With the introduction of the iPad a new device is added into our (already heavy) backpack. Is this device going to change the future of websites? Are websites doomed as claimed by Boris in his post on thenextweb.com? Boris thinks websites will be replaced by Apps. I beg to differ. I don’t think it is about the device, the App or the website. I thinks it’s about data and services. I don’t care if I have to use an App or a website as long as I get to do the things I want to do WHERE I want to do them. For example if I want to check IMDB on my phone I would like to use an App, but if I want to check it on my laptop I would rather use the website. The App or website is just a tool, not the goal. The goal is to get information as quickly as possible.

More likely future websites will have added layers enabling Voice Control or simplified touch controls. Making websites easier to use on the iPad and future iPad competitors without compromising experience for users viewing the website in an ordinary browser. Because it will take a very long time for the iPad (or any similair iPad-like device) to become a household product. Take a look at the penitration of smartphones. In 2009 only 17% of every mobile phone was a smartphone. Offering your data and services merely through Apps won’t cut it! You still need a website to please the biggest share of users. Websites are not dead, they are ready for their second life.

After almost a year I’ve sold my niche experiment Android Magazine. It has been inactive for over two months and I didn’t have the passion and/or drive to post news items every day. Below a list of things I’ve learned during the experiment:

• If you want to start a niche blog or website take an upcoming technology and start early. (A website about Google Wave extensions would be a good idea right now).
• Fill your website with content for a few weeks and sent out a press release. Pursue related websites to write a little blurb about your website.
• News related website + adsense = hard. You have to be relevant all the time. You have to be willing to post news two or three times a day or else the competition will (and they will!). Try to focus on Evergreen content. Evergreen content is relevant for a longer time.
• It’s easy to become an expert. If you applied above suggestions you will probably end up high in the google results. If the subject of matter is fairly new, media are always looking for someone who can tell them something about this upcoming technology. I’ve been on the Dutch national radio two times (once on BNR and once on Radio 1) as an Android ‘expert’ due to my website being the number one result when somebody searched for Android (in Dutch).

It was nice to experiment but it’s time to try something different. Something not dependable on posting news daily. If you have any questions about running a website or blog please comment and I will try to answer them!

In his latest book Malcom Gladwell claims that talent doesn’t make one successful. It’s more about practice and being lucky. He makes his point with insightful examples which can hold their claim. The Beatles are one example. They were lucky enough to be invited to play in Hamburg, Germany in 1960. In Hamburg they played seven days a week for eight hours straight! In those trips they made to Hamburg they played twelve hundred times together which is quite unique. So you can conclude that The Beatles had a lot of practice.

According to Gladwell it comes down the the 10.000 hour rule.  If you practice something for 10.000 hours you’re bound to get good at it. Outliers: The Story of Succes is loaded with great examples which demonstrate this 10.000 hour rule.

How does this 10.000 hours of practice apply to a designer?
Dee Barizo made a blog post about how to practice as a designer. He gives some great pointers:

• Practice is not enough, you need to improve. Doing the same thing over and over again won’t help you unless you improve.
• Seek feedback. Without feedback it’s hard to determine if you improve.
• Don’t overdo it. Your brain can handle so much, straining it won’t do you any good.

So, stop reading this blog and start practicing!

P.S: Dee Barizo talks about another book Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. I haven’t read it but it looks very similar to Outliers. Fascinating.

As web designers we have the difficult task to make sure a website looks nice in all sorts of browsers.With the release of Internet Explorer 8, Google Chrome and Safari slightly but surely taking a bigger piece of the browser pie we have to check our creations in at least 6 different browsers (including Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox).

I’ve looked at four different ways to check websites in several browsers in order to find the holy grail of cross browser testing. I’ve researched four different options and found one option to be the best. Read on if you want to know whose the winner. (Please take note that I’m talking about cross browser checking on a Windows machine. Some information might still be valuable for Mac users though.)

1. Litmus

Litmus in a web application is which let you test a website by giving it the URL. It will return screenshots from up to 23 major browsers (including the six above)! So theoretically you can test your website in all major browsers. But the problem is you only get a screenshot. So you can’t test the interaction of drop down menu’s or forms, which is a big miss.

Pro

• Web based so no need to install something on your PC.
• Covers 23 different browsers.

Con

• Free version only allows testing on two browsers. (Else it will set you back for at least $24 a day or $49 a month)
• You only get to see screenshots so you can’t test any interaction.

2. Microsoft Expression Web SuperPreview

‘Wow, it’s got SUPER in the title so it HAS to be SUPER right?’. Not really. SuperPreview lets you view your website in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, and when installed, Internet Explorer 8. It has great features like overlaying the IE6 version over the IE7 version or you can place them side by side so it’s easier to track differences. But it also has great disadvantages. It’s not possible to click links or test interaction (drop down menu or forms) and there is no way to use tools such as the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar which make it easier to solve the problems. But the biggest problem is that the rendering engine isn’t working correctly! There were some major differences in the rendering with Superpreview compared to the rendering of a native Internet Explorer 7. Which renders (no pun intended) Superpreview useless. It’s still in a BETA stage so hopefully they can fix these problems, maybe then it would be a great app but for now it’s still lacking.

Pro

• It’s free (at least for now)
• Easy to track differences

Con

• Not easy to solve problems (no support for Internet Explorer Toolbar)
• Only displays Internet Explorer versions. No Firefox, Chrome or any other non-Microsoft product.
• Unable to test interactions such as drop down menu’s or forms.
• Rendering engine is seriously lacking.

3. IETester

lETester is a webbrowser which enables the user to open tabs using different Internet Explorer rendering engines. In the latest alpha version you can test websites with Internet Explorer 5.5, 6, 7 and 8! You can click links, use forms and test drop downs just like a normal website.  A great tool but the only thing lacking is the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar making it easier to track down and solve problems.

Pro

• Enables testing for Internet Explorer 5.5, 6, 7 and 8.
• It’s possbile to test interaction such as clicking links, filling out forms and functioning of drop down menus.

Con

• Not possible to use the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar.

4. The Answer: Using Virtual PCs

Virtual PC is an application developed by Microsoft. With Virtual PC you can simulate a virtual desktop PC with a Windows operating system of your choosing. Using Virtual Hard disks you can create different PCs with different browsers.  So for example you can create a Virtual PC running Internet Explorer 6, Chrome and Safari (for Windows). Another Virtual PC can run on Internet Explorer 7 and another can be used for testing Internet Explorer 8.  Testing in an environment which is an exact copy of the environment of the user is a big plus! You can test all the interaction and use the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar to iron out those last bugs. Setting everything up can be a hassle but it’s worth it.

Pro

• Testing browser in the same environment as the user.
• It’s possbile to test interaction such as clicking links, filling out forms and functioning of drop down menus.
• The ability to use the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar.

Con

• It’s a hassle to set up.
• You have to maintain the Virtual Hard Disks as they tend to expire after a certain date.

As you can see testing for different browser can be a bitch but in a way you get a great sense of achievement when your website is running smoothly in all those different browsers. Do you have a better way to test websites in different browsers? Let me know!

As a web designer you’ve probably been in a situation where a client has an idea about his or her website but you, as a web designer, know this idea will end up in a train wreck. Some examples:

• “Our brochure has the logo on the bottom so it has to be the same on our website!”
• “Our corporate colours are green, brown, yellow, purple and red. Could you please put them in as a background?”
• “We want a 15 minute long flash animation in front of our website. No need for a skip button, people will love this animation!”

But don’t blame the client just because he or she is lacking the experience! You are the web designer so you have to warn your client. If you don’t mention it, because you think client is always king, you will end up with a dissatisfied client. The project turns out to be a disaster and nobody warned him or her. And guess who gets the blame.

Here are 5 things you can do when you happen to be in this situation:

1. Tell your client that you’ve designed hundreds of websites and that his idea is rather unusual and that your advice as a designer is to drop it.
2. Show your client studies which show that the idea he or she is having is not working in the world wide web. (I know he is an internet dinosaur but Jakob Nielsen has done some great studies which help convincing your client)
3. Go along and tell the client that the idea is unusual but would make for a great experiment. Make amends and tell them to test it at home with his or her friends and family to see if it works.
4. Be blunt and tell the client it’s a bad idea. You understand that the client is king but making these changes and putting it all back when it doesn’t work will cost them a lot of extra money.
5. If you are really against the idea you can always refuse to make the changes. Tell the client you don’t want to make the changes because in the end it will make your client and you unhappy. You give the client all the project files so he or she can go to another web designer and you keep the good relationship with the client.

Have you been in this situation and have another tip? Please share!

I used to hate ‘the deadline’. ‘Nobody can ask me to deliver on a schedule. I’m working on art here, you can’t rush art!’ But I’ve started to love the deadline, because it’s the only thing preventing me from working myself to death. Let me explain.

When someone is on a job interview and they are asked what there specialities are they will almost always answer: ‘I’m a perfectionist’. Trying to do your best is great. But being a perfectionist is a great disadvantage. Perfectionists have the tendency to miss deadlines because they want to deliver perfect work. You did good when you get your deadlines with OK work. You’re doing really bad when you miss every deadline with perfect work. That’s why I learned to love the deadline. It gives me the opportunity to stop worrying about the quality of my work. It doesn’t always get better when I have more time.

So stop being a perfectionist and start delivering.

Designing seems like a gift. To be able to create beautiful things on will almost seems magical. Time after time we, as web designers, are asked to deliver our best work on a very tight schedule. And every time I stare at the blank photoshop canvas I start worrying if I can pull it off this time. I don’t know where it comes from, this ability to make designs which please the clients time after time. And I’m worried that one day I will wake up and that it this gift will be gone. Just as easily as it came. I didn’t study design, I didn’t go to Art school… I just started designing.

And even when I have ‘completed’ the design it’s still a gamble if the client likes it. I’m never sure. Of course I do my best to follow the brief as closely as possible. But is it enough? Maybe I misunderstood the client? And then the moment comes. I have to present my design to the client. My heart is pounding, my hands are sweaty. I start talking and then… I show it. And the first look, that first facial expression of the client always makes me think that they hate it. But 99 out of 100 times they actually like it. It may need some tweaking or some copy is wrong but overall they are very pleased. I’m relieved, happy, high five my boss. And then it starts all over again… staring at that blank photoshop canvas, stressing out.

In Grinding it Out, Ray Kroc tells the story how he build the McDonalds Empire. It is fascinating to read how he, at the age of 52, came across a fast food Drive in and made it into the fast food chain in the world. The McDonalds brothers had a smooth running fast food operation but they weren’t looking for any franchising. They were just happy with this one Drive in. Kroc per sued them to go big and from that moment the success story starts. What I found fascinating about this story:

• The age of Kroc. He was relatively old (52) to start something new but his energy and drive is really motivating.
• That said, his arrogance can be annoying sometimes. In the book he doesn’t elaborate on any mistakes. He is always right. He claims that it isn’t interesting to read about his mistakes but I would say you can learn a lot by mistakes.
• The book was published when Kroc was still alive (1977) and McDonalds didn’t even expand international yet! Little did Kroc know at the time that it would be much bigger now.
• It’s funny to read how he sees McDonalds also as support for the community. But lately it only helps people eating themselves to dead. Once it was an example of a great American product. Now it’s associated with bad and unhealthy food.

All in all it’s a nice read but I would like to have seen more about the standardizing process. How he took this one McDonalds restaurant and changed the operation so it can be easily be copied by other McDonalds restaurants. There is some of that in this book, but not nearly enough. One downside, my McDonalds cravings were really kicking up reading this book but so far I have restrained myself. It is after all, bad food.

I promised to update on my niche experiment Android Magazine as soon as Android would become available in the Netherlands. Well, yesterday they announced the Dutch launch date and prices of the G1 mobile telephone with Android in Hamburg. And I was invited. Another perk I got thanks to my niche experiment.

The trip
We (4 journalists, 2 T-Mobile employees and me) flew from Amsterdam (Schiphol) to Hamburg Monday morning. At the airport we were picked up with a van and we were brought to our 5 star hotel. We had lunch and at 3 o’ clock the big press conference would start. A few minutes before it all would start we got a press map. The press map had all the information we needed, like the date the G1 would be available in Holland and the price plans rendering the press conference useless. I didn’t really get that but I posted up the information as soon as I could on Android Magazine via Twitter. After the press conference we went to a casual get together in Raven. The next morning we flew back with a KLM city hopper.

My experiment
As for my website, visitors count has increased but earnings are still about the same. They are slowly rising which is a good sign but it has to increase a lot more to become a steady income.

YouTube, Digg and Twitter. Three great websites with a massive following. But these websites all have one big problem: They don’t know how to make money. 2009 will be the year of the business model. These three services will have to to find a way to convert all their visitors and exposure into money. Because if they can’t make money than they are useless from a commercial point of view.

YouTube
Google, owner of Youtube, will have to cut it’s losses when YouTube keeps burning cash. So Google is likely to push the adwords idea through on YouTube. A sponsored video is likely to pop up on YouTube search results any time soon. We’re already seeing advertising in the actual video’s.

Digg
Digg is becoming a bottomless well. Digg has 22.6 million unique monthly visitors but last year they lost 2.6 million dollar. I’m very interreseted in the way Digg will try to earn money this year. They have a very though demographic (18-35 year old males) who are not really sensitive for banner advertising.

Twitter
Twitter has been booming the last year. It’s becoming mainstream and has a hard time keeping the service up and running because their servers can’t handle the load. And the infrastructure costs money. Lots of money. But don’t worry the godfather of Twitter, Evan Williams, said they have found a way to make money but he is keeping it a secret for now. Exciting. My guess is that they will start selling data. All those people are twittering about products and services, data which could be very useful for big corporations. It’s also an ideal way to find out what’s hot. If a lot of people start twittering about the same subject it’s bound to get hot.

As I said, 2009 has to be the year of the businnes model and making money, Else we might see some little bubbles burst again.