Accessibility and Dreamweaver MX 2004An accessible website is compatible with the assistive technologies used by people with disabilities. Dreamweaver MX 2004 automates many elements of creating accessible sites and prompts designers to provide information when necessary. It has also been modified to provide better keyboard access and to work with screen readers. (From the book ASP Web Development with Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 by Rachel Andrew et al., Apress, 2004, ISBN: 1590593499.)Creating accessible web pages has never been more important ...

Dynamic Page Elements-Cloak and Dagger Web DesignThere are not many aspects of web design that seem to ignite the same fascination in developers as making elements dynamic by hiding and showing them on user interaction. Collapsible lists, maps with hover elements and multi level drop-down navigations still seem to be hot and need to be part of a web site to make it "cool" and to "increase usability". Much like the magician conjuring the rabbit out of the top hat ...

Website Knick KnackWe've all visited websites that made us wince. You know what I mean: full of distracting animation, flashing text, and enough other clutter that it reminds you of a Victorian home filled to bursting with knick knacks. Are you guilty of filling your website with useless junk? Christian Heilmann takes you down his checklist of website clutter. You just might find yourself considering a redesign.It is safe to assume that most of us know someone who has their ...

Browsers as Test PlatformsIn this article we will take a look at browsers from a developer’s point of view. When developing for the Web, it is inevitable that we need to debug and test our work. How easy or how hard is it to find the problems causing errors, and how easy is it to replicate certain environment changes? Once we identify the steps we need to take to test properly, we will see if there is a chance to ...

More Website Knick KnackIn our second article about useless clutter on websites, Chris Heilmann focuses on websites that try to reinvent the wheel, features that offer a quick "wow" and little else, and more. Are you guilty of inflicting website knick knack on your visitors? Take a look at the included check list and find out.In the last article we listed some of the seemingly good but superfluous elements with which Web designers clutter their sites. We covered:* Counters* Close, ...

Using HTML_QuickForm To Manage Web Forms, Part 1Tired of authoring dull and dreary Web forms everyday? Fed up of programming JavaScript validations day-in and day-out? Then, the HTML_QuickForm package is just the solution for which you are looking. In the first part of this two-part tutorial, I'll get you started with the basics of building Web forms using this resourceful PEAR package.SOS - Search fOr a SolutionRecently, I took on a project for the development of a community portal to ...

Using HTML_QuickForm To Manage Web Forms, Part 2In this second part of the HTML_QuickForm primer, I will demonstrate the advanced features of the package - these include "hierarchical" drop downs, "auto-complete" text boxes, integration with the "Smarty" template engine, and much, much more.IntroductionIn the first part of the tutorial, I gave you a quick run down on the essential features of the HTML_QuickForm.Ready for a quick refresher?It started with a note on how to install PEAR (and HTML_QuickForm) on your ...

Back to School: Design UsabilityAll of us have encountered websites that are painful to use. We know what doesn't work, and we might even have said "This site would work better if..." but how many of us have examined our own websites with these thoughts in mind? Maybe it's time for a fresh look. Eliana Stavrou takes you through the basic issues of design usability.Being a researcher is a difficult and demanding occupation. You have to spend hundred of hours ...

Building Friendly Pop-up WindowsA pop-up window is simply another resource for displaying content. Many advertisers abuse them, however, thus giving pop-up windows a bad reputation. They can be implemented in a friendly fashion that won't make your visitors angry -- and they can be very useful in certain circumstances, such as on an intranet. Alejandro Gervasio explains.IntroductionWithout a doubt, pop-up windows are one of the most controversial topics on the Web. They are the preferred tool for unscrupulous vendors annoying ...

EasyChart: a Usability Teaching Tool to Demonstrate Interface Design from HellDo you have students or programmers who don't quite seem to "get" the importance of following the rules to  make an interface that is easy for the end user to deal with? Maybe you should make them use EasyChart. Created as an educational tool to deliberately break every design usability rule, it just might lead to an "a-ha" awakening. Eliana Stavrou walks you through some telling examples from the program.IntroductionMost ...