A LIST Apart: For People Who Make Websites

No. 302

Authors: G: Aaron Gustafson

Aaron Gustafson

ALA technical editor Aaron Gustafson is the founder and principal consultant at Easy Designs, a web development boutique. He writes and speaks often on the various layers of the web standards cake, and works to improve the usability and accessibility of the web.

Articles By This Author

Progressive Enhancement with JavaScript

Issue 271November 4, 2008

Our introductory series on progressive enhancement and the ways it can be implemented concludes with a look at the mindset needed to implement PE in JavaScript, and a survey of best practices for doing so.

Progressive Enhancement with CSS

Issue 270October 21, 2008

Organize multiple style sheets to simplify the creation of environmentally appropriate visual experiences. Support older browsers while keeping your CSS hack-free. Use generated content to provide visual enhancements, and seize the power of advanced selectors to create wondrous (or amusing) effects. Part two of a series.

Understanding Progressive Enhancement

Issue 269October 7, 2008

Steven Champeon turned web development upside down, and created an instant best practice of standards-based design, when he introduced the notion of designing for content and experience instead of browsers. In part one of a series, ALA’s Gustafson refreshes us on the principles of progressive enhancement. Upcoming installments will translate the philosophy into sophisticated, future-focused design and code.

Beyond DOCTYPE: Web Standards, Forward Compatibility, and IE8

Issue 251January 21, 2008

For seven years, the @DOCTYPE@ switch has stood designers and developers in good stead as a toggle between standards mode and quirks mode. But when IE7, with its greatly improved support for standards, "broke the web," it revealed the flaw in our toggle. The quest was on to find a more reliable ensurer of forward compatibility. Is version targeting the answer?

If I Told You You Had a Beautiful Figure…

Issue 246September 25, 2007

Laying out images consistently within a design is difficult, especially when you hand the keys over to someone else to fill in the content. ALA Staffer Aaron Gustafson demonstrates how a little clever JavaScript goes a long way toward resolving inconsistencies in image layout.

Ruining the User Experience

Issue 234March 27, 2007

Anticipating your users' needs is the key to making a good impression; it's the little things that matter most. ALA technical editor Aaron Gustafson explains why progressive enhancement means good service.

Getting Started with Ajax

Issue 213March 7, 2006

In this excerpt from O'Reilly's Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition, ALA's production editor would like to take you aside for a little chat about the birds and the bees. Or maybe about Ajax.

Let Them Eat Cake

Issue 177April 16, 2004

A growing debate pits accessibility against usability. From our point of view, it’s like pitting peanut butter against jelly. This article helps you create a page that is both usable and accessible, saving readers the trouble of scrolling with a little help from JavaScript and the Document Object Model.

Improving Link Display for Print

Issue 203September 19, 2005

Some time ago, Eric Meyer showed you how to add URIs to the printed version of your pages using print styles. Sometimes, though, too many inline URIs can make pages hard to read. Aaron Gustafson comes to the rescue with a JavaScript add-on that'll have you loving your linkage again.