Eureka!

Over the past several years I have been involved in all aspects of web publishing, both from the design end, as well as the development and database sides. Over time I have recognized methodologies and standards (best practices) that will provide a higher level of functionality, easier maintenance, and cleaner design.

However, there is often a tug-of-war that I have always experienced, where ever I have worked, between design and functionality. Often times the designers are married to their ideas and layout, not realizing that they are compromising functionality, versatility, and extendibility.

My goal with this series of articles on web best practices is to codify a set of best practices that will allow for both maximum functionality, as well as a maximum level of design control. Over the next few weeks I will be writing articles on the various elements of a web page and how best practices can be applied to them. These include (but not limited to) the following:

• The Web Page
• Layout
• Design
• Functionality
• Server- & Client-Side
• Content
• Navigation
• Menus & Trees
• Headers
• Text
• Links
• Tables
• Charts
• Pagination
• Tabs
• Web Forms
• Validation
• Radio Buttons
• Check Boxes
• Text Boxes (and Areas)
• List Boxes
• Select Lists
• Buttons (Text, Image, Submit, Reset)
• Labels
• Dates & Times

Once all these best practices (more will be added should the need arise) are spelled out, one should have a clear set of standards that both design and development teams can adhere to. It should provide an agreeable set of rules, a common link that ensures that both design is not limited by technical constraints, as well as functionality not diminished through design constraints.

Why perilous? Because of the “war” between design and development. If designers had their way, they would control every detail without regard to functionality. Every designer I have met has always wanted to revert back to styling principles used in print. My goal is to show why this is not feasible, nor desirable with web sites, and why a more principled and best practice approach will provide a more appealing design.

While there are countless of extremely well-written and applicable best practice documents available, these all apply in their own right. However, my goal is to develop a comprehensive set of guidelines that will be universally applicable for all aspects of web development: a codified set of principles that will ensure that my web application is the best it can be at all times.

Each Best Practice article will contain the following sections of discussion:

1. Overview
2. Design Requirements
3. Development Requirements
4. Resulting Best Practice
5. Benefits
6. Drawbacks
7. Thoughts
8. Bibliography
9. Other Resources

As each article is published it will also be added to a master document that will be available for download from this article. Additionally, I will update the listing of best practice discussions above to link to the respective articles as they are completed. As I post each article, I will gather and evaluate comments and feedback, as well as my personal thoughts, in the second-to-last section (7) of each article to provide a reference point with common concerns.