Duncan Stephen

Article — 10 December 2014 — 394 words

PNG versus SVG

For years the debate has raged on. Which image file format is better: PNG or SVG? The Commonwealth Games gave us the chance to find out.

Article — 13 November 2014 — 780 words

Am I alone in thinking email doesn’t need to be fixed?

User experience — Web

Inbox is Google’s latest attempt to rethink email. But why make the world’s most popular communication platform more complicated?

Article — 10 November 2014 — 809 words

The annual redesign

Personal — Web

Every year, at around this time of year, I get an urge to scratch that itch. I have to redesign my website. This year the visuals are jazzier. But the code behind the scenes is making me cringe.

Article — 9 July 2014 — 1,074 words

Wales holiday highlights

Personal — Travel — Walking

Stories and photographs from my holiday to Wales last month.

Article — 7 May 2014 — 591 words

Walking for the sake of it

Personal — Walking

You don’t need to have a purpose to walk. The physical and mental health benefits are manifest. My daily walk is as important to me as brushing my teeth.

Article — 16 April 2014 — 225 words

Web designers need to have an invisible hand

Economics — User experience — Web

Why user-centred design is like a trade.

Article — 23 March 2014 — 1,293 words

Can web design really learn from brutalist architecture?

Architecture — User experience — Web

As a web designer with an interest in brutalist architecture, I was fascinated to read an article about what web designers can learn from brutalism. But perhaps instead of taking inspiration, perhaps the lessons are in what web designers should avoid.

Article — 14 March 2014 — 259 words

Website launch: Study at St Andrews

User experience — Web

Work: Study at St Andrews website

For the past 12 months, I have been working on the new Study at St Andrews website, a full replacement for the webpages aimed at prospective students of the University of St Andrews.

Article — 12 March 2014 — 617 words