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SmashingMagazine
Dive into the latest articles on web design and development from Smashing Magazine, a must-read for web professionals.
February 19, 2025 10:00:00
Eduard Kuric discusses the significance and role of context in the creation of relevant follow-up questions for unmoderated usability testing, how an AI tasked with interactive follow-up should be validated for its capability to incorporate such context, and what the potential — along with the risks — of AI interaction in usability testing.
February 18, 2025 08:00:00
The OWASP vulnerabilities list is the perfect starting point for web developers looking to strengthen their security expertise. Letâs discover how these vulnerabilities materialize in full-stack web applications and how to prevent them.
February 13, 2025 08:00:00
The goal of content design is to reduce confusion and improve clarity. Yet often itâs difficult to pinpoint a problem as user feedback tends to be not specific enough. But: we can use a few simple techniques to assess how users understand and perceive content. Letâs take a look. Part of [How To Measure UX & Design Impact](https://measure-ux.com/) by yours truly.
February 12, 2025 17:00:00
Optimizing web performance means looking beyond surface-level metrics. Time to First Byte (TTFB) is crucial, but improving it requires more than tweaking server response time. Matt Zeunert breaks down what TTFB is, what causes its poor score, and why reducing server response time alone isnât enough for optimization and often wonât be the most impactful change you can make to your website.
February 7, 2025 13:00:00
Tomasz Jakut reflects on the evolution of web design, from the days of table-based layouts and Flash games to the rise of responsive web design (RWD), which often feels like the end of history in web layout. But as 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of Ethan Marcotteâs article, itâs worth asking whether something significant happened after RWD â something so seamless that it went almost unnoticed.
February 4, 2025 08:00:00
In todayâs web development landscape, the concept of a monolithic application has become increasingly rare. Modern applications are composed of multiple specialized services, each of which handles specific aspects of functionality. This shift didnât happen overnight - itâs the result of decades of evolution in how we think about and implement data transfer between systems. Letâs explore this journey and see how it shapes modern architectures, particularly in the context of headless CMS solutions.
January 31, 2025 09:30:00
Letâs make the most of the shortest of all months, with a new collection of desktop wallpapers celebrating new opportunities, sweet memories, happy little moments, and everything in between. All of them created with love by the community for the community. Enjoy!
January 30, 2025 08:00:00
Design systems play a crucial role in todayâs digital landscape, providing a blueprint for consistent and user-friendly interfaces. But thereâs another tool that deserves equal attention: the digital playbook.
January 29, 2025 10:00:00
Itâs not always the big features that make our everyday lives easier; sometimes, itâs those ease-of-life features that truly enhance our projects. In this article, Brecht De Ruyte highlights two such features: `@starting-style` and `transition-behavior` â two properties that are absolutely welcome additions to your everyday work with CSS animations.
January 28, 2025 15:00:00
After months of anticipation, debate, and even a bit of apprehension, Svelte 5 arrived earlier this year. Frederick OâBrien caught up with its creator, Rich Harris, to talk about the path that brought him and his team here and what lies ahead.
January 21, 2025 08:00:00
Alvaro Saburido delves into the current state and challenges of Open-Source authoring, sharing lessons learned from both community- and company-driven initiatives.
January 17, 2025 08:00:00
A once-revered perk of some tech workplaces, the status of âside project timeâ seems to have slipped in recent years. Frederick OâBrien believes it deserves a comeback.
January 16, 2025 13:00:00
Shouldnât there be a way to keep your apps or project data private and improve performance by reducing server latency? This is what on-device AI is designed to solve. It handles AI processing locally, right on your device, without connecting to the internet and sending data to the cloud. In this article, Joas Pambou explains what on-device AI is, why itâs important, the tools to build this type of technology, and how it can change the way we use technology every day.
January 14, 2025 08:00:00
How do we determine the most suitable illustration style? How should illustrations complement and reflect your corporate identity? What will resonate most with your target audience? And regarding the content, what type of illustration would best enhance it, and how would it work for the age range it is primarily for? Thomas Bohm shares insightful examples and discusses the key qualities of effective illustrations, emphasizing the importance of understanding your audience.
January 10, 2025 14:00:00
The best and worst thing about solo development is the âsoloâ part. Thereâs a lot of freedom in working alone, and that freedom can be inspiring, but it can also become a debilitating hindrance to productivity and progress. Victor Ayomipo shares his personal lessons on what it takes to navigate solo development and build the ârightâ app.
January 9, 2025 13:00:00
We know that browsers do all sorts of different things under the hood. One of those things is the way they not only *fetch* resources like images and scripts from the server but how they [prioritize those resources](https://www.debugbear.com/blog/request-priorities?utm_campaign=sm-7). Chrome and Safari have implemented a âTight Modeâ that constrains which resources are loaded and in what order, but they each take drastically different approaches to it. With so little information about Tight Mode available, this article attempts a high-level explanation of what it is, what triggers it, and how it is treated differently in major browsers.
January 8, 2025 11:00:00
HTML attributes are like little instructions that we add to the markup of elements to make them do certain things or behave in certain ways. For example, most of us know that the `target` attribute with a value of `_blank` opens the link in a new tab or window. But did you know that you can use it on the `form` element, too? John Rhea presents several lesser-known uses for common HTML attributes.
January 7, 2025 14:00:00
Product drops and sales are a great way to increase revenue, but these events can result in traffic spikes that affect a siteâs availability and performance. To prevent website crashes, youâll have to make sure that the sites you design can handle large numbers of server requests at once. Letâs discuss how!
January 6, 2025 08:00:00
We, as human beings, donât worry too much about making sure the connections land at the right point. Our brain just works that way, declaratively. However, for building AI, we need to be more explicit. Letâs dive in!
December 31, 2024 12:00:00
Searching for the most flexible front-end workflows and toolkits, itâs easy to forget how powerful some of the fundamentals on the web have become these days. This post is a journey through new front-end features and what they are capable of.
December 31, 2024 10:00:00
Maybe 2025 has already started as youâre reading this, maybe youâre still waiting for the big countdown to begin — either way, itâs never too late or too early for some New Yearâs inspiration! Our new collection of desktop wallpapers has got you covered.
December 23, 2024 10:00:00
Design leaders are expected to deliver the impossible. Instead of trying, we need to redefine our role from implementor to enabler.
December 17, 2024 10:00:00
There are many ways to elevate a design project from good to incredible. For web and product designers, itâs not just about adding more animations and flair. What it truly comes down to is a reframing of your thought processes starting before the project even kicks off. Olivia De Alba presents three approaches that designers can implement and which will change the way they make their projects more successful.
December 11, 2024 15:00:00
10 years after scroll-driven animations were first proposed, theyâre finally here — no JavaScript, no dependencies, no libraries, just pure CSS.
December 9, 2024 09:00:00
SVG arcs demystified! Akshay Gupta explains how to master radii, rotation, and arc direction to create stunning curves. Make arcs a powerful part of your SVG toolkit for creating more dynamic, intricate designs with confidence.
December 6, 2024 09:00:00
Few things are as frustrating to a user as when a site wonât respond. Unfortunately, itâs also an all-too-common scenario. Many websites and apps depend on so many elements that one of any number of errors could cause the whole thing to fail. As prevalent as such instances may be, theyâre preventable through the practice of graceful degradation.
December 3, 2024 10:00:00
Forms are already notoriously tough to customize and style — to the extent that weâre already starting to see new ideas for more flexible control. But what we donât often discuss is designing good-form experiences beyond validation. Thatâs what Jima Victor discusses in this article, focusing specifically on creating multi-step forms that involve navigation between sections.
November 30, 2024 09:00:00
December is almost here, and that means: Itâs time for some new desktop wallpapers! Created with love by creatives from all around the world, they are bound to lighten up the last few weeks of the year and, who knows, maybe even spark new ideas. Enjoy!
November 27, 2024 10:00:00
From KnockoutJS to modern UI libraries like SolidJS, Vue.js, and Svelte, signals revolutionized how we think about reactivity in UIs. Hereâs a deep dive into their history and impact by Atila Fassina.
November 22, 2024 09:00:00
Many talented professionals hold back from speaking at tech events, believing they need years of experience or expert status first. Drawing from her experience as a first-time speaker at WordPress Accessibility Day 2024, Victoria Nduka discusses how speaking at events benefits both individuals and the tech community.
November 19, 2024 09:00:00
Discover how AI is reshaping web design, boosting productivity in design, coding, UX, and copywriting while amplifying human creativity in a new article by Paul Boag.
November 14, 2024 10:00:00
Penpot helps designers and developers work better together by offering a free, open-source design tool based on open web standards. Today, letâs explore its newly released Penpot Plugin System. So now, if thereâs a functionality missing, you donât need to jump into the code base straight away; you can create a plugin to achieve what you need. And you can even serve it from localhost!
November 12, 2024 12:00:00
Itâs the end of the year, and as we look at our inventory, we thought, âLetâs help everyone in our community get ready for the year ahead!â Get friendly pricing on bundles of books and workshops to dive deep into the subjects you care about most. Letâs bundle up and save!
November 8, 2024 09:00:00
Thomas Bohm rethinks technical illustrations and data visualizations, sharing interesting and uncommon examples of how to present data and information. Bar graphs and pie charts are great, but thereâs so much more to explore!
November 5, 2024 10:00:00
Feeling good with your Lighthouse score of 100%? You should! But you should also know that youâre only looking at part of the performance picture. Learn how Lighthouse scores are measured differently than other tools, the impact that has on measuring performance metrics, and why you need real-user monitoring for a complete picture.
October 31, 2024 14:00:00
November is just around the corner and that means: Itâs time for some new desktop wallpapers! Created with love by the community for the community, they are available in versions with and without a calendar. Enjoy!
October 30, 2024 09:00:00
There are many myths revolving around Gen Z and how they use tech. Time to take a look at actual behavior patterns that go beyond heavy use of social media. Part of [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com) by yours truly.
October 17, 2024 10:00:00
Victor Ayomipo experiments with the CSS `min()` function, exploring its flexibility with different units to determine if it is the be-all, end-all for responsiveness. Discover the cautions he highlights against dogmatic approaches to web design based on his findings.
October 15, 2024 14:00:00
Design decisions shouldnât be a matter of personal preference. We can use reliable design KPIs and UX metrics to guide and shape our design work and measure its impact on business. Meet How To Measure UX and Design Impact, our new video course that helps with just that.
October 11, 2024 10:00:00
In this third part of the series, you are looking at two models that handle all three modalities — text, images or videos, and audio — without needing a second model for text-to-speech or speech recognition.