👋 Oi, mga repapips, Brian Dys here! I love music, photography, and creative stuff like UX design and art. This is a place where I collect my thoughts and works. Apart all these, I’m Jaycelle’s better half and Bryce’s dad. 🥰
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Link padding simply means adding padding to the HTML Anchor Element <a>.
It is important that we don’t leave the link as it is – we must make it large enough to be easily activated by any pointing device (mouse pointer or touch).
Let’s take a very simply example – a set of navigation items:
Link Padding on Hyperlinks
[codepen_embed height=”572″ theme_id=”1820″ slug_hash=”VYWaYE” default_tab=”result” user=”BrianSahagun”]See the Pen Link Padding by Brian Dys Sahagun (@BrianSahagun) on CodePen.[/codepen_embed]
In Example 1, notice that the only active area of the links are the words themselves and not the whitespace beside them. You can see the active area by the blue background highlight when you hover on the links.
Link Padding Increases the Active Area
Now, compare Example 1 to Example 2. When navigating with a pointing device such as a mouse, it is easier in Example 2 to hover on the navigation items and click the chosen link; for navigating using touch, it is also easier in Example 2 since the active area is larger and you can tap far away from the other navigation items – avoiding an accidental activating of the other links.
To pad a link, there are two things to consider:
- Display it as block
- Increase the size around it thru padding
[css]
a {
display: block;
padding: 1rem;
}
[/css]
Don’t Overdo It!
In Examples 1 and 2, you can see that the list has a fixed width and border that shows until where the navigation items end. Ensure that you clearly put active areas in a clear manner so that users won’t mistakenly click on a whitespace with a “hidden” link (see Example 3).
Now, why would users “click” or “touch” whitespace? I, personally, do that as a “comfort zone” knowing that activating on a whitespace releases any unknown focus on other elements – it’s similar to pressing Esc repeatedly.
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Next post will be about padding action links – think icons in web app toolbar.
Categories
Our team in Chikka has officially joined Voyager Innovations!
Voyager Innovations, Inc. is part of First Pacific and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) focused on delivering disruptive innovations for the rapidly changing world.
In today’s world, the products we sell, how we do things, the way we are structured, the networks, systems and platforms that support us are all changing and evolving. Voyager Innovations, Inc. is the strategic response to the changing needs of the communities. We are an organization that is positioned for the future new business streams & evolving business models.
Make example of how simple a semantic markup can be made into a component.
Use Search for example.
While HTML adjusted for the use of fragmentation in content structure (e.g., Form label scattered across the place and only connected by ID’s and for attributes), as well as ARIA adopted to Web Components to provide meaning and semantics to its structure and free-wheeling use of elements.
We must not forget that even webapps can be deduced into a simple document, so as long as they provide human-readable information.
The ultimate test still is stripping off the presentation layer, diving deep into the interaction layer and presenting only the information to the user.
This is the simplest we can approach designing website and applications.
Thus, we must make an element.
I received a confirmation that HopScotch got approved in WordPress Themes Directory.
Categories
There are several blog entries in Design DriveThru about the practical application of HTML and CSS, simple ideas as well. In order to put these entries in a clearer light, there needs to be specific categories where they fall under. This will put things in context so that the reader would know to which extent the entry applies to him or her.
For example, as we talk about Notes on SASS File Structure, how does one try to absorb this concept? You might ask if this entry is important for you as a web or front-end designer. The answer can be made easier by categorizing the topics.
Think and Act
The first categories deal with a particular web concept as being either of the two:
- Theory
- Technique
Theory
Theory deals with general principles.
Theory is a contemplative and rational type of abstract or generalizing thinking, or the results of such thinking. Depending on the context, the results might for example include generalized explanations of how nature works.
Source: Wikipedia
An example of a theory is CSS Principles.
Technique
Technique on the other hand, deals with practical application.
A technique is a procedure to complete a task.
Source: Wikipedia
An example of Technique is Recreating Spotify’s Album Cover.
There could also be an entry with both Theory and Technique as its categories, for example: Using <body> to Define UI States and Types. This entry talks about principles and demonstrates how to apply it.
Brochure and Kiosk
The second part of categories is about the web being generally split into two – it is either:
- web as a document or web as an application
- web as hypertext system (information-oriented) or web as software interface (task-oriented)
The latter is from The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett.
Webdoc
Web Documents deals mainly with information like Wikipedia or a WordPress blog. This is the primitive beginnings of HTML wherein information are linked to other information via anchor elements.
Webapp
Web Applications deals mainly with services that foster activities and enable the users to accomplish specific tasks. Good examples range from Google Sheets to InVision.
This category set could be mutual like Flickr, for example – it is a webapp yet it deals with images and videos with rich information.
I would be using these categories to contextualize entries mostly discussing HTML because each web object, whether a simple web document or a webapp deals with HTML.
Conclusion
Hopefully this categorization technique will be useful in mapping the context of Front-End Design entries.
Categories
It’s coming together – the ultimate plan of Smart to wipe out the culture of Chikka. Well, it’s not deliberate I guess but that’s the effect of the new business direction that we’re headed. You should well know that recently, PLDT bought 10% of Rocket Internet. If you don’t know Rocket Internet, it’s the parent company of Voyager — just look at the similarity of their names and logos! Exploring the depths off this planet thru a rocket and stuff.
Just kidding. Rocket Internet is the biggest copycat there is on the face of the interwebs. But the good thing about it is that it brings internet products and services to developing markets like our country. If you ever got rescued by Easy Taxi during your morning commute towards a big boss meeting, you have Rocket Internet to thank for that. If you applauded Zalora or Lazada by their prompt delivery of that cat double bed you ordered, applaud Rocket Internet. We in this developing country need not wait for Amazon to cater to us – Rocket Internet’s business model is built this way. They will bring Amazon to our doorstep but in a different packaging under a different name. You may call it fakery, unoriginal, imitation — or class A if you may but what more can you ask for? They are serving us iPhone 6 just weeks after it was released in public. Otherwise, telcos will offer it a day before Apple releases yet a new version.
This is the reality that we’re in now, the business model of Rocket Internet is being adopted by Smart – putting Voyager in the place of Rocket Internet. Voyager will incubate ideas – a new one or an existing one and it will be spun into the hands of an “independent” company. In case you’ve noticed the quotation marks, you might have sensed my sarcasm. The independence of a company isn’t simply rooted to it’s differently-incorporated name. It’s not even in the effectiveness of it looking like it has sprung from bright ideas and hard work without any backing from big shots. It’s effectiveness lies behind its culture – it’s years and years of built-in traditions, values, and principles.
When a parent company suddenly barges in with all these new business directions, they would be like two giant feet trampling over ants mound. People and everything they built will be disturbed — some will run around like headless chickens. It will spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. Sometimes C-H-A-N-G-E spells the same. But let me be clear — change is good especially for a very stagnant and antiquated product development company like Chikka. Development is best for everyone especially in the view of sustainability and progress. But the balance between upholding a company’s culture and introducing development to it is very delicate — tip one side over and you get a very people-centric company and tip the other side over, then walls come crashing down on them. In this situation Smart did it poorly. Two giant feet.
This is all about business but the people are a company’s greatest asset. Or are they?