Articles

It's the people, not the platform

by Victoria Merriman

We at Digital Loom are finally going to take on the age-old question:  how do I choose an open-source CMS? But first, here’s what we’re NOT going to do.

We are not going to provide a point-by-point analysis of the merits and drawbacks of Drupal, Wordpress, Joomla, and Plone because other very smart people have already done so. You’d be wise to download Idealware's open-source CMS report before you do anything.

Quick & dirty usability testing: a case study

by Victoria Merriman

We’re web developers. We always thought of usability testing as something that one could only do in fancy labs with two-way mirrors and eye-tracking software. But a couple years ago, we were inspired to start incorporating usability testing into some of our projects after attending usability guru Christine Perfetti’s Usability Bootcamp.

Is our developer being passive-aggressive?

by Victoria Merriman

A client posed this very question to me over lunch as she described the difficulties she's had working with another technology vendor who was building a database for her small non-profit. "It's been so frustrating," she lamented. "I ask them to make a change to the database, and they'll make the change, but it has a negative impact in several other ways I didn't anticipate. When I complain, they say—" 

I couldn't resist finishing her sentence, having heard the answer more times than I care to recall: "We did exactly what you asked."

How to get the best work out of a web design shop: references, PowerPoint slides, notes

by Ben Di Maggio

We gave this talk in our office on June 20th. Many thanks to Dave Paek and Katie Stuart of YNPN Boston for arranging it, and to our attendees for making the trip and asking such thoughtful questions!

How collaborative development saves you time, money, and sanity

by Victoria Merriman

In our decades of collective experience making websites, we’ve seen a recurring pattern in the web development process that frustrates us and our clients, drags projects out beyond their launch date, and pushes budgets up. Our solution is something we call “Collaborative Development.”

Take donations on your website--the right way

by Ben Di Maggio

Just about every non-profit client we've ever had has asked for "online donations" to be included in their new website. It's an obvious thing to ask for—every year, more and more of your constituents do their giving online. If you've seen pages like, for example, The Project for School Innovation's support page, it looks pretty straightforward.

Don't click here

by Victoria Merriman

It's admittedly a minor point—but if you are at all responsible for writing content for the web, I'd like to make a case that removing the phrase “click here” from your writing can improve your visitor's experience, help them find information more quickly, and as a bonus, improve your search engine rankings.

To blog, or not to blog?

by Victoria Merriman

Often, as I find myself talking with a client about improvements and additions they'd like for their website, they suddenly switch to a tired, resigned, and slightly self-deprecating tone, and sigh, “I know we really need to have a blog. It's ridiculous that we don't have one by now, everybody else does.”

I am here to tell you: you might not need a blog. Yes, you heard me right. I am an industry professional telling you that creating and maintaining a blog may not be the best use of your precious time, energy, and expertise.