Articles

I only recently discovered the Polypane web browser. However from my very limited time with it I’m very impressed with the features it has to offer. So much so that by the end of the 14 day free trial I was ready to part with my money. As a web browser that is specifically designed for web developers and designers it’s easy to see why it’s gaining popularity amongst the community. I’ve listed some of...

My switch to a 4 day week has been a while in the making. Yet it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. At the beginning of 2021 I decided I would only work on client projects Monday to Thursday. Then spend Fridays working on my own business growth. On paper this seemed sensible, but it didn’t quite go to plan. In reality it meant 4 days of focused work, then a mad...

I’m currently working on two projects that don’t require a content management system (CMS). This is a very rare situation for me. The majority of work I typically take on requires a CMS, be it WordPress, Statamic or something else. That’s just how demand is at the moment, and that’s totally fine. However when the opportunity arises, and if the project is a good fit, then I’m always keen to seize the chance to work...

I’ve no real plan for this post. The only aim is to acknowledge my mistakes so far this year. Then hopefully start on the way to correcting them. I haven’t written anything in so long Five and a half months. It’s been five and a half months since I wrote anything here. The same pretty much goes for my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. I’m regretting it now, but I know I’ll likely regret it even...

I’ve been searching for greater purpose in the work I do recently. Front end web development is enjoyable, exciting, and constantly pushing boundaries. The clients I have the pleasure to work with have high aspirations. Always challenging me to deliver websites of great quality. However if I’m honest with myself, I’m very much a generalist in web development. I’m not a consultant with a single focus, or building website in a niche sector. Whilst this...

I like to think the tech community is on the whole a positive place where we can all come together and help one another. I for one have made some great connections through it. However I want to highlight a concern I see on a fairly regular basis. One which I think goes against the spirit of building community. That concern is with individuals who make statements to devalue tools and approaches in design and...

The correct usage for buttons and their HTML markup are a hot topic at the moment for accessibility. It has a big impact on how people can interact with your website. So if you want to ensure you are making the correct choice when using buttons on your website, and know why, then I recommended checking out a couple of resources from the recent @FrontendMasters newsletter which I found useful. Eric Eggert wrote Buttons vs....

Taking ownership of your WordPress hosting could save your business money, as well as a great deal of time and stress. When I began freelancing I made the decision not to offer web hosting. I was, and continue to be insistent that clients purchase their own web hosting and domain registrations. Now that probably sounds counter intuitive for anyone developing websites. After all it’s an opportunity for an additional revenue stream. I also appreciate that...

In the last year or so there has been a trend of developers and agencies posting perfect Lighthouse scores on social channels. You’ve probably seen them, those 4 green circles, each with a 100 in the middle. This looks great, surely they’re doing a good job, but are they representative of the whole picture when it comes to performance testing the website in question? Or are they just the best test score achieved? Zach Leatherman...

I recently posted on Twitter that we should stop using carousels for calls to action. I then followed that up with another statement saying: “Whilst we’re at it can we also do away with delayed pop-ups!” At the time I was making a throw away comment due to my frustrations browsing websites on that day. However I realised, thanks to Matt Saunders, that I really should be providing context and facts to statements like these....

One of the easiest ways I’ve found to improve my WordPress development skills is to stop installing plugins. Instead I started focusing on writing them and learning more about WordPress filters and actions. When you start out it might be more convenient to quickly install a plugin which solves your problem. However every time you add another plugin you increase your technical debt. This could mean more time spent running updates and increasing the odds...

Recently I’ve been working on a rebuild of my website and one of my key goals is to improve accessibility considerations across the site. The first thing I wanted to tackle was the navigation menu. For a while I had contemplated not using any sort of toggle to display the menu on a mobile device and just have the links on view. However after much deliberation, I felt the balance of the design was improved...