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CSS3 + Progressive Enhancement = Smart Design

Support all browsers to some degree – focus first on the latest and greatest browsers, and then go back and make sure that older browsers look and work reasonably well.

This reflects precisely my approach to creating a website/webapp. I love the new features of CSS3 so much, because they enable me - as a developer - to create a decent UI without having to mess around in Photoshop or write tedious, non-semantic markup just to create good looking buttons, rounded corners etc. The design is implemented quicker, is flexible and the site loads faster, too.

The idea here is to begin with a nice, well-styled presentation that looks good in even archaic browsers like IE6. This is a good thing because even visitors using crappy browsers will be able to read and interact with your content. But instead of stopping there, progressive enhancement says, “let’s provide some additional features for people using better browsers.” After all, people using awesome browsers like Firefox, Safari, and Opera want the best experience possible from the Web. Progressive enhancement says, “let’s give it to them, but only after the less-capable crowd has been taken care of first.”

Unfortunately, when you have a lot of IE users and want to present your site in the best possible way, you have to bite the bullet and create all those buttons and rounded corners in Photoshop.
But I think the ‘progressive enhancement’ method is the best thing you can do. You can offer the best possible visual experience for those who use the latest and most advanced browsers at relative low costs. And for those who use older browsers - well, they probably do not care that much about having the best possible experience on the web anyway.

Altogether, the article is a good read and also provides practical information on the new CSS3 techniques - some of which you might not have heard of yet.

The Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. Mouse (via The Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. Mouse Is Jonathan Ive’s Antichrist - Mad catz cyborg - Gizmodo) (via Jeff Atwood) I think this is not as bad as the Open Office mouse. I appreciate the superior design, but it’s definitely not my cup of tea. This mouse might appeal to the same people that like the Level 10 PC chassis.

The Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. Mouse (via The Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. Mouse Is Jonathan Ive’s Antichrist - Mad catz cyborg - Gizmodo) (via Jeff Atwood)

I think this is not as bad as the Open Office mouse. I appreciate the superior design, but it’s definitely not my cup of tea.
This mouse might appeal to the same people that like the Level 10 PC chassis.

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In my experience, it has been a real challenge to convey how much longer a simple solution takes over a complex one. A truly simple and elegant solution just demands more time and cycles than most people understand.
Kristee Rosendahl in the same article I linked to earlier.
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Apple’s goal isn’t to make money. Our goal is to design and develop and bring to market good products…We trust as a consequence of that, people will like them, and as another consequence we’ll make some money. But we’re really clear about what our goals are.
Jonathan Ive (via Andy Budd) (via nikf)
(this post was reblogged from nikf)

Great interview with Jonathan Ive of Apple.

A lot of what we seem to be doing […] is actually getting design out of the way. And I think when forms develop with that sort of reason and they are not just arbitrary shapes, it feels almost undesigned. It feels almost like “Well, of course it’s that way. Why wouldn’t it be any other way?”

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I have only ever designed products that I myself would like to live with so it goes without saying that we live with Braun products and Vitsoe furniture. As a designer, it is only by using your products daily that you are able to tell what sorts of improvements may still be needed.
Dieter Rams in Simplicity, purity and openness. (via 37signals)