Recently at work I finally had the opportunity to try out Google Website Optimizer, which is an A/B and Multivariate testing tool. We wanted to test different creatives on a landing page to see which performed better. Before trying out the tool, I picked up a copy of Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions, which gives a great overview of how to setup and manage testing and optimization.
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After 2 months of hard-work, we just launched the new and much improved HMSDesign.com. The client being a design/packaging agency provided the design and I built a fully functional CMS backend and front-end with jQuery to allow the client to update their website without the need for a Web Designer/Developer.

Take a look when you get a chance, Im very happy.

For anyone looking for a nice and easy way to create an iPhone redirection script, check out this tutorial. I found this site because I was looking for a nice .htpasswd generator to setup a username/password list for a site directory that I setup. This site has a lot of nice tools and is definitely a bookmark of mine now.

This tutorial has come out of necessity for a homepage featured product slider, I had tried quite a few different tutorials but never achieved what I was looking for. Magento is a great open-source ecommerce package, but Im a little surprised that featured products isn’t a feature built-in. Hopefully this tutorial will help. Help support open source!
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I feel like I have been waiting for support for @font-face for years now. How many times have you had to make an image because a client wanted a specific type-face or have you had to limit your sites to Arial, Georgia, Verdana, and Times New Roman. Suffer no longer!

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[kaltura-widget wid="arl4m109np" width="260" height="260" type="dark" addPermission="-1" editPermission="-1" /]

I’m going to try something new, Screencasts! I have found Screen casts are a great way to train clients and its also a great way to share knowledge of things I have learned. This is my first screencast, so please bear with me!

I recently stumbled across YSlow and have been impressed ever since, check out the video or
Get YSlow for Firebug now.

If you are looking to send people to www.yourdomain.com, when they type in yourdomain.com then you can use mod rewrite in Apache to get this done for you.

Use the code below in your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^yourdomain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.yourdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]


CSS Grid Frameworks such as Blueprint and 960 Grid System have been getting more popular. I recently download a wordpress theme that was built with 960gs and I was delighted with how easy it was to use. I’ve always been a huge fan of building my own css, but being organized and separating the stylesheets by text, layout, forms, etc. I have looked at some other frameworks, but these two seem like the only ones I would use because of their simplicity and the community around them.

Why should I use a framework?
Do you feel like you spend a good amount of time designing, then an equal amount of time coding those designs? With frameworks, you can cut your coding time down by half. Why half? With a framework, you can knock out the basic layout using a grid system which is cross-browser compatible (ie6, ie7, FF, Safari, Chrome) and then focus on your custom style sheet.

How to use a framework?
The first time I used Blueprint, I started using it after I had designed my page – I was essentially retro-fitting Blueprint to my design. I would not recommend using Blueprint in this way, I felt restricted and was annoyed with Blueprint. I ended up making it work, but wasn’t ultimately happy. The best way to use a framework is from the beginning, before you start designing setup your grid – it makes a world of difference! Blueprint has some great resources for setting up grids for use in Photoshop and Illustrator.

When to use a framework?
Anytime! I have been using the 960gs framework for landing pages because of its small footprint (3.6kb) and quick ability to get up and running. I love the confidence of knowing the layout will work cross-browser, so it allows me to get my designs up and running fast (very important! in web).

Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at both of these frameworks and a redesign of this blog using Blueprint!