Slides: Responsive Web Design Primer

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the University at Buffalo (my alma mater) to give a presentation for its CIT professional development series. I got to talk about responsive design.

Knowing in advance that the room would have technical and non-technical users I went for a code-free presentation. One thing I learned is that code would have been useful, so if you're looking for any in here you won't find it.

I understand there is video from the event, and as soon as I have it I'll share it here as well. In the meantime, enjoy the slides without any context. Which may be more entertaining than my typically awful attempts at humor.

Responsive Design Overview for UB CIT from Adrian

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Balancing Act: Features, Budgets & Timelines at Web Standards Sherpa

As of today I am an author over at Web Standards Sherpa. I wrote an article discussing the process of juggling a no-budget, tight-timeframe web site for Buffalo Soccer Club while still trying to adhere to best practices. The article is titled "Balancing Act: Features, Budgets & Timelines."

I get a chance to talk about responsive design and even rant just a little bit about print styles (the article itself prints well, too). The article also has the nifty ReadSpeaker feature which means that the page can read the article aloud to you in a voice that is entirely unlike mine (at least it's a male voice by default).

Adrian offers insight into the decision process of building a new site for the Buffalo Soccer Club, a not-for-profit with little to no budget and a looming deadline. Read it…

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My WordCamp Presentation: Content Strategy

On Saturday, October 20, 2012, I spoke at the first ever WordCamp Buffalo. I am a casual WordPress user, not a developer, though my decade-and-a-half experience with multiple blogs and content management systems (even writing our own CMS at Algonquin Studios) gives me plenty of insight into the overall process of blogs. I've also got the experience of helping clients who are not technical get past the mechanics of web sites and instead focus on the business and goals of their sites.

I figured this made me uniquely suited to discuss content strategy to a room full of WordPress authors (not developers). I suspected I'd be less likely to get bogged down in implementation discussions and lose attendees in the technical bits.

And I so set about creating the presentation you see here. I knew nothing of my audience — how many there would be, how technical they would be, what businesses they represented, if they were casual users, if they had simple blogs or full sites, if there were copywriters, and so on. Not knowing your audience is a huge problem when developing content (I even address that early on in my slides).

All that being said, please enjoy my presentation:

Content Strategy from Adrian Roselli

My presentation is now on WordPress.tv (as of Nov. 14, 2012). You can also enjoy the embedded version of it below.

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Telling Clients They Are Wrong

If you have spent time as a solo web jockey or your job has you interacting directly with clients, you've probably been faced with the client who asks for something you feel is wrong. If you're new to this, it may seem like a dangerous situation to be in, when in reality it's a great opportunity to establish yourself as an expert and demonstrate you considerable knowledge with well-formed arguments and supporting data/examples. Sometimes the client just isn't quite getting it and it gets a bit adversarial.

I have spent a good deal of time coaching friends, employees, partners, and so on (designers, developers, architects, etc.) on the best ways to deal with clients who have trundled down the wrong path and need some correction. Usually these people feel a great deal of trepidation in realigning the client for fear of losing the business or, worse, being overridden and forced to create something with which they don't agree (but will bear their names).

Conveniently, I don't have to reiterate all the options and steps you can take. Somebody has done a pretty good job of outlining them for me. You can read the full article, How To Explain To Clients That They Are Wrong, to get all the details. You can also read a little behind-the-scenes at the author's blog. It may be worth keeping this client perspective in mind, as mentioned in the article:

...[M]any clients still regard creative digital agencies and freelancers as either kids living in their parents' basement or shady professionals out to take them for every last penny.

For those of you who just want the distilled version, here you go, with some of my own tips peppered within...

First, determine if the client is even wrong or this is just a knee-jerk reaction on your part. As freelancers, it's easy to let your ego get the best of you. Remember, the client knows his/her business, you know the technology or design rules.

Next, speak the client's language. Ask the client what the business benefit is of the request. Don't try to snow the client with techno-babble or designer-speak. If you can get the client to verbalize the business goal, you are off to a good start. If the client cannot verbalize it, perhaps the client will realize that the request is couched in vanity instead of a tangible reason.

As part of all this make sure you come off as the expert. Dress well. Speak well. Spell well. Brand yourself well. Grammarify well. Make up new words well. Be confident, support your opinions with examples and facts, and be prepared to offer alternatives (hybrid solutions even). And don't be late (to meetings, on deadlines, to bed).

Don't hide from the client or the issue, address it quickly, in person (or perhaps on the phone, but not via email) and with supporting documentation (sign-off letters, email verification). I am a fan of the direct approach. Like a Band-Aid, just tear it off, it will be over more quickly. The article I am referencing is a little less aggressive about being direct, but if you are honest and humble (add some humor) then you should be fine.

If the client is insistent, you may need to back down. The client is the one paying, after all, and if you can document that you have attempted to prevent the client from shooting his/herself in the foot, then you will be fine. Consider making the client sign off that he/she is going against your recommendation. If that's too aggressive, just send an email verification. If you are familiar with A/B testing, now is a great time to propose it. If you aren't, you should go buy a book. In the end, spend some time looking at the results of the change to see if it ended up being more effective.

If you've gotten this far, then you should also go read the comments at the original article. There are some good ones in there, sprinkled among the self-aggrandizing ones.

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