To educate, inform, inspire

ARIA fundamentals

August 31, 2016 - Web - by Mark - No Comments

It has been a while since I focused on accessibility in these weblog posts. I thought it might be helpful to readers of this weblog to review some of the fundamentals of ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications). Many of the web pages we create employ sophisticated interfaces. Unfortunately, we often […]

JS++

August 24, 2016 - Web - by Mark - No Comments

I recently learned about JS++. Although it is presently only available for Windows and Linux systems, it looks interesting. Essentially, JS++ is a compiler which takes code and generates JavaScript. However, resulting JavaScript is much more structured than one would normally write. There is a fair amount of documentation (however, […]

Koken

July 20, 2016 - General , Technology , Web - by Mark - 1 Comment

I recently became aware of the Koken Content Management System (CMS). Essentially, it is a content management system for photographs (and essays if desired). Given that I take a lot of photographs, I thought this might be worth investigating. I also discovered it integrated with Adobe Lightroom. Like most CMS, […]

Visual Studio Code

July 13, 2016 - Apple , ICC , Technology , Web , Windows - by Mark - No Comments

In preparation for our fall, 2016, CMWEB 240 class on developing web pages using the .Net environment, I have been briefly reviewing Visual Studio Code (version 1.3). This is a different product from the traditional Visual Studio and has a significantly UX/UI experience than Visual Studio. You can download a […]

National web design contest – time lapse videos

July 6, 2016 - Travel , Web , WOW - by Mark - No Comments

I used my GoPro camera throughout our recent national web design contest in Louisville, KY. For fun this week, I thought readers might enjoy watching a few of the time lapse videos I put together. I have included videos detailing the contest setup (many thanks to the SkillsUSA Courtesy Corps […]

National Web Design Contest Software

June 29, 2016 - Adobe , Apple , Web , Windows , WOW - by Mark - No Comments

We just concluded our 13th national web design contest in Louisville, KY (June 21 – 25, 2016). Although I plan to post additional information about the judge’s observations on our WebDesignContest.org site soon, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some observations and insights I made regarding the tools […]

National Web Design Contest

June 22, 2016 - Travel , Web , WOW - by Mark - No Comments

As you are reading this, our national web design contest is happening in Louisville, KY. This will be the 13th consecutive year we have held this competition. We hold this in conjunction with the SkillsUSA national competitions. We provide a contest for secondary students and a separate contest for post-secondary […]

Adobe Spark

May 25, 2016 - Adobe , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Adobe recently announced Spark. This is more than a “re-branding” of the iOS only apps Voice, Slate, and Post. The links in the previous sentence take you to my initial reviews of those iOS apps. The significance of Spark is that these apps are also now available via the web. […]

Labcoat

May 18, 2016 - Learning , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I recently provided an overview of the “design in browser” approach to working with a web site. Since that post, I have become aware of the Labcoat browser plugin. It only works for Chrome that being said, it has some powerful capabilities. Before you can work with this tool, you […]

Adobe XD and Material Design

May 11, 2016 - Mobile Apps , Technology , Web - by Mark - No Comments

Google announced Material Design in June, 2014. The main goals are discussed in the Material Design specification. Essentially, there are two goals (below copied directly from above link). “Create a visual language that synthesizes classic principles of good design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science.” “Develop a […]

Design in Browser

April 27, 2016 - Web - by Mark - No Comments

There have been a number of discussions at various WebProfessionals.org meetings about the concept of “design in browser.” As the spring semester starts to draw to a close, I thought it might be an appropriate time to review this concept as it helps bring a number of aspects of web […]

Web Design MOOC 2016

April 20, 2016 - Adobe , Learning , Web - by Mark - No Comments

I recently completed teaching another MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). This one was on web design using the Adobe MUSE application and was done as part of the Adobe Education Exchange. This course ran from January 25 to March 11, 2016. If you have been reading this blog for a […]

Chrome Browser Extensions

March 23, 2016 - Security , Technology , Web - by Mark - 2 Comments

Those who know me realize that I am always interested in web technologies and how they relate to business. I thought it might be helpful to identify some of the Chrome browser extensions I use on a regular basis (and my rationale for using them). Although I use a fair […]

Adobe XD

March 16, 2016 - Adobe , Mobile Apps , Web - by Mark - 2 Comments

A new preview product was released by Adobe on Monday, March 14. It was first demonstrated at AdobeMAX and looks to be very useful from a UX/ UI design workflow. Previously, one could develop simple mock-ups of web pages or mobile apps using tools like Photoshop or Illustrator. However, it […]

Docker Containers

February 10, 2016 - Technology , Web , WOW - by Mark - 1 Comment

I recently posted an article on web developer trends for 2016 at WebProfessionals.org. One of the technologies I believe will grow in importance in 2016 is Docker containers. For aspiring web developers (particularly those in our CMWEB program), I thought it might be helpful to further explain the concept. I […]