Reading room
Notes worth keeping beside the brief.
Short, practical guidance we find ourselves repeating to clients. Filter by subject; every note is free to share.
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12 notes shown
- apps
Website or app? A short test
If people will use it less than weekly, if it needs no device hardware and if being found by search matters, a mobile website is likely the better first step.
- apps
What an app costs after launch
Budget for annual operating-system compatibility work, developer account renewals and dependency updates, even if no features change.
- web
Choosing a content management system
Pick the editor your staff will be comfortable using daily; the technical differences between mature systems matter less than that.
- web
Domains and DNS: keep the keys
Register domains in your organisation’s name, with two people able to log in, and keep a record of every DNS entry and why it exists.
- design
Writing for screens
Front-load the important words, use the terms your users search for, and prefer short sentences over clever ones.
- design
Accessibility starting points
Check colour contrast, keyboard access and form labels first; those three catch a large share of common barriers.
- publishing
Preparing for App Store review
Provide a working demo account, explain any non-obvious feature in the review notes and make sure the privacy label matches reality.
- publishing
Google Play Data safety form
Declare data collected by third-party libraries too, not only by your own code; reviewers increasingly check.
- support
Backups that actually restore
A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup. Schedule a test restore at least quarterly.
- support
A simple incident note
When something breaks, write down what happened, when, who noticed and what was done. It makes the next incident shorter.
- support
Password managers for small teams
A shared, organisation-owned password manager with individual accounts is safer than a spreadsheet and easier than memory.
- web
Cookie notices that respect a “no”
If a visitor rejects optional cookies, nothing optional should load. Test this yourself in a private browser window.