Avoiding perpetual redesigns

In this episode of Fourcast, Jason Grigsby sits down with Tammy Everts, a recognized expert in web performance and user experience. They break down Google’s recent change from First Input Delay (FID) to Interaction to Next Paint (INP) in non-technical terms, and talk about what the change means for website owners and their businesses. Tammy explains the impact on search engine optimization (SEO), user experience, and the importance of optimizing web performance beyond search rankings. Tammy provides practical advice for website owners on improving their site’s performance. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand how INP impacts them and what they can do to improve their website performance. Related links Tammy Everts — Website, Mastodon, Twitter Time is Money: The Business Value of Web Performance by Tammy Everts Web Performance Optimization Stats Progressive Web Apps Stats Web.dev case studies Mobile INP performance: The elephant in the room Does Interaction to Next Paint actually correlate to user behavior? A Fairly Complete Guide to Performance Budgets presentation by Tammy Everts, Smashing Conference 2023 Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm Learn how to start a podcast here.

Update: Apple backed off of their plans to break PWAs. More details from the OWA. The deadline for compliance with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) will arrive in a few days and with it an uncertain future for progressive web apps. The DMA forces gatekeepers like Apple to open up their platforms to competition. This means that for the first time, browser engines other than Safari’s WebKit will be allowed on iOS.But the situation isn’t as simple as it seems. Apple is also removing access to Home Screen web apps for all browsers including Safari. This may mean that existing web apps that rely on Home Screen web app features will no longer work as intended in just a matter of days. We spoke with Bruce Lawson of the Open Web Advocacy (OWA) about its efforts to address Apple’s treatment of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). The conversation covers the origins of OWA, the Digital Markets Act, the impact of Apple’s actions on PWAs, and what actions web developers can take to support the OWA’s efforts. Articles and websites referenced in the interview: Open Web Advocacy It’s Official, Apple Kills Web Apps in the EU Open Letter to Tim Cook Survey for Web Developers Apple’s decision to drop iPhone web apps comes under scrutiny in the EU EU Digital Markets Act

In this episode, Megan Notarte and Jason Grigsby discuss the challenges of outdated legacy applications and how to approach their modernization. They differentiate between desktop-only and client-server applications and provide insights into the different paths for modernization. They emphasize the importance of incremental modernization and setting priorities based on user value and business opportunities. The conversation also covers the role of design systems in modernization efforts and the need to treat applications as products. They highlight the significance of performance and technical considerations, as well as selling the modernization effort internally. The episode concludes with a discussion on building a solid foundation for long-term success.

There is nothing worse in web design than finishing a redesign only to need to redesign again. Cloud Four partner Megan Notarte sits down with partner and Creative Director Tyler Sticka to discuss ways to approach a redesign of a legacy application so that you are not in a perpetual state of redesign. Subscribe to our newsletter to get Cloud Four's insight and expertise directly in your inbox: What to listen for: 00:00 Fearing redesign is understandable 02:40 Clear goals, priorities, and audience 03:49 Redesigns can be hard on users 04:49 Prioritization helps 11:24 Chasing trends 26:19 Documentation is so important 29:09 Consider a design system 32:22 Conclusion