Six years is a long time to wait. But after all that time we are finally on the verge of a major change in how the web works. Later this year, if all goes to plan and the published schedule holds, HTML5 will finally be recommended by the W3C and be supported in most major/modern browsers (sorry IE8, you don’t count). This 5th revision of the core language of the World Wide Web introduces new features based on researched and prevailing standards and practices. Special attention has been given to making HTML5 have clear conformance criteria, laying out clear guidelines for modern and future browsers to follow.

The aim of HTML5 is to streamline markup and to add new functions that will reduce development costs by making precise rules on how to handle HTML elements. Some of the most exciting features will include:

 

  <article>

Defines external content. It could be an external news article, blog, forum post or any other content coming from a third party.

 

  <audio>

Supports music and streaming audio. Also supports attributes such as autoplay which will play the audio once it is ready in the browser;  controls will display standard pause, stop and play functionality; and preload that loads audio on page load rather than after it.

 

  <canvas>

Already supported in Firefox, Chrome and Opera, the <canvas> tag is used to display and draw graphics. Inside the tags, variables, dimensions, and animations can be defined.

 

  <header> <nav> <footer>

Simplifying the usual coding for HTML seems simple enough, but these additions go a long way to standardizing how coding is done across the board. These elements can also be used multiple times in the markup without ID duplication errors, making designing subsections with their own <header> and <nav> elements much simpler.

 

  <video>

Similar to the <audio> tag, the <video> tag comes with a library of attributes that handle embedding video onto a page a snap. Instead of using a third-party tool, like Adobe Flash, to present videos, HTML5 puts the functionality right into the browser. You can specify multiple video files, and browsers that support HTML5 video will choose one based on what video formats they support. This solution uses no JavaScript whatsoever, and it works in virtually every browser, including mobile browsers.

 

What is nice about HTML5 is that the team that has been working for the better part of a decade to create it had the AMAZING initiative to make it backwards compatible. Unlike the XHTML2 that the W3C was working on before jumping on the HTML5 bandwagon, this new markup language won’t break older markup.

Now, if you look around the internet and search for “HTML5 release date” you’ll see a lot of articles saying that it won’t be fully supported until the year 2022. While this date seems a bit far-fetched it is important to note that HTML5 is being rolled out incrementally and will continue to be developed in the years to come. Look at it like the continued development of Jquery or Ajax scripts. They continue to rollout new versions that support more elements and variables, but degrade well for older versions that people may be using. HTML5 is by no means a complete project, but modern browsers are already supporting many elements and there is a time in the not so distant future when HTML5 will be much more the standard then the exception. 

Mobile devices are becoming more and more popular for browsing the internet and getting stuff done online.  Users are able to get online with their smart phone or other device which is driving more people to try and get things done while away from their home or work computer.  Websites need to be made mobile friendly to allow for users to be able to navigate the site in a way that is not completely frustrating.  Here are four key tips and trends to get your site ready for mobile devices.

1. Keep it simple:  sites should be scaled back so they get users to the information they need quickly and easily.  If there are unnecessary navigation items or fancy flash elements, remove them. Chances are, if someone is visiting your site on a mobile device, they are looking for something in particular and need an easy and quick way to get to it.
2. Avoid over-crowding:  Mobile device screens are pretty small, so you do not want to overwhelm users with too much information in that small space.  White space is a necessity and should be used carefully.  A balance of information and white space is crucial in the design.
3. Minimize image use:  Connection speeds are slower on mobile devices, so reducing the amount of images used will help the site load faster.  A text based mobile site will load much faster and will be easier for the user to navigate than a site that uses a lot of images.  Leave the fancy designs for the computer browser.
4. Consider the domain:  There are multiple issues a company should consider when deciding the domain of the mobile site.  A sub-domain keeps everything in one domain and reduces the chances of confusing visitors.  A separate domain for the mobile site will help the user know they are on the mobile version.  Depending on the device being used, the user may not know if they are on a mobile version or regular version of the site

There are many challenges in designing sites for mobile devices.  One of the major problems is there is no consistency in screen size.  There are a multitude of devices available today and more being released all the time which makes it impossible to have a standard.  Devices are rapidly changing also.  Some mobile devices run a full browser that can view a site like normal or view the mobile version.  Even testing mobile sites is a challenge.  There is no good way to test for all devices, so care should be taken to make sure the design is flexible so it will work for different devices.  Spend some time deciding which information is essential.  You'll want to slim down the site as much as possible without removing vital information.

Mobile sites are being utilized more and more every day.  Creating one is not an easy or overnight project.  If you are considering a mobile site, do some research into the topic to make sure your site will be useful and decent representation of your website.

Links are a very important part of your website.  Links help the user get to where they are going in your site and navigate the web. Without links, all we would have is a lot of one page sites with a lot of information crammed into them.  Needless to say, links are crucial in all websites.  This is why styling links can make or break how your site works.  Most users scan a website instead of reading word for word.  If a link does not stand out to the user, additional information or pages can easily be missed during the scanning process.  Here are some tips to keep in mind when designing a website.

1. Make your links stand out from other text. Everyone recognizes underlined blue text as a link.  If this does not fit into the design of your site, you need to make sure the color you choose for your links stands out from the rest of the content.  Try and designate one color as your link color.  Also, avoid underlining any text that is not a link.  Underlined text as a link has been around for a long time and is considered a link by most users.
2. Change the style of visited links. When you have a site with lots of links, it is helpful to change the color of visited links so users can easily see where they have been. The color difference can be subtle, but should be noticeable at a glance.  
3. Use a call to action. If you need a link to really stand out, style it to stand out on the page.  Have link look like a button or add a graphic that entices the user to click on it. 

   
4. Have meaningful link text. The text used for the link needs to clearly convey to the user what will happen when they click on the link. Avoid using “click here," it's better to have the link text explain what the link does. For example, if you are linking to a registration page the link text should be “Register Now."  The more descriptive the link text, the better for SEO and the user.  Adding title tags also gives the link a description and are essential for screen readers.
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6. Hover state styling.  Changing the style on a link when it is hovered over is a good visual cue that the text is a link.  Adding a hover state is feedback to users that they are currently hovering over a link.
7. Appropriate Icons and images.  Adding the destination site logo helps the user recognize at a glance where the link will take them.  You see this a lot for the gamut of social media sites.  This is also good practice for links that link to a PDF or other kind of document.  This will help the user decide if they want to click a link that will download a document or take them to a new page. 
   
8. Link the site logo to the homepage.  Generally, users know to click on the website logo if they want to return to the homepage.  This rule of thumb applies even if you have a home link in the navigation.  The only time you don't want to do this is on the homepage.  That way, the user knows they are on the homepage.

Well styled links on your site will result in a better user experience.  Users will be more likely to return to your site if they had a good experience rather than a bad experience.  You may only have one change to make a good impression on someone that happened across your website.