A lot of bad stuff has gone down in the world in 2016. But we still go about our daily lives, which can make the larger global changes seem merely like the cherry on top. Here are some reflections on my 2016. Read full article
2 commentsArchive — 2016
Implementing HTTPS
I put off making my website more secure because I dreaded it would be difficult. In the end it was a ten minute job. Read full article
CommentTen years of twitting about
In ten years, Twitter has transformed from a geek enclave to a mainstream form of communication. But I find it difficult to imagine signing up to Twitter today. Read full article
CommentThe perils of the ‘launch and leave’ approach to project management
Our perspective on how a digital product should be managed is strongly influenced by our background and our role. That certainly helps explain some of the difficult conversations I have had over the years. Read full article
1 commentIs the TV sports rights bubble about to burst?
In an era where TV viewership is declining as a whole, TV-centric sports like football, NFL and F1 are at risk of becoming irrelevant. Read full article
3 commentsNorth Coast 500 – days 9 and 10 – Dunnet Head, Castle of Mey, Duncansby Stacks and the journey home
The odd thing about John O'Groats is that you would imagine it being like the edge of the world the way people talk about it. But once you get there, it doesn't feel like the edge of anything. Read full article
CommentNorth Coast 500 – day 8 – Durness to John O’Groats
We covered the whole northern coast of Scotland in one day. Read full article
CommentThe vital lesson digital designers must learn from architecture’s postwar mistakes
Like the mid-century modernists, today’s digital designers are creating the future. Some digital designers are making the same fundamental mistakes. Read full article
2 commentsRunning themes from Scotland’s first accessibility conference
Accessibility Scotland was a high quality event with a diverse range of speakers. Find out what I took away from the event. Read full article
CommentNorth Coast 500 – day 7 – Stoer, Drumbeg and Durness
On a glorious day we saw a beautiful lighthouse, walked to a natural wonder and stayed at a campsite with the most incredible view. Read full article
1 commentThe fight we face for the web’s future
The web is facing many challenges from new technologies, threatening the open culture that made it such a success. We need to fight for its survival. Read full article
CommentNorth Coast 500 – day 6 – Corrieshalloch Gorge, Knockan Crag and Lochinver Larder
The next stage of our journey took us to the North West Highlands Geopark, where the landscape was at its most dramatic. Read full article
1 commentNorth Coast 500 – day 5 – Applecross peninsula, the beach at Redpoint and Badrallach
This day's drive was a long one. In total, we spent over four and a half hours driving. But we just had time to stop off at a legendary beach before heading to the wonderful Badrallach campsite. Read full article
CommentIs it time to put LinkedIn in the bin?
Microsoft recently announced that it will acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. But do any of LinkedIn's users actually derive value from it? Read full article
1 commentNorth Coast 500 – days 3 and 4 – Applecross, Eilean Donan castle and Plockton
We continued our North Coast 500 by heading west. But we were a little disappointed by one of the area's main attractions. Read full article
1 commentNorth Coast 500 – days 1 and 2 – Rogart and Helmsdale
Part 1 of a series of posts about the North Coast 500, a road trip that takes you on a circular route around the north coast of the Highlands of Scotland. Read full article
1 commentToday’s newspaper circulation figures show why clickbait is a losing strategy
The free versus paywall debate was a red herring. What matters is the quality of the product. Read full article
1 commentApple’s emoji problem just got worse
This is how Apple's latest emoji design could cause some serious misunderstandings. Read full article
CommentReflections on IWMW16
My highlights from the the Institutional Web Management Workshop, the valuable annual conference for (mostly) higher education web managers. Read full article
CommentThe once in a lifetime trip to the 24 Hours of Le Mans that became the first of many
How my brother and I caught the bug at the world's most legendary motor race. Read full article
4 commentsBuilding a digital team (almost) from scratch – IWMW16 plenary session P6
I was delighted to be given the opportunity to speak to my colleagues last week at IWMW 2016, the Institutional Web Management Workshop. I spoke about my experience building new teams at the University of St Andrews and SRUC. Read full article
1 commentPersonal reflections on the leaving the European Union
Core liberal values of unity, openness and cooperation are under threat. Read full article
3 commentsThe Google accessibility tool that will improve mobile devices for everyone
Google wanted to fix mobile interfaces for people with motor impairments. But this new technology will benefit us all. Read full article
CommentThe 14 lessons designers need to know from Ofcom’s report on ‘smartphone by default’ users
Last month Ofcom published a report on the people who rely on their phones as their main way of accessing the internet. Some of the findings are shocking and eye-opening. Read full article
CommentThe devious designers trying to trick you
Good designers aim to meet their users' needs. But there is a whole other breed of designers who are trying to trick their users into something they don't want to do. Find out about the evil magicians using dark patterns on you. Read full article
6 commentsThis is why the future of our digital interactions could be in audio
We have an innate desire to pursue mobility. This is why that makes audio interfaces the logical next step in digital design. Read full article
1 commentExciting developments in mobile user interfaces
This edition of the digital design digest highlights some incredible looking technology from Microsoft that could transform mobile interfaces. Read full article
CommentProtecting the web as a democratic medium
Why are writers publishing their content to platforms like Medium when it threatens to undermine the do-it-yourself culture that made the web great? Read full article
CommentAvoiding bias in design
One of the biggest challenges designers face is avoiding bias. We all have perspectives that subconsciously affect our decisions. In the case of design, those choices we don't even realise we are making can have big consequences. Read full article
CommentReflections on six years of IWMW
A guest post about the Institutional Web Management Workshop. Read full article
CommentPassionate late night radio for the freaks
Excellent radio with a passion for the unusual: Steve Davis and Stewart Lee discussing their love of experimental music on the BBC, and the triumphant return of Iain Lee to late nights. Read full article
2 commentsWhy digital security is increasingly important
Online security has always been important. But a number of recent stories have shown why it is becoming even more important all the time. Read full article
CommentWhy your emojis are getting lost in translation and what you can do about it
You've probably been using some emojis wrongly without realising it. Read full article
7 commentsWhy inclusive design benefits all your users
This first edition looks at why designers should take so-called edge cases seriously, to the benefit of all users. Read full article
CommentWhy F1’s qualifying catastrophe is just one symptom of motorsport’s inevitable decline
Why conflicting demands and changing tastes are mounting up to present a serious existential crisis for motorsport. Read full article
2 commentsHistory and high tension: a long weekend in Berlin
This month Alex and I took a long weekend break in Berlin. Despite almost getting caught up in something nasty, we had a brilliant time. Read full article
CommentWeb developers need to shape up and declare war on webpage obesity
As an industry, web professionals have failed their users. It's time to stop building bloated and inaccessible pages. Read full article
1 commentImplementing Accelerated Mobile Pages for WordPress
I was bracing myself for a difficult experience. Instead, I found myself amazed at how easy it is to make your WordPress site compatible with AMP. Read full article
1 commentWhat the Accelerated Mobile Pages project tells us about the sorry state of web publishing
The web is in a bad state of health right now. Web publishers and developers can blame themselves. Read full article
4 comments6 lessons I learned while moving to WordPress multisite
I didn't think moving to WordPress multisite was going to be easy, and sure enough I hit some bumps along the way. Here are six big lessons I learned. Read full article
CommentPath dependence in user experience: why it’s OK that phones are different to calculators
Designers like to fret about the differing keypad layouts on calculators and phones. But economics tells us it may not be such a problem after all. Read full article
CommentWhy it is always worth considering the simplest solution — even if you are Google
A couple of separate stories about Google today remind us that simpler is often better. Read full article
CommentWhy hamburger menus can be good for you as part of a healthy balanced diet
There is an interesting debate in the design community right now about the hamburger menu. Given two extremes of opinion, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Read full article
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