• We’re no longer building pages, we’re building systems and complex networks.
  • RWD is not about individual device classes
  • Devices have become more complex, multiple input methods, various screen sizes
  • New interactions models are been created all the time
  • I’d like to tell you I have perfectly formed solution, I do not.
  • Laziness is bad. Well, maybe it’s more complex than that; maybe it’s a virtue.
  • We have a lot of tools available to allow us to be lazy.
  • eg: nth-child for grids rather than including the grid in the html
  • Modern frameworks come with baggage.
    • They work of a predefined grid
    • Stock breakpoints
    • It’s hard to know if they’re useful for the expanding device market.
  • Think about content, context rather than devices you can design for products that don’t yet exist.
  • Disney made animation beautiful, it made it real and life like.
  • Disney defied language to describe their work, allowing to them to keep high standards.
  • If we think about the characteristics of design rather than of the page, columns, roles, it allows you to support the design.
  • Describe the challenges of a site, this allows the break points to be defined.
  • Rather than CSS frameworks, define vocab frameworks to make our sites fit.e
  • RWD navigation is not a solved problem, they rely on the content.
  • As an industry, we have a problem with the hamburger.
    • It’s not working as well as we think it is.
    • Time magazine added about a thousand items of help text to their hamburger. This suggests it didn’t test well.
    • Disney added a hamburger icon to use the same off-screen navigation pattern
    • Behind the hamburger, we put all the shit we couldn’t be bothered to deal with. We avoided the ard discussions.
  • Other, arguably better, design patterns exist for navigation
    • The BBC shows/hides nav items as they fit on their screen
    • The Guaniad scrolls their navigation
    • The Filament Group changes their nav on content driven pages to a more subtle version than their home page.
  • If we look for opportunities to be lazy with nav, we can focus on other parts of the page, other features. For example animation.
  • We can design of the basic elements and enhance with animation
  • This does mean we need to build up from the basics, add enhancements. Design two, three or more interfaces. This doesn’t appear lazy.
  • The laziness comes from designing defensively for the web. Designs will work for multiple devices.
  • The BBC have done this with the cutting the mustard test.
  • They track two broad responsive experiences. It’s lazy and Ethan lves it.
  • Approach a site with questions, even if you have solved the problems before. Like a beginner.
  • Doing a little less will allow us to do a little bit more.

Comments

One response to “Respond 16: Ethan Marcotte”

  1. Ethan Marcotte Avatar

    @pwcc Thanks so much for the *stellar* notes, Peter. Great to see you this morning—looking forward to your talk tomorrow! #respond16

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