Recent site activity

Top Design Hints

General:
  • Avoid wrapping text if possible (i.e., one line for tabs, etc.)
  • Avoid unnecessary whitespace
  • Avoid scrollbars wherever possible
  • Focus on speed - review our latency tips
  • Test against all major browsers (IE 6/7, Firefox 2/3, Safari 2/3, Chrome)
  • Use standard tab and button libraries
Home View:
  • Gadgets change width depending on a user's browser resolution. Design home views for a minimum of 260 pixels wide, but also for much wider screens
  • Keep the gadget's height as short as the content will reasonably allow.  We suggest a height close to 300 pixels, but again, this depends on the content. Remember, this is a person's home page and they want to see other content on their page
  • Avoid logos and unnecessary graphics
  • Include thumbnails if appropriate, but check the formatting of wrapped text
  • Use sentence case and chevrons to indicate going from home to canvas views - "More news >>"
Canvas View:
  • Again, gadgets change width depending on a user's browser resolution. Design canvas views for a minimum of 800 pixels wide, but also much wider screens
  • Canvas views should be as long as they need to be — do not use scrollbars or "more" links unless absolutely necessary
  • Feel free to include logos and other graphics, but be aware of latency impact
  • Clearly label advertisments