Adaptive Web Design: Crafting Rich Experiences with Progressive Enhancement [Paperback]

Aaron Gustafson (Author), Jeffrey Zeldman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2011

Review
"Adaptive Web Design not only provides the clearest, most beautiful explanation of progressive enhancement I've ever read, it's also packed full of practical know-how pumped directly into your neocortex through Aaron's warm and friendly writing style. If you aren't already using progressive enhancement to build websites, you soon will be." --Jeremy Keith, Author, HTML5 for Web Designers

"Finally. Progressive enhancement explained with a perfect balance of theory and practice. Aaron's take-aways will have you progressively-enhancing your markup, style and behavior with ease." --Dan Cederholm, Author, CSS3 For Web Designers

"With this forward-thinking book Aaron shows us that anyone can produce accessible, engaging web experiences without sacrificing their ambitions. Through progressive enhancement, he'll show you how to bring designs to life without compromising the integrity of content. I've been learning from Aaron for many years, and suggest you do the same." --Simon Collison, Co-author, CSS Mastery

"You hear the term 'Progressive Enhancement' bandied about as a good thing, and it absolutely is. However, few resources cover the breadth of the topic as well as this book does. Adaptive Web Design includes some of the best and broadest coverage in an easy-to-read and well-structured book." --Jonathan Snook, Co-author, The Art and Science of CSS

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Easy Readers, LLC; 1st edition (May 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098358950X
• ISBN-13: 978-0983589501
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aaron has nearly 15 years experience on the web and, in that time, has cultivated a love of web standards and an in-depth knowledge of website strategy and architec­ture, interface design, and numerous languages (including XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP). He co-founded Retreats 4 Geeks, an intimate technology training series, and is Group Manager of the Web Standards Project (WaSP) where he has spearheaded both Web Standards Sherpa and a small business outreach effort. He wrote the JavaScript library eCSStender and a slew of other useful scripts, served as Technical Editor for A List Apart, is a contributing writer for .net Magazine, and has filled a small library with his technical writing and editing credits.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Starter on Progressive Enhancement August 24, 2011

By Anthony Grace

Format:Paperback

I'm just reading the final chapter in this book and I can't recommend it highly enough.

As an ASP.NET Web Forms developer, I can relate only too well to the need for diligence and common sense when designing websites that are being accessed on a plethora of devices, some not yet envisioned, by so many different people, many of whom have accessibility issues. I have been facing an uphill struggle in my own attempts to embrace solid best practices in my work and this book has restored my confidence in that quest.

The only other book out there in the same league is the one on Progressive Enhancement by the Filament Group; I just wish I had read this one first! There is no better introduction to the topic out there.

"Think of the User, not the Browser."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect explanation, convincing, and how-to of progressive enhancement. July 12, 2011

By Sean Murphy

Format:Kindle Edition

Adaptive Web Design explains so elegantly what progressive enhancement is all about, convinces you to believe in the practice, and provides practical implementation techniques. The storytelling is superb and content top-notch. If you create on the web, even if you already know a thing or two about progressive enhancement, this is a must read; I loved it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Just enough examples to get you started in the right direction September 26, 2011

By Techie Evan

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

With this short but well-written book, you'll learn the key principles and primary techniques for designing web pages that can adapt to devices with different capabilities and display constraints, and are accessible to users equipped with assistive technologies such as screen readers, using only best practices revolving around the effective application of semantic markups, cascading style sheets (CSS), and Javascript.

The book explains in simple terms what designing web pages with progressive enhancements in mind entails: Keep the initial design simple. Focus first on the semantic markups and basic stylings you can safely use across browsers and devices, then if feature detection code incorporated into the subject web page indicates that a targeted feature is supported, layer on the bells and whistles programmatically through the use of Javascript or CSS rule sets.

The author provides just enough examples to illustrate the concepts under discussion. If you are just starting to learn about adaptive web design, this book will help you get started in the right direction more quickly than the Filament Group's Designing with Progressive Enhancement: Building the Web that Works for Everyone book. The latter, however, does provide a slightly more in-depth discussion of adaptive web design and a more extensive collection of examples than this book.