42 things

Observations from the pixel face.

1. Web design is (still) not rocket science.
2. Clients who get the best sites share common traits.
3. Spend time planning.
4. If content is king… what the user does next is queen.
5. Pick the right content management system (CMS).
6. Break out of templates.
7. SEO is more than keywords.
8. Good, fast, cheap… pick two.
9. Users don’t read, they scan.
10. You are not the end user.
11. Chase out assumptions.
12. Momentum is vital.
13. Open source has a cost.
14. Design by committee is bad idea.
15. Not everyone is on fast broadband.
16. Build it and they will come is not true.
17. It’s easy to get distracted so … ooo look, cats.
18. Stock photos will always look like stock photos. 
19. Deadlines are meaningless if there is no content.
20. Your font is probably too small for good legibility.
21. A single point of contact will improve the process.
22. Web is not print, launched does not mean finished.
23. Budgets; double for mates, triple for family will save a lot of pain.
24. It’s easier to develop a site when you have all the assets at the start.
25. Minimum viable product is useful when starting out or testing ideas.
26. Creating a site is a collaborative effort, get everyone involved at the start.
27. Understanding how information can be structured will improve design decisions. 
28. Social media is not a magic bullet, a logo on your site is not a social strategy. 
29. The ways of Google are Facebook are the ways of Google are Facebook.
30. Launch and be damned, just not on a Friday or the day before a marketing push.
31. It’s easier to fix small problems after minor updates than big ones after major updates.
32. The site will look and feel different once it is live.
33. Do one thing, evaluate. Do another, evaluate.
34. Find someone who can proofread.
35. Test on actual devices.
36. Backup regularly to multiple locations, then test your backups work.
37. Good support is worth its weight in gold when you really need it.
38. Security matters, at least start using a password manager (today).
39. Treat calls from clients on Friday afternoons with suspicion.
40. Sometimes the best interface is no interface. 
41. You are better than your last website.
42. It’s only a website.