Having a good idea of what is important when you start a web project is crucial. You could use a list like Jeffrey Zeldman’s Ten Commandments of Web Design or just have a process you always follow. Either way there are key things which need to be addressed in the new era of web design.

Your design and content needs to be fit for purpose and bring things which differentiate itself from others. I found Jeffrey’s illustration example, very thought provoking. It reminded me of the excellent Roald Dahl books of my youth and how the illustrations of Quentin Blake where such an icon of those stories. I would see a book with the unmistakable work of Quentin Blake and immediately assumed it was a Roald Dahl book. It was not until I was older that I realised Quentin Blake has illustrated hundreds of books and even wrote and illustrated many himself. So this shows you can create something synonymous in your site design that will differentiate it from the competitors.

Testing both browsers and devices with your sites is crucial if you want to make sure your content is viewable by all who find it. As they say ‘Test, test and test again. When you have finished testing, test a couple more times’.

We need to go over processes again (iterate) as we develop, and also get to the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and then publish the product else you might lose out to competitors. The ‘content first’ mantra is also a key stage in web development. We need to make content the reason why users come back. It also needs to be easily readable and without clutter, with accessibility embedded into your development strategy.

Most of all I believe we need to be keeping up to speed with all new and upcoming developments, as if you are last in the queue you get left-overs or even nothing at all.