Three Approaches To Amplify Your Design Projects

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Original Source: https://smashingmagazine.com/2024/12/three-approaches-amplify-design-projects/

What makes an incredible project? Is it the client? The type of project? An exorbitant budget? While those things help to create the environment in which a great project can thrive, what truly makes a project something powerful is you.

No, this isn’t some pep talk on why you are the ultimate weapon — but yes, you are if you want to be. I am simply a web and product designer writing down my observations in order to give others the tools to make their project experiences all the better for it.

Still with me? Let me tell you about what I’ve discovered over the years working as an agency designer.

There are three approaches that have completely changed the way my projects run from start to finish. I have found that since implementing all three, my work and my interactions with clients and coworkers have blossomed. Here they are:

Unlearn previous experiences through Reframing.
Tap into your background with Connection Paths.
Take up your own space. Period.

In this article, you will find explanations of each approach and connected practical examples — as well as real-life ones from my project work at Fueled + 10up — to show you how they can be applied to projects. With that said, let’s dive in.

Approach 1: Unlearn Previous Experiences Through Reframing

While some of the things that we have learned over the years spent in design are invaluable, amidst those previous experiences, there are also the ones that hold us back.

Unlearning ingrained lessons is not an easy thing to do. Rather, I challenge you to reframe them and get into the habit of asking yourself, “Am I stopping short creatively because I have always gone this far?” or “Am I associating an implied response from others due to a previous experience and therefore not doing enough for the project?”

Let me give you some examples of thoughts that may arise on a given project and how you can reframe them in a better way.

Initial Thought
“I’ve designed cards thousands of times. Therefore, there are only so many ways you can do it.”

As you know, in 99.9% of website design projects, a card design is required. It may seem that every possible design ever imagined has been created up to this point — a fair reasoning, isn’t it? However, stifling yourself from the very get-go with this mentality will only serve to produce expected and too-well-known results.

Reframed Thought

Instead, you could approach this scenario with the following reframed thought:

“I’ve designed cards thousands of times, so let me take what I’ve learned, do some more exploration, and iterate on what could push these cards further for this particular project.”

With this new outlook, you may find yourself digging deeper to pull on creative threads, inevitably resulting in adaptive thinking. A good exercise to promote this is the Crazy 8’s design exercise. In this format, you can pull forth rapid ideas — some good, some not so good — and see what sticks. This method is meant to get your brain working through a simple solution by tackling it from multiple angles.

Real-Life Example

Here is a real-life example from one of my projects in which I had to explore cards on a deeper level. This client’s website was primarily made up of cards of varying content and complexity. In the initial stages of design, I worked to define how we could differentiate cards, with prominence in size, imagery, and color, as well as motion and hover effects.

What I landed on was a flexible system that had three tiers and harmonized well together. Knowing they had content that they wanted to be highlighted in a distinctive way, I created a Featured Card and tied it to the brand identity with the cutout shape in the image masking. I also included the glass effect on top to allude to the brand’s science background and ensure the text was accessible. For the Stacked Card, I introduced a unique hover effect pattern: depending on where the card was in a given grid, it would determine the card’s hover color. Lastly, for the Horizontal Card, I wanted to create something that had equal emphasis on the image and content and that could also stand alone well, even without an image.

While these cards include what most cards usually do, the approach I took and the visual language used was unique to the client. Instead of working on these too quickly, I ventured down a different path that took a little more thought, which led me to a result that felt in tune with the client’s needs. It also pushed me outside of what I knew to be the standard, straightforward approach.

Initial Thought
“Fast is better. Clients and project teams want me to be fast, so it’s okay if I cut down on exploration.”

In most projects, speed is indeed rewarded. It keeps the project within its budget constraints, the project managers are happy, and ultimately, the clients are happy, too. However, what it can end up doing instead is generating errors in the process and hindering design exploration.

Reframed Thought

In this scenario, you can reframe this like so:

“I like to work fast because I want the team to be successful. In addition, I want to make sure I have not only produced high-quality work but also explored whether this is the best and most creative solution for the project.”

With this new outlook, you are still looking out for what clients and project teams want (successful outcomes), but you have also enriched the experience by fully executing your design expertise rather than just churning out work.

One recommendation here is to always ensure you are communicating with your project team about the budget and timelines. Keeping yourself aware of these key goals will allow you to pace when to push for more exploration and when to dial it in.

Real-Life Example

I experienced this on a project of mine when a client’s piece of feedback seemed clear-cut, but as we entered a third round of design surrounding it, it revealed that it was much more complicated.

The client, Cleveland Public Library, had approved a set of wireframes for their homepage that illustrated a very content-heavy hero, but when it came to the design phase, they were delighted by a simpler, more bold design for a block that I created in my preliminary design explorations. At first, I thought it was obvious: let’s just give them a dialed-in, simple hero design and be done with it. I knew the hours were precious on this project, and I wanted to save time for later on as we got into the finer design details of the pages. However, this was an error on my part.

After taking a step back and removing speed as a key factor during this phase of the project, I found the solution they actually needed: a content-heavy hero showcasing the breadth of their offerings, melded with the boldness of the more pared-down design. And guess what? This variant was approved instantly!

Now that I have shown you two examples of how to unlearn previous experiences, I hope you can see the value of reframing those moments in order to tap into a more uninhibited and unexplored creative path. Of course, you should expect that it will take several implementations to start feeling the shift towards inherent thinking — even I need to remind myself to pause and reframe, like in the last example. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say!

Try This

I challenge you to identify a few moments on a recent project where you could have paused, reflected, and used more creativity. What would you have done differently?

Approach 2: Tap Into Your Background With Connection Paths

I know I just talked about unlearning some of our previous experiences to unlock creativity, but what about the ones we may want to tap into to push us even further? Every designer has an array of passions, memories, and experiences that have culminated into what makes us who we are today. We often have a work self — professional and poised, and a personal self — exploding with hobbies. How can we take those unique facets of our personalities and apply them to our projects?

Creating connections with projects and clients on a deeper level is a major way to make use of our personal experiences and knowledge. It can help to add inspiration where you otherwise may not have found that same spark on a project or subject matter.

Let me walk you through what I like to call the Three Connection Paths. I’ll also show you how you can pull from these and apply them to your projects.

Direct Path

This connection path is one in which you have overlapping interests with the client or subject matter.

An example of this is a client from the video game industry, and you play their video games. Seems like an obvious connection! You can bring in your knowledge and love for the game industry and their work. You could propose easter eggs and tie-ins to their games on their website. It’s a match made in heaven.

Cross Path

This connection path is one in which you cross at a singular point with the client or subject matter.

An example of this is a client, which is a major restaurant chain, and you used to work in the food industry. With your background, you understand what it is like to work at a restaurant, so you might suggest what CTA’s or fun graphics would be important for a staff-centric site.

Network Path

This connection path is one in which you are tethered to the client or subject matter through who you know.

An example of this is a client in the engineering field, and one of your family members is an engineer. You can then ask your family members for insights or what would be a good user experience for them on a redesigned website.

Sometimes, you won’t be so lucky as to align with a client in one of the Three Connection Paths, but you can still find ways to add a layered experience through other means, such as your skillset and research. In the last example, say you know nothing about engineering nor have a connection to someone who does, but you are an excellent copy editor outside of work. You can propose tweaking the verbiage on their hero section to emphasize their goals all the more. This shows care and thoughtfulness, giving the client an experience they are sure to appreciate.

Real-Life Example

A real-life example in which I implemented a Direct Connection Path on a project was for Comics Kingdom’s website redesign. When I was younger, I wanted to be a manga creator, so this client being an intermediary between comic readers and creators resonated with me. Not only that, but I still practice illustration, so I knew I had to bring this skill set to the table, even though it was not part of the original scope of work.

I allowed myself to lean into that spark I felt. I hand-sketched a few illustrations in Procreate for their website that felt personal and tied to the joy that comics evoke. Beyond that, I found a way to incorporate my knowledge of manga into a background pattern that pulled inspiration from nawa-ami (a traditional cross-hatching style to denote deep thought) and mixed it with the motif of fingerprints — the idea of identity and the artist’s own mark on their work.

Due to my deep passion, I was able to cultivate an excellent collaborative relationship with the client, which led to a very successful launch and being invited to speak on their podcast. This experience solidified my belief that through tapping into Connection Paths, you can forge not only amazing projects but also partnerships.

Try This

Look at what projects you currently have and see which of the Three Connection Paths you could use to build that bond with the client or the subject matter. If you don’t see one of the Three Connection Paths aligning, then what skills or research could you bring to the table instead?

Approach 3: Take Up Your Own Space

The last — and arguably most important — approach to leveling up your projects is taking up your own space. I’m not referring to physical space like strong-arming those around you. What I’m referring to is the space in which designers take to be vocal about their design decisions.

A lot of designers find this practice uncomfortable. Whether it stems from having not been given that space to practice as a beginner designer, higher ranking designers not leaving the room for those less vocal, or even you yourself feeling like someone else might be better suited to talk to a particular point.

Don’t Retreat

Similarly, some designers find themselves retreating when receiving feedback. Instead of standing behind the reasoning of their designs or asking follow-up questions, it seems easier to simply go along with the requested change in order to make the client or team member providing the feedback happy. Even if you disagree with the request, does it feel like you need to execute it just because the client — or someone you feel outranks you — told you to?

You Are The Expert

There is another option, one in which you can mark yourself as the design expert you are and get comfortable in the discomfort.

Saying you don’t agree and explaining why helps solidify you as a strong decision-maker and confident designer. Tying it back to why you made the decision in the first place is key.

Illuminating your opinions and reasoning in conversations is what will get those around you to trust in your decisions. Hiding them away or conceding to client whims isn’t going to show those around you that you have the knowledge to make the proper recommendations for a project.

The Middle Ground

Now, I’m not saying that you will need to always disagree with the provided feedback to show that you have a backbone. Far from it. I think there is a time and place for when you need to lean into your expertise, and a time and place for when you need to find a middle ground and/or collaborate. Collaborating with coworkers and clients lets them peek into the “why” behind the design decisions being made.

Example

A great example of this is a client questioning you on a particular font size, saying it feels too large and out of place.

You have two options:

You could say that you will make it smaller.
Or you could dig deeper.

If you have been paying attention thus far, you’d know that option 2. is the route I would suggest. So, instead of just changing the font size, you should ask for specifics. For example, is the type hierarchy feeling off — the relationship of that heading to the body font it is paired with? You can ask if the size feels large in other instances since perhaps this is your H2 font, so it would need to be changed across the board. Calling attention to why you chose this size using data-informed UX design, accessibility, brand, or storytelling reasons all amplify your decision-making skills before the client, so including that information here helps.

If, after the discussion, the client still wants to go with changing the font size, at least you have given your reasoning and shown that you didn’t thoughtlessly make a decision — you made the design choice after taking into consideration multiple factors and putting in a lot of thought. Over time, this will build trust in you as the design expert on projects.

Real-Life Example

An example in which I showcased taking up my own space was from a recent project I worked on for Hilton Stories in their collaboration with Wicked. After conceptualizing a grand takeover experience complete with a storytelling undertone, one of the clients wanted to remove the page-loading animation with the idea of having more branded elements elsewhere.

While most of my team was ready to execute this, I read between the lines and realized that we could solve the issue by including clear verbiage of the collaboration on the loading animation as well as adding logos and a video spot to the interior pages. By sticking up for a key piece of my designs, I was able to show that I was aligned with not only my design decisions but the major goals of the project. This solution made the clients happy and allowed for a successful launch with the loading animation that the Fueled + 10up team and I worked so hard on.

Try This

The next time you receive feedback, pause for a moment. Take in carefully what is being said and ask questions before responding. Analyze if it makes sense to go against the design decisions you made. If it doesn’t, tell the client why. Have that open dialogue and see where you land. This will be uncomfortable at first, but over time, it will get easier.

Remember, you made your decisions for a reason. Now is the time to back up your design work and ultimately back up yourself and your decisions. So, take up your own space unapologetically.

Conclusion

Now that you have learned all about the three approaches, there is nothing stopping you from trialing these on your next project. From unlearning previous experiences through Reframing to tapping into your background with Connection Paths, you can lay the groundwork for how your past can be used to shape your future interactions. When taking up your own space, start small as you begin to advocate for your designs, and always try to connect to the “whys” so you instill trust in your clients and members of your design team.

As Robin Williams so eloquently delivered in the Dead Poets Society, “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” In this case, you don’t need to apply it so widely as the entire world, maybe just to your workplace for now.

Sticker Mule Stores Review: Simplifying Custom Merch Sales

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Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/sticker-mule-stores-review

If you hadn’t noticed, print on demand is a pretty big deal these days. I’ve been raving about the simplicity and potential of the POD business model for years now, but it seems like I’m not alone.

Already, analysts say that by 2031, the POD market will be worth around $45.6 billion.

Sticker Mule Stores is a relatively new addition to the print on demand space, focused specifically on empowering content creators, influencers, and brands with a straightforward way to sell custom merch.

The question is, should you be using this tool to sell your own custom merch?

Since I love testing out new print on demand platforms and tools, I decided to put the Sticker Mule Stores solution to the test, to bring you this hands-on review, and help you make the right choice.

Quick Verdict: Pros and Cons

Overall, Sticker Mule Stores definitely delivers on the promise of giving merchants an easy way to sell custom merch online.

Just like any print on demand provider, it handles all of the headaches of packaging, and shipping goods to customers for you.

Plus, you don’t even need your own ecommerce platform or marketplace storefront to take advantage.

Anyone can create a “Store” and showcase their goods to the community on Sticker Mule’s online marketplace.

Alternatively, you can share a direct link to your store with customers across social media and messaging channels.

The trouble is, so far, the platform doesn’t offer much scope for scalability. You can’t integrate your store with other sales channels, for instance.

Plus, there are limitations to how many products you can actually sell. As the company’s name might suggest, StickerMule mostly offers access to basic products like Stickers, labels, badges and magnets.

However, it does offer some unique extras, like custom packaging, and temporary tattoos.

Pros 👍
Cons 👎

Pros 👍

Interesting range of unique product options
Excellent reputation for product quality
Easy Store setup and management
Straightforward and fast fulfillment
Brilliant collection of design tools
No initial setup costs

Cons 👎

Slightly limited number of products
No integrations for standard sales channels
Basic branding options for “Stores”
Lots of competition on the marketplace

What is Sticker Mule Stores? An Overview

Sticker Mule Stores is a new offering in the “merch on demand” space, introduced by the POD company, Sticker Mule in November 2024.

Although Sticker Mule has allowed companies to buy and sell custom products since 2010, the Stores solution is brand-new.

It’s essentially a full-service solution for brands, creators, and influencers who want to create and sell custom merchandise, directly from an existing marketplace.

With this solution, creators can customize various print-on-demand products, like stickers, t-shirts, and buttons, add them to a custom “storefront” on the Sticker Mule website, and promote them across social channels.

Whenever a customer purchases one of the custom products available on a “Sticker Mule Store”, the Sticker Mule team produces, packages, and ships the item to the buyer.

That means you get a way to earn profits without dealing with the headaches of fulfillment.

It’s a lot like the experience you’d get from a competitor like Spring (previously TeeSpring) or Redbubble. However, Sticker Mule has some unique advantages to offer creators that other platforms lack.

First of all, the brand has a fantastic reputation for consistent product quality (that definitely isn’t the case for companies like Redbubble).

Plus, aside from allowing companies to earn profits directly from the products they sell, Sticker Mule Stores gives creators a 10% commission when customers purchase products for up to one year after the initial referral.

Already, dozens of high-profile figures, including Mike Tyson, or Henry Cejudo have built their own Sticker Mule Stores, and nearly 15,000 other creators have joined in the last few months too.

Sticker Mule Stores Review: The Core Features

Creating a Sticker Mule Store isn’t the same as launching a business with an ecommerce platform, or even a marketplace like Etsy.

There aren’t a huge number of advanced features to explore. You can’t, for instance, create an entire ecommerce site complete with a blog and a unique domain name.

However, the solution does give creators all of the tools they need to create unique products, and get them shipped directly to customers in regions worldwide.

Here’s a quick run-down of the key features that make Sticker Mule Stores stand out.

The Sticker Mule Storefronts

The “Storefront Builder” you get with a Sticker Mule Store is pretty straightforward. It basically allows you to create a single page website, complete with a profile picture, a banner, and a specific name and @tag.

On that page, you can share a bio, links to your social media pages, and list all of the products you want to sell through the platform.

On a broad scale, the storefronts you can create with Sticker Mule are similar to the one-page sites you can design with tools like Printify’s “Pop-up Store” tool. However, they do look and feel a little more “social media” in style.

For instance, customers can choose to “Follow” a specific store on the Sticker Mule website, and even see how many followers creators already have (and how many people they’re following).

Plus, there’s the option for customers to “like” listed products too. The store experience feels a lot more interactive than those offered by most POD marketplaces.

Sticker Mule Product Variety and Quality

As I mentioned above, Sticker Mule doesn’t offer as many products as some alternatives (like Printify for instance).

However, it does give creators quite a few unique products that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

For instance, alongside the basics, such as labels, stickers, magnets, badges, and t-shirts, you can create options like:

Acrylic charms, keychains and pins

Wall or floor graphics

Temporary tattoos

Custom posters and flyers

White label hot sauce

I couldn’t find any information on the exact printing methods that Sticker Mule uses on the website, but they do offer high-quality, full color prints.

From a quality perspective, almost all of the reviews I’ve read about Sticker Mule products are very positive.

Countless customers rave about how durable and comfortable the t-shirts are, as well as how crisp the prints look on virtually every type of product.

If you’re looking for consistently incredible quality, Sticker Mule seems to go above and beyond virtually every other POD marketplace.

Customization and Design Tools

Customizing your products on Sticker Mule Stores is very straightforward. All you need to do is log into your account, and click on the “Studio” tab to start creating products.

There are hundreds of pre-made templates and art options to choose from, if you want to customize an existing design – saving you a lot of time on the creative process.

However, you can also choose to upload your own images and create a custom design from scratch.

Sticker Mule’s drag-and-drop editor is very user-friendly, and it takes no time to browse through available graphics and template.

Plus, unlike some alternatives, Sticker Mule allows companies to create full brand kits they can upload and share with colleagues.

There are also numerous unique design tools you can access for free through Sticker Mule’s website. For instance, the “Trace” tool allows you to remove backgrounds from any image in an instant, with no design knowledge.

There’s an “Upscale” tool, which immediately enhances the quality of your image, turning low-resolution art and photos into HD images with AI.

Plus, there’s a vectorizer, which can redraw any image and turn it into a high-quality graphic in seconds. However, you do need to pay for this feature (it costs about $14 per graphic).

Shipping and Business Management

Sticker Mule is one of the few print on demand marketplaces that has a truly fantastic “shipping” service. It doesn’t just handle fulfillment on the behalf of creators.

The “Ship” tool allows you to choose shipping companies to partner with based on pricing, or how quickly they can actually get products to your customers.

You can also access exclusive discounts, and track shipments in real-time from your Sticker Mule dashboard.

Beyond that, Sticker Mule gives every user a comprehensive dashboard, where they can track and manage orders in real-time, re-order products and samples directly with a couple of clicks, and even create their own referral campaigns, rewarding customers who send new products to their store.

Plus, there’s a fantastic “Commissions” section, where you can join Sticker Mule’s own referral product, and earn 10% on the purchases each referred customer makes for up to one year.

You’ll even be able to give your referred customers discounts, such as $10 off their first order.

Beyond all that, Sticker Mule allows you to customize the notifications you get about your orders, deals, and new discounts on the platform.

Plus, you can collect reviews on the platform too, which makes it easy to generate social proof for your marketing campaigns.

Sticker Mule Stores: Pricing and Fees

Like most print on demand marketplaces and platforms, Sticker Mule doesn’t charge creators anything to get started with the platform.

Anyone can sign up for free, create a store, and start promoting and selling products without any monthly subscription costs.

All you need to pay for is the base cost of the products themselves, which are pretty affordable. For instance, a sticker will cost you around $7 for 10.

You can even access volume discounts when you buy products in bulk directly from the platform. Plus, Sticker Mule offers free delivery for most countries, particularly for customers who buy in bulk.

That gives you a brilliant way to potentially increase conversions, by keeping costs low for your customers.

Notably though, there are “additional fees” for some services. For instance, you’ll need to pay $14 per image to vectorize graphics (as mentioned above).

On top of that, you might need to account for fees for things like marketing and using your own design tools.

Ease of Use and Customer Support

I’ve already noted throughout this review that I think Sticker Mule Stores is incredibly easy to use. It really doesn’t take any time to create your account and start designing custom products.

Every part of the platform is streamlined, clean, and intuitive, from the home dashboard to the design tools.

Even if you have absolutely no experience running your own store, you’ll be able to handle everything with ease on Sticker Mule.

If you do have any issues, the website comes with a huge help center, packed with FAQs and guides about every type of product you can sell, and every feature on the platform.

The biggest downside I could see, from a customer support perspective, is you really only have the option to get in touch with the team via email.

There’s no live chat option or ability to call the team directly, since phone support was discontinued in 2013, the rationale was explained here.

Sticker Mule Stores Review: The Verdict

Usually, I advise most creators to avoid “marketplace” style solutions for print on demand, simply because it’s hard for them to make their brand stand out, and the structure of these platforms makes it harder to scale your business.

Sticker Mule does suffer from those downsides to a certain extent, but it has a lot of unique features and capabilities that other marketplaces don’t offer.

I can definitely see why so many major creators have flocked to this platform in a short space of time.

With its cutting-edge design tools, range of unique product options, and fantastic backend environment, Sticker Mule Stores definitely stands out from the crowd.

If you’re looking for an easy way to set up a store and start selling products with virtually no upfront costs, Sticker Mule is excellent.

The post Sticker Mule Stores Review: Simplifying Custom Merch Sales appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

Developer Guide: How to Implement Passkeys

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Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/developers-guide-to-implementing-passkeys/?utm_source=rss

Read Developer Guide: How to Implement Passkeys and learn Web with SitePoint. Our web development and design tutorials, courses, and books will teach you HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Python, and more.

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Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication

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Original Source: https://abduzeedo.com/bold-branding-bull-advisors-vision-sophistication

Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication
Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication

abduzeedo1216—24

Explore Bull Advisors’ new branding—crafted to embody bold vision and approachable professionalism in financial consultancy.

Bull Advisors, a boutique consultancy born in Uruguay, stands out with a mission to empower companies through tailored financial and strategic solutions. As they grew, so did their need for a refreshed identity—one that mirrors their innovative mindset and commitment to accessibility. This evolution inspired a rebrand led by Martín Corbo and his creative team.

The Challenge: Sophistication Meets Approachability

Positioning Bull Advisors as a leader in financial consultancy required a balance between boldness and approachability. The new brand had to resonate with businesses of all sizes, signaling world-class expertise without alienating smaller enterprises. This vision demanded design elements that were both sleek and inviting.

Design Execution: A Refined Visual Language

At the core of the rebrand was a sleek logotype, developed by Julieta Poyet, complemented by a clean and intuitive landing page. This digital overhaul was more than a facelift; it was a rethinking of how Bull Advisors communicates their expertise. Every design choice—color palette, typography, and layout—was meticulously crafted to ensure clarity and confidence.

Photography played a vital role in humanizing the brand. Lu Lee’s visuals struck the perfect balance between professionalism and warmth, capturing the essence of Bull Advisors’ commitment to long-term partnerships. The imagery projects confidence without coming across as intimidating, aligning perfectly with the firm’s ethos.

Impact and Takeaway

Bull Advisors’ rebrand positions them to confidently “take the bull by the horns,” tackling complex challenges with a data-driven, innovative approach. The combination of sophisticated design and an approachable tone reflects their dedication to empowering businesses at every level.

The success of this rebrand isn’t just aesthetic; it’s a strategic alignment of Bull Advisors’ visual and operational identity. This project serves as a masterclass in branding for financial consultancies aiming to communicate accessibility without sacrificing prestige.

Discover more about the creative team behind this transformation: Martín Corbo and Julieta Poyet.

Credits

Creative Direction: Martín Corbo
Logotype:
Julieta Poyet

Design:
Martín Corbo, Julieta Poyet
Art Direction:
Martín Corbo
Photography:
Lu Lee

Branding and visual identity artifacts

Image from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on Abduzeedo Image from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on Abduzeedo Image from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on Abduzeedo Image from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on AbduzeedoImage from the Bold Branding for Bull Advisors: A Vision of Sophistication article on Abduzeedo

My Honest Moz Review for 2025

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Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/moz-review

If you’ve set up your eCommerce website, your focus should now be ensuring customers can find it. That starts with boosting your presence on Search Engines like Google. Unfortunately, rising to the top of the search engine rankings is tough. 

Setting up a website is easy enough – particularly these days. Navigating the ever-evolving world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is something else entirely. 

If you’re a budding entrepreneur like me, you’ll probably find yourself searching for an all-in-one SEO tool that’s also easy to understand. Y

ou’ll want something simple enough for a non-SEO-pro to master. But, at the same time, you’ll also need something scalable enough to evolve with you as your skills evolve. 

That’s precisely why I’m discussing Moz here. It’s my go-to tool for all my SEO needs. I’m not an SEO pro – just a basic SEO nerd, and Moz works for me.

It’s designed to be as user-friendly as possible, helping users with everything from tracking keywords to assessing backlinks and examining how well my website your website is doing. 

However, Moz isn’t just for absolute beginners. The platform constantly introduces new tools and features perfect for advanced users, too.

When you’re ready to dive into technical SEO tactics, establish authority with advanced link-building tactics, and tap into advanced performance metrics, Moz will continue to excel. 

Plus, since it offers access to tons of learning resources, you won’t have to worry about getting stuck along the way.

So let me discuss Moz in detail with you – what it is and what it can do for you.

What is Moz?

Moz is an SEO platform packed with tools to help you improve your search engine rankings. On a broad scale – it’s a solution for driving more traffic towards your website. But as a user, I think Moz is more than just an “SEO tool” – it’s a system that makes SEO less intimidating.

Moz is one of the few SEO software providers that prioritizes user experience. It doesn’t restrict its tools to people with a high degree of search engine, data analytics, and marketing knowledge. Moz makes SEO mastery accessible to anyone. 

Whether you’re an absolute beginner who fears being overwhelmed by too many metrics and raw data or an SEO pro, you can achieve incredible results with this tool without the headaches. 

That’s not to say that Moz isn’t a feature-rich platform or that it’s way more basic than other SEO tools. This platform is still packed with advanced features, and more are emerging all the time. You can use Moz for everything from domain analysis to competitive research, link building, and in-depth SERP tracking.

But Moz makes every aspect of the SEO journey feel easier to manage. For instance, Moz’s keyword research tool is one of the easiest options out there in my opinion – and it gives you tons of inspiration and insights.

The page analysis tool is incredibly intuitive too. It crawls your website and gives you information about your pages and how healthy they are.

Moz gives you the information and tools you need, without overwhelming you with overly technical and complicated elements.

Pros 👍
Cons 👎

Pros 👍

Detailed keyword insights with search volume
Accurate backlink analysis
Clean and simple interface
Regular algorithm updates that let you stay at the top with changing SEO trends
Free trial for 30 days

Cons 👎

Some features such as site crawl are slow
Inadequate metrics for seasoned SEO experts

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How I Tested Moz

I stumbled upon Moz about three years ago when I was looking for an SEO tool for my eCommerce website.

I checked some other tools as well (Semrush and Ahrefs, as mentioned earlier), but I felt the most comfortable with Moz.

I began with keyword analysis and it gave me a lot of good ideas to help me with my content. I could easily see how much each keyword is being searched so I could focus on the most important ones.

Next, I wanted to check my backlink performance. With Moz, I got a detailed breakdown of all the links that were pointing to my website.

I could also see their Domain Authority and spam score. That was a surprise for me. If you’re planning to use Moz, trust me, checking your website’s health is one thing you’ve got to do!

And of course, once I was done with both these features, the next step was to run a site crawl.

I let Moz crawl my website and show me how each page was performing. It showed me where I forgot to add meta descriptions and where I had broken links.

I didn’t even realize I had these errors. With a trusted SEO tool, you get to learn a lot about your own website and fix the issues that exist.

This boosts your site’s performance and it ranks high on Google and other search engines.

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How to Use Moz

I have been using Moz for a few years now but I’ll start from step 1 to show you how it’s done. For this example, I’m using a website I created as an experiment a few months ago.

Once you subscribe to Moz Pro, you’ll be asked to enter your website address so you can track its performance.

Let’s begin with that.

Step 1. Enter your website details.

Just enter the URL and name of your brand and click on Next.

Step 2. Set crawl limit

Select the number of pages you want Moz to crawl. This depends on the number of products you have on your eCommerce website. Select the number according to the size of your website.

Step 3. Measure traffic

Here you’ll need to link your Google Analytics with Moz. This step takes just a few seconds but you can also skip it in the beginning.

Step 4. Select search engines.

Here you can select the search engines, platforms, and location. This will show you how your website will perform on that search engine in the given region.

Step 5. Add keywords

Here you can enter the keywords related to your niche. For example, if you’re selling fashion accessories, you can enter keywords such as necklaces, earrings, hats, handbags, etc., and see what Moz returns.

Step 6. Measure against competition

Now this is the juicy bit. That’s where you’ll ask Moz to stalk your competitors. Enter the top three competitors in your niche and see how they’re performing.

After this, you’ll be taken to your dashboard. This is how it will look.

Right now, you won’t find any insights because it’s working on your website. Check back after some time and you’ll see new insights here.

Let’s try some other features of Moz.

Site Crawl

Site crawl is a slow process. It will begin when you register at Moz. Once it’s completed, you’ll get an email to see how your website is performing.

Once finished, you will see your page details along with the status code.

As you can see, some pages have the status code 301. This means the visitors to these pages are redirected to another page.

Some other pages have status code 200. This means that the page is functioning properly.

You can find the complete list of status codes on Moz.

Domain Overview

Moz lets you take an overview of your domain. You’ll find the Domain Overview option on the left panel of your dashboard.

Here, you can enter your domain name or a specific page to see how it is performing.

You’ll get a result like this.

As you can see, Moz uses AI to determine the search theme of the page. In this case, it’s Fashion Accessories. Not great results (I mean, I created this website a couple of months ago and abandoned it), but as you can see, the report is pretty clean and concise.

Moz Marketplace

Moz Marketplace is a new offering by Moz. It’s right there on your dashboard but you might need to pay extra for it. It offers options for local business listings, APIs, Moz academy courses, add-ons, and other features.

Let’s see some other services offered by Moz

Scroll down the Moz dashboard and you’ll see these options:

They will help you optimize your pages and get keyword ranking to see how you’re performing. You will also receive insightful link research and a site audit. Apart from these features, you can also use MozBar, a free Chrome extension that will conduct SEO research on the go.

Make sure you use all of them to help your website rank high.

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Is Moz Only For Paying Customers?

While all the “good stuff” is paid, it’s not like you cannot access anything without paying. Here’s a list of all the free tools offered by Moz.

With these tools, you can begin your SEO journey and then move on to the paid services when you’re ready. Let’s discuss the pricing plans offered by Moz.

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Pricing

There are four pricing plans.

Starter for $49/month

Standard for $99/month

Medium for $179/month

Large for $299/month

There’s a 30-day free trial for the Standard and Medium plans. However, you’ll need to enter your credit card details to sign up. But once registered, you can cancel any time before a month and your card will not be charged.

I use the Medium plan. Let’s see which plan would be the best for you. If you are an individual working on your website, and you just want to run a single campaign, the Starter package is right for you.

However, for an individual with up to three campaigns, the Standard package is most suited. And if you are like me (we are a team of two people, working on multiple websites), go for the Medium plan. The Large plan is for bigger companies.

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User Experience

Imho, Moz performs really well. But I wanted to know the general opinion about this SEO tool. So I visited Gartner to see what others have been talking about Moz.

It had only 17 ratings and 3.8 stars. In all fairness, there are tools out there that are more suitable for seasoned SEO players. However, Moz is easier and comes with a mild learning curve.

People love it for its ease of use as it lets them access all control from a single dashboard. Many users love the Moz Local feature that helps businesses create local listings and get traffic on them. It also helps in reputation management by managing reviews and responding to them.

There were some complaints about the keyword research tool and some others complained about the outdated data sources.

Based on my own experience and user reviews I read, it’s a good tool for beginners and a not-so-good tool for experienced users.

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Is Moz Worth It?

Is Moz worth its price? I mean it costs at least $49/month to use it. If you’re a new entrepreneur, should you spend all that on SEO?

In my opinion, it’s a definite yes. But with some strings attached. If you’re running a website, especially an eCommerce website, Moz can be a game changer. With keyword and link analysis, Moz can help you hit the right search terms and rank well on Google.

The problem is, Moz isn’t the cheapest option out there. Yes, it does give some free tools. But if you really want some good features, you’ll need to buy the paid plan. But despite that, I still subscribe to Moz, as do many other entrepreneurs because of the simplicity and the kickass SEO features it provides.

The insights you get into keyword research, competitor analysis, and site health are top-notch.

But hey, if you don’t have the budget for paid tools, make sure you check out the free ones. There’s no reason to say no to the free tools. If you find any difference in using SEO on your website, you can upgrade to the paid plan whenever you feel like it.

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Moz Alternatives

Despite all its awesomeness, Moz has powerful competitors. Tools that can give more insightful details into website performance and help you get a high ranking website. Let’s discuss the top three contenders here.

Moz v/s Semrush

Semrush is a tough competitor. While both offer powerful SEO insights, which one should you choose?

Moz has a good reputation for being user-friendly, especially for beginners. It offers a keyword research tool, a backlink tool, and other related features. Plus, Moz’s free tools are a lifesaver for small businesses or those on a budget.

Semrush is like an all-in-one solution for experienced players. It offers in-depth competitor analysis to rank tracking and paid search insights. The level of data you get with SEMrush can be overwhelming, but it’s amazing if you want a deep dive into your strategy. However, Semrush is more expensive. Its plans start from $139.95/month.

So I’d say, go for Moz if you’re just starting or need a user-friendly experience without too much complexity. Semrush is the way to go if you’re ready to take your SEO game to the next level.

Moz v/s Ahrefs

Ahrefs is another tool that’s power-packed, pretty much like Semrush. While Ahrefs is younger than Moz, it has been around for over a decade and performs exceptionally well for expert SEO marketers.

I’ve tried Ahrefs as well and I like it as it lets you find out what related terms people are putting on Google. It creates SEO friendly content for you, helps you with link building, and even tweaks some technical areas of your website content so it can rank high on search engines.

Moz can’t do all that. But then again, it’s easier to use. The beginner plan of Ahrefs is Lite and will cost you $129/month, which is costlier than Moz.

Technically, Ahrefs can do whatever Moz can, plus more. But then, use it only if you need all the extra features because it costs extra as well.

Moz v/s Raven

Raven is an amazing choice for beginner SEO. Mainly because it’s budget friendly. Its beginner package costs just $39/month. And for this price, it offers amazing services.

In fact, Raven Tools offers a lot of similar solutions to Moz. Just like Moz, Raven can run timely website audits to make sure there are no issues with your website’s SEO.

It can also conduct in-depth competitor research on your behalf, showing you what types of terms competitors are ranking for, and where you can take advantage of gaps in your strategy. 

I do think Moz offers some more advanced features, however, like the ability to access weekly crawl emails, custom reports, and a more in-depth “competitive research” suite. Compared to Moz, Raven Tools is a little more simplistic.

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Conclusion

I find that Moz offers the perfect balance between user friendliness, SEO features, and pricing. It hits the sweet spot as it’s not too complicated, not too simple. And it’s affordable as well.

It’s a trusted name in the SEO game and before I started using it, I had already heard a lot about it. Now that I’ve been using it for about three years, I don’t have any complaints.

One of the main strengths of Moz is its intuitive interface. Then there are features like keyword explorer, site audits, and their famous Domain Authority (DA) score. All these make SEO less intimidating for people like me.

While Moz doesn’t offer quite the same depth of data as big players like Ahrefs or SEMrush, it’s ideal for those who need a balance between usability and functionality.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a powerful SEO tool that’s also easy to use, Moz is a go-to option to get you ranking higher and growing your online presence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Moz good for beginner digital marketers?

A: Yes, Moz is an amazing tool for digital marketers as it provides keyword analysis, backlink analysis, and other features and reports in a clear and concise way.

Q: Does Moz have a free plan?

A: While Moz doesn’t have a free plan, it does have some free SEO tools such as domain SEO metrics, a basic keyword explorer, a basic backlink explorer, competitor research, and many others.

Q: Can I get a refund if I’m not happy with Moz?

A: There is no currently running refund deal but you can get a month for free. When you register, you will be charged after a month of registering on the website. You can cancel any time before a month and you won’t have to pay anything.

The post My Honest Moz Review for 2025 appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

Fine-Tuning an Open-Source LLM with Axolotl Using Direct Preference Optimization (DPO)

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Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/fine-tuning-llm-with-direct-preference-optimization-dpo/?utm_source=rss

Read Fine-Tuning an Open-Source LLM with Axolotl Using Direct Preference Optimization (DPO) and learn AI with SitePoint. Our web development and design tutorials, courses, and books will teach you HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Python, and more.

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Prodigi vs Printful: Which Print on Demand Platform Wins?

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Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/prodigi-vs-printful

Prodigi or Printful: Which option is better for your print on demand business? If you want a quick answer, I honestly think Printful is one of the best POD platforms available for anyone.

It’s the more scalable, versatile, and powerful option, with better design tools and more integration options for various sales channels.

However, if you’re looking for a very straightforward platform, with very low product costs, Prodigi is still a great choice.

I examined the core features and benefits of both platforms in depth, to bring you this simple comparison guide that should help you make the right choice.

Quick Verdict, Pros and Cons

Overall, I recommend using Printful if you want a highly scalable, flexible, and intuitive platform with lots of high-quality products to choose from, and fantastic design tools. It even gives you more ways to sell your print on demand creations online.

I’d only really recommend Prodigi to those who want a simplistic platform, heavily focused on eco-conscious printing, and fulfillment.

Prodigi Pros and Cons

Pros:

Over 500,000 customizable products

Local printing and eco-friendly shipping

Integrations with platforms like Shopify and Etsy

Straightforward design tools

Free to use with reasonable product costs

Fast production times

Cons:

Fewer integrations than Printful

Not as many customization options

Variations in print quality

Printful Pros and Cons

Pros:

Fantastic customization options

Exceptional mockup generator and design tools

Brilliant range of integration options

Consistent product quality

Add-on services and premium plan options

Better interface for business leaders

Cons:

Customer support can be a little slow

Potentially fewer product choices

Prodigi vs Printful: The Features Side-by-Side

Both Prodigi and Printful are easy-to-use print on demand platforms that offer access to various high-quality, customizable products you can sell through a range of channels.

They have a lot in common, such as eco-friendly printing options, global fulfillment support, and free plans for beginners.

However, there are some major differences between these platforms that stand out when you put them to the test for yourself (like I did).

Product Variety and Customization

First, Prodigi definitely looks like it has more products to choose from than Printful (more than 500,000). However, I did notice that most of the items available are variations of the same product.

For instance, there are dozens of different types of t-shirt to choose from. Although, there are some unique options to choose from, like games, photo tiles, wooden prints, and so on.

Prodigi also specializes in eco-conscious and sustainable products, which is great if you’re worried about the planet.

The company even partners with global suppliers to ensure “local” production of products, reducing the supply chain when it comes to getting products to your customers.

That doesn’t mean that Printful isn’t eco-friendly, however. There are plenty of sustainable products available from this platform too.

However, Printful has fewer products overall (over 350). The platform does, however, give you more ways to customize your products with things like embroidery, and all-over print.

What really stood out to me when I was testing these two platforms, however, is that Printful’s design tools are a lot more intuitive.

Although Prodigi’s design maker is fine, Printful gives you more free assets you can add to products, and a better mockup generator for creating lifestyle images.

Prodigi vs Printful: Product Quality

It’s hard to get a clear view of the product quality you’ll get from any print on demand platform. Even if you order samples, quality can vary based on your design files, the items you choose to create, and more.

The good news is that Printful has an excellent reputation for consistently excellent quality.

Most customers say the items they create with Printful always feature crisp, clean prints, excellent materials, and very few mistakes or issues.

This is probably because Printful invests in cutting-edge machinery, and a comprehensive “quality assurance” process.

Prodigi also promises exceptional quality, but I have noticed a few reviews online saying that the print quality can vary between items.

Some people also suggest certain products, like t-shirts, can be a little flimsy and transparent compared to what you get from Printful.

That being said, Prodigi’s base product costs are a little cheaper than Printful’s, particularly if you buy items in bulk.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to achieve higher profits – particularly if you can’t rely on consistent quality, so keep that in mind.

Plus, it’s worth noting that Printful has recently reduced the base cost of its items, making them a lot more affordable.

Integrations and Fulfillment

Both Prodigi and Printful offer worldwide fulfillment options, with distribution centers worldwide to ensure items can reach your customers as quickly as possible.

Prodigi does promise slightly faster fulfillment for some products, saying some options can be shipped to customers within two days.

However, it’s worth noting Printful offers some specific “fast delivery” products too.

Additionally, Printful gives you a lot more options for where you can sell your products.

While Prodigi offers easy integrations with Squarespace, Etsy, Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, Printful provides dozens of platforms to choose from.

Alongside all the channels that Prodigi supports, Printful also integrations with options like TikTok Shop, Webflow, Square Online, Storenvy, Ecwid, and Amazon.

If you’re based in the US, you can even use Printful’s “Quick Store” option to create a simple online store and start selling without the need for any integrations or additional platforms.

More sales channels means more options to potentially reach and convert customers, making Printful the more profitable choice.

Ease of Use and Customer Support

The truth is that most print on demand platforms are easy to use. You don’t need any business knowledge or expertise to get started with either Prodigi or Printful.

The process is as simple as creating an account, choosing a product, adding a design, and adding it to your store.

Prodigi might be a little faster to set up than Printful, because it gives you fewer tools for things like tracking analytics, branding, and creating lifestyle mockups.

However, for me, Printful is the more intuitive platform overall. The design tools are more flexible, and even give you options like an AI upscaler so you can enhance the quality of your images with a single click.

Printful’s platform also comes with more in-built support in the platform. There’s an onboarding checklist, and tooltips for every feature you might want to use.

If you need extra support, both companies offer plenty of self-help resources like videos, guides, tutorials, and FAQs.

Printful’s resources are a bit more comprehensive, with more screenshots and in-depth insights to help beginners, but both companies excel in this area.

For direct support from a customer support team, Printful gives you 24/7 chat and email, whereas Prodigi only offers email support. This means Printful can generally respond quicker to any questions you might have.

Prodigi vs Printful: Plans and Pricing

So, how much does it cost to use both of these platforms? Well, first of all, both are available to access for free – you don’t need to pay a monthly subscription fee to use either Prodigi or Printful. However, both come with extra costs to consider.

For instance, you’ll need to think about the price of paying for the ecommerce platform you’re going to integrate with the tool.

Plus, there are the base costs of products to consider too. Printful’s products – though more affordable these days – are a little more expensive.

That’s because generally, they’re higher in quality than what you’ll get from Prodigi.

Both companies offer extra services you can pay for too. However, Printful is the only platform (of these two), that has a paid plan available.

The “Growth” plan costs $24.99 per month in general, but it becomes free to use when you’re earning at least $12k per year.

I think this plan is extremely valuable for growing businesses, thanks to extra discounts it offers on products, and branding options.

It even gives you free digitization for your embroidered products, and other bonuses that you simply can’t get with Prodigi.

Prodigi vs Printful: The Verdict

So, which platform should you choose? In my opinion, the answer is easy.

Prodigi might be great if you’re looking for thousands of cost-effective products and ease of use.

However, Printful outperforms Prodigi in almost every other area.

It gives you more customization options, higher quality products, better design tools, more features (like an ad creator), and more sales channels to choose from.

You can even create a simple store with Printful if you’re in the US. Plus, Printful provides customers with better support too.

If you’re looking for the most scalable and robust print on demand platform, Printful is the best choice hands-down.

The post Prodigi vs Printful: Which Print on Demand Platform Wins? appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

Apple Releases Its Picks for the Best Apps of 2024

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Original Source: https://webdesignerdepot.com/apple-releases-its-picks-for-the-best-apps-of-2024/

Every year, the App Store team takes on the exciting challenge of picking the most exceptional apps and games to celebrate with their App Store Awards.

This year, Apple has recognized 17 incredible apps and games that made a big impact from a list of 45 finalists. From innovative tools that help creators and learners to games that bring pure fun, these winners showcase what’s possible when creativity and technology come together.

Whether you’re looking for your next favorite app or just curious about what’s trending in the world of digital experiences, here’s a breakdown of 2024’s App Store Award winners, handpicked by Apple’s editors.

What Makes These Apps Special?

The 2024 winners represent a wide range of experiences, from empowering creativity and productivity to delivering fun and relaxation. Here are just a few standouts:

Kino turns your everyday moments into cinematic memories with gorgeous film-inspired filters.

Moises is a game-changer for musicians, offering AI-powered tools to practice, remix, and perfect their craft.

Lightroom on Mac takes photo editing to the next level with precise, professional-grade tools.

Lumy makes it easy to align your day with the sun’s patterns, helping you find small moments of magic.

F1 TV delivers a full-throttle Formula 1 viewing experience right from your Apple TV.

Apple App Store Awards 2024 Adobe LightroomMac App of the Year: Adobe Lightroom, from Adobe Inc.

For Gamers, 2024 Was a Stellar Year

Gaming also had its moment in the spotlight. Here are the games that captured hearts (and lots of screen time):

AFK Journey brings tactical battles and immersive storytelling to iPhone.

Squad Busters is perfect for iPad gamers who love fast-paced, multiplayer action.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! made Mac users laugh with its quirky humor and fun skits.

THRASHER: Arcade Odyssey blew minds with its colorful, cosmic worlds, earning the title of Vision Pro Game of the Year.

Balatro+ reinvented card games on Apple Arcade, delivering fresh twists with every hand.

Apple App Store Awards 2024 Thank Goodness Youre HereMac Game of the Year: Thank Goodness You’re Here!, from Panic, Inc.

New Frontiers in Spatial Computing

This year, Apple introduced a brand-new category for Apple Vision Pro apps and games, celebrating the future of spatial computing. The winners showed off the potential of this groundbreaking technology:

What If…? An Immersive Story takes you on a mind-bending journey through the Marvel Universe.

THRASHER: Arcade Odyssey pairs stunning visuals with fun gameplay, creating a truly immersive experience.

Cultural Impact: Apps That Made a Difference

In addition to celebrating the best in design and functionality, Apple also recognized apps that made a meaningful cultural impact. These winners tackled real-world challenges, inspired curiosity, and brought people together:

Oko helps visually impaired users navigate city streets with confidence.

EF Hello supports language learners with AI-powered lessons for all skill levels.

DailyArt connects users to timeless art pieces, sparking curiosity and wonder.

NYT Games is a daily ritual for many, offering puzzles and games that bring friends and families together.

The Wreck tells a deeply emotional story, using interactive narratives to explore life’s challenges.

Do You Really Want to Know 2 provides critical education and resources for navigating life with HIV.

Apple App Store Awards 2024 NYT GamesNYT Games from The New York Times Company

Why It Matters

The App Store Awards are more than just a celebration of great apps—they’re a reflection of how technology shapes our lives, communities, and even culture.

From solo developers to massive teams, these creators remind us how powerful and creative the digital world can be.

So, if you’re looking for something new to inspire, entertain, or connect you with others, these apps and games are a great place to start. Happy exploring!

The Importance Of Graceful Degradation In Accessible Interface Design

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Original Source: https://smashingmagazine.com/2024/12/importance-graceful-degradation-accessible-interface-design/

Graceful degradation is a design approach that ensures the basics of a website will still function even if specific individual parts of it stop working. The approach removes single points of failure: just because one thing stops working doesn’t mean the system as a whole fails. A site following this principle fails in pieces instead of all at once, so the most important features remain available when some components encounter an error.

The idea or the concept of single points of failure is well known in the manufacturing sector. It’s one of the most common resilience strategies in manufacturing and supply chain operations. A factory with multiple sources of material can keep working even when one supplier becomes unavailable. However, it’s become increasingly crucial to web development as user expectations around availability and functionality rise.

Data center redundancy is a common example of graceful degradation in web development. By using multiple server components, websites ensure they’ll stay up when one or more servers fail. In a design context, it may look like guaranteeing the lack of support for a given feature in a user’s browser or device doesn’t render an app unusable.

Escalators are a familiar real-world example of the same concept. When they stop working, they can still get people from one floor to the next by acting as stairs. They may not be as functional as they normally are, but they’re not entirely useless.

The BBC News webpage is a good example of graceful degradation in web design. As this screenshot shows, the site prioritizes loading navigation and the text within a news story over images. Consequently, slow speeds or old, incompatible browser plugins may make pictures unavailable, but the site’s core function — sharing the news — is still accessible.

In contrast, the Adobe Express website is an example of what happens without graceful degradation. Instead of making some features unavailable or dropping load times, the entire site is inaccessible on some browsers. Consequently, users have to update or switch software to use the web app, which isn’t great for accessibility.

Graceful Degradation vs. Progressive Enhancement

The graceful degradation approach acts as the opposite of progressive enhancement — an approach in which a designer builds the basics of a website and progressively adds features that are turned on only if a browser is capable of running them. Each layer of features is turned off by default, allowing for one seamless user experience designed to work for everyone.

There is much debate between designers about whether graceful degradation or progressive enhancement is the best way to build site functionality. In reality, though, both are important. Each method has unique pros and cons, so the two can complement each other to provide the most resilience.

Progressive enhancement is a good strategy when building a new site or app because you ensure a functional experience for everyone from the start. However, new standards and issues can emerge in the future, which is where graceful degradation comes in. This approach helps you adjust an existing website to comply with new accessibility standards or resolve a compatibility problem you didn’t notice earlier.

Focusing solely on one design principle or the other will limit accessibility. Progressive enhancement alone struggles to account for post-launch functionality issues, while graceful degradation alone may fail to provide the most feature-rich baseline experience. Combining both will produce the best result.

How Graceful Degradation Impacts Accessibility

Ensuring your site or app remains functional is crucial for accessibility. When core functions become unavailable, the platform is no longer accessible to anyone. On a smaller scale, if features like text-to-speech readers or video closed captioning stop working, users with sight difficulties may be unable to enjoy the site.

Graceful degradation’s impact on accessibility is all the larger when considering varying device capabilities. As the average person spends 3.6 hours each day on their phone, failing to ensure a site supports less powerful mobile browsers will alienate a considerable chunk of your audience. Even if some complex functions may not work on mobile, sacrificing those to keep the bulk of the website available on phones ensures broader accessibility.

Outdated browsers are another common accessibility issue you can address with graceful degradation. Consider this example from Fairleigh Dickinson University about Adobe Flash, which most modern browsers no longer support.

Software still using Flash cannot use the multi-factor authentication feature in question. As a result, users with older programs can’t log in. Graceful degradation may compromise by making some functionality unavailable to Flash-supporting browsers while still allowing general access. That way, people don’t need to upgrade to use the service.

How to Incorporate Graceful Degradation Into Your Site

Graceful degradation removes technological barriers to accessibility. In a broader sense, it also keeps your site or app running at all times, even amid unforeseen technical difficulties. While there are many ways you can achieve that, here are some general best practices to follow.

Identify Mission-Critical Functions

The first step in ensuring graceful degradation is determining what your core functions are. You can only guarantee the availability of mission-critical features once you know what’s essential and what isn’t.

Review your user data to see what your audience interacts with most — these are generally elements worth prioritizing. Anything related to site security, transactions, and readability is also crucial. Infrequently used features or elements like video players and interactive maps are nice to have but okay to sacrifice if you must to ensure mission-critical components remain available.

Build Redundancy

Once you’ve categorized site functions by criticality, you can ensure redundancy for the most important ones. That may mean replicating elements in a few forms to work on varying browsers or devices. Alternatively, you could provide multiple services to carry out important functions, like supporting alternate payment methods or providing both video and text versions of content.

Remember that redundancy applies to the hardware your platform runs on, too. The Uptime Institute classifies data centers into tiers, which you can use to determine what redundant systems you need. Similarly, make sure you can run your site on multiple servers to avoid a crash should one go down.

Accommodate All Browsers

Remember that graceful degradation is also about supporting software and hardware of varying capabilities. One of the most important considerations under that umbrella for web design is to accommodate outdated browsers.

While mobile devices don’t support Flash, some older versions of desktop browsers still use it. You can work with both by avoiding Flash — you can often use HTML5 instead — but not requiring users to have a non-Flash-supporting browser. Similarly, you can offer low-bandwidth, simple alternatives to any features that take up considerable processing power to keep things accessible on older systems.

Remember to pay attention to newer software’s security settings, too. Error messages like this one a Microsoft user posted about can appear if a site does not support some browsers’ updated security protocols. Always keep up with updates from popular platforms like Chrome and Safari to meet these standards and avoid such access issues.

Employ Load Balancing and Caching

Load balancing is another crucial step in graceful degradation. Many cloud services automatically distribute traffic between server resources to prevent overloading. Enabling this also ensures that requests can be processed on a different part of the system if another fails.

Caching is similar. By storing critical data, you build a fallback plan if an external service or application program interface (API) doesn’t work. When the API doesn’t respond, you can load the cached data instead. As a result, caches significantly reduce latency in many cases, but you should be aware that you can’t cache everything. Focus on the most critical functions.

Test Before Publishing

Finally, be sure to test your website for accessibility issues before taking it live. Access it from multiple devices, including various browser versions. See if you can run it on a single server to test its ability to balance loads.

You likely won’t discover all possible errors in testing, but it’s better to catch some than none. Remember to test your site’s functionality before any updates or redesigns, too.

Getting Started With Graceful Degradation

Designers, both big and small, can start their graceful degradation journey by tweaking some settings with their web hosting service. AWS offers guidance for managing failures you can use to build degradation into your site’s architecture. Hosting providers should also allow you to upgrade your storage plan and configure your server settings to provide redundancy and balance loads.

Businesses large enough to run their own data centers should install redundant server capacity and uninterruptible power supplies to keep things running. Smaller organizations can instead rely on their code, using semantic HTML to keep it simple enough for multiple browsers. Programming nonessential things like images and videos to stop when bandwidth is low will also help.

Virtualization systems like Kubernetes are also useful as a way to scale site capacity and help load elements separately from one another to maintain accessibility. Testing tools like BrowserStack, WAVE, and CSS HTML Validator can assist you by revealing if your site has functional issues on some browsers or for certain users.

At its core, web accessibility is about ensuring a platform works as intended for all people. While design features may be the most obvious part of that goal, technical defenses also play a role. A site is only accessible when it works, so you must keep it functional, even when unexpected hiccups occur.

Graceful degradation is not a perfect solution, but it prevents a small issue from becoming a larger one. Following these five steps to implement it on your website or app will ensure that your work in creating an accessible design doesn’t go to waste.