Sticky Issues In Web Design

144 views

Designing a website has so much more to it than most people realize. The end result is almost always very aesthetically pleasing, functional, and runs pretty smoothly. The amount of blood, sweat, and tears that go into each website to get it to that point of bliss can be crazy, and here are ten of the many causes for designers to pull their hair and kick their desks.

#10: Fonts. From suddenly not displaying properly to font folders magically losing their system properties, sometimes the hassle required to implement specific fonts just doesn’t seem worth it. And wouldn’t it be nice to have an unlimited number of fonts to choose from?
#9: Tables vs. CSS for Web design. Sure, sometimes CSS can need some tweaking (what doesn’t?) but most people agree that tables tend to be easier, but not always better.

#8: Compliance Issues. Whether we are talking about fonts or graphics, what works with one browser may or may not work with fonts and graphics that may or may not work with some other browser, which leads us to issue #7.

#7: Browsers. Time and time and time again, across the boards are oodles of complaints about browsers. This one doesn’t work with this and that one doesn’t work with that. Refer back to #8.

#6: Lack of standardizations. Wouldn’t it be nice if every webpage played nice with every other webpage? Were talking about micro formats, here.

#5: Flash. It is much more restrictive than the open HTML format, and it does not operate well with many browser features, such as the back button. Refer to #8 above.

#4: Fixed vs. Liquid Layouts: Depending on the purpose of the content in the site, its all about widths and control, or a lack thereof.

#3: Balance between how the website looks and how the website works. Sure, everyone enjoys a colorful, fun to look at website, but if SEO consultants are smoking from their ears, it may be a sign that pretty might not mean productive. See #2.

#2: Keeping the peace between graphic designers and SEO professionals. Enough said, see #3 above.

And, the #1 Sticky Issue when it comes to Web design is: FORMS. Across the board for years, forms continue to be a main and almost universal frustration in the world of Web Design. The lack of style ability and trying to make them consistent across browsers is enough to send anyone into hysterics.

So, the next time you are surfing the Internet, think about everything that has to come together behind the nice LCD panel that is sitting in front of you, so go ahead and slap your I heart Web designers bumper sticker on the backside of your car.

by Phoenix