrupting the inclusive features of a simpler design. We need to find a way to adopt new tools and techniques to keep the playing field level. It’s time to embrace change. This article is an excerpt of a chapter in the eBook that introduces many of the ideas and techniques presented. Read more…

July 8, 2014 — Responsive web design has turned out to be somewhat of a case study in the law of unintended consequences, with one of them being breakpoint paranoia. But even without the undue influence that media queries exerts on your selection of these breakpoints, these might not be the droids we’re looking for. In this article, Obinwanne Hill will look at breakpoints beyond screen size and explore different possibilities and practical approaches to using them to create truly adaptive experiences on the web. Read more…

July 3, 2014 — Photoshop can be used for so much more than just retouching images or manipulating photos. You can create your own textures . In this article, Stephen Petrany will present a foundation of techniques to help you build custom textures. He’ll go over three Photoshop features that he relies on to do most of his texturing — filters, layer styles and brushes. You’ll see that creating high-quality textures for art or design doesn’t require the talent of an artisan painter. All it takes is a little understanding of Photoshop and knowledge of the tools and how to manipulate them to get the effect you desire. Read more…

July 2, 2014 — Stricter functional programming languages are typically used when a system’s performance and integrity are both critical — i.e. your program needs to do exactly what you expect every time and needs to operate in an environment where its tasks can be shared across hundreds or thousands of networked computers. These languages have a steep learning curve for most front-end web developers; however, many more approachable languages incorporate features of functional programming. Read more…

July 1, 2014 — Responsive Web Design and tools like Modernizr have become very popular. Recently, combination techniques, where optimization is done both server-side and client-side, has become a trend. The recently launched WURFL.js tool, fits into this category. In this article, Jon Arne Sæterås and Luca Passani will look at some basic use cases of how to use WURFL.js to optimize the user experience both in HTML and CSS, and an example of how to choose the right ads to display on different devices. Read more…

June 30, 2014 — Having to make choices with limited information is not unusual — especially in complex projects or with brand new products. But, at some point, though, these choices start to feel like pure guesses and the ground under your feet feels shaky. What can you do about it? Approaching potential users for research, such as interviews and usability tests will help your whole team build a solid foundation for product strategy and design. You’ll find that the skills you develop will give you confidence to pursue the answers you need, leading you to better experiences for yourself and others. Read more…