WEBSTANDARDS Archives

November 2011

WEBSTANDARDS@LISTS.UMN.EDU

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Subject:
From:
Dale Trexel <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
UofMN Web Standards <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 4 Nov 2011 10:33:06 -0500
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Hello Folks,

I've been reading up about responsive web design lately, thinking about how
we might make it work for the Law School. So, when Tony Thomas posted his
slides from his recent talk to the Web Standards group, I was thankful, but
disappointed at the fact that that I'd missed out on an opportunity to hear
about and discuss the topic in person. (I've missed quite a few Web
Standards meetings this semester because of my schedule.) I exchanged a few
emails with him, and it turns out I'm not the only person who's interested
in the topic and who contacted him after he posted his slides.

It seems to me that responsive design is still young in development, and
people who have tried it are largely re-inventing the wheel with bits and
pieces of information scattered across the web. There are some
libraries/frameworks out there that attempt to provide a baseline for
newcomers to build off of, but the ones I've seen tend to focus on the
shifting-boxes-around problem without really tackling the other issues
related to responsive design (i.e., updating controls for touch vs. mouse
interactions and dynamically altering content to simplify and shift
emphasis as screen sizes get small). What if we were to come together and
build a framework that tackled all these issues using an approach that
starts off with a basic U of MN design, but allows for personalization by
colleges/departments?

Are there other folks out there who would be interested in putting together
a working group (or whatever you want to call it) that is focused on this
issue? I'd be willing to give a shot at organizing such an effort. I have
some ideas of my own for how such a framework should work, and I'd be happy
to hear what other folks have to say.

Dale Trexel
Web Manager
U of MN Law School


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