2. Who is Jason?
• Designer & Front-End Developer
at Cyberwoven in South Carolina
• Author of the Sitepoint book
The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
• Founding member &president
of Refresh Columbia
• University of Central Florida Alum
•Personal Site: Jasongraphix.com
3. There are about 126 million
homes in the United States.
* http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html
4. There are over 172 million websites.
*http://news.netcraft.com/archives/web_server_survey.html
6. The Dilemma
Maintenance Sucks Renovation is Exciting
Replacing a leaky faucet. Knocking down walls.
Putting on a new roof. Reconfiguring a kitchen.
Steam cleaning carpets. Installing a walk-in shower.
Clearing gutters. Replacing light fixtures.
Repairing rotten wood. Modernizing finishes.
Unclogging toilets Improving functionality.
...putting up with the past. …making it your own.
8. Some of the top reasons for
renovating a home are:
Outdated Finishes
Obsolete Appliances
Dysfunctional Floor Plan
Inefficient Energy Use
Lack of Square Footage
15. The worst are the old
websites that were built
“One piece at a time”
16. kludge or kluge (kl j)
n. Slang
1. A system, especially a computer system, that is constituted of
poorly matched elements or of elements originally intended
for other applications.
2. A clumsy or inelegant solution to a problem.
18. Five Lessons I’ve Learned
From Home Renovation
1. Learn the Building Codes
2. Set Realistic Goals
3. Have the Right Tools
4. Invest your Resources wisely
5. Make Lasting Changes
19. 1
Learn the Building Codes
Building codes regulate the structural design, energy
efficiency, construction quality, and overall safety of
structures occupied by the public.
20. New Construction
• Separation of Content,
Style & Behavior
• Valid HTML & CSS
• Section 508 Compliance
• Graceful Degradation
• Design consistency
with no CSS hacks.
Web Standards in a Nutshell
By Natalie Jost –www.nataliejost.com
23. 2 Set Realistic Goals
…because overdue and over budget
is not good for business.
24. “Kitchen Sink Syndrome”
Original Client Request:
Add an estimate request form.
Eventual Solution:
• Design new page with form.
• No CSS? Add stylesheet to page.
• Nav is image based?
…Rebuild with CSS.
• Site is static?
Global find & replace to add new nav to all pages.
• New nav gets approved with changes… OF COURSE!
• Create include file for nav and add that to all pages…etc…
26. 3 Have the Right Tools
“When your only tool is a reciprocating saw,
every project looks like demolition.”
33. 5
Make Lasting Changes
“Too many designers get caught up in the visuals needing to be
representative of the time and current design movements…when in
reality, design needs to be timeless.”
-Nick Finck
34. What is Timeless Design?
A visual concept that could simultaneously exist in both the past and the future.
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman Ball Chair
Designed by Charles & Ray Eames Designed by Eero Aarnio
in 1956 in 1966