Rethink.fm

In this episode, we discuss our learnings and experience from working as a team, after decades of working solo. What are the pro's & cons? What tools do we use to collaborate online and remote?

In episode 1 of season 4, Cathi, Jackie & Monique talk about user centered design practices. This podcast is based on the talk Cathi did for the GoDaddy online event Expand 2021. Listen in and learn from our mistakes. Related interesting reads or resources Youtube recording of Cathi's talk for GoDaddy's online event Expand 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNYinIEH8vk&list=WL&index=1

In episode 6, Cathi, Jackie & Monique discuss designer-isms. As designers, we tend to use too much jargon. This episode is based on the article we wrote for UXATT (link below), where we wrote about 15 design terms. We talk about why you should avoid jargon. And give suggestions on how you could speak about the same thing in plain language. And yes, we need to get better at it too. Related interesting reads or resources 15 designer-isms - how to avoid jargon - UXATT.comWhy Design-isms are a problem - UX CollectiveHow to deal with information overload in everyday life - Monique DubbelmanMost Used words/terms in UX Design - Linkedin post by Akash Solanki

In episode 5, Cathi, Jackie & Monique discuss the value of UX research. Many designers, including larger agencies, have difficulties 'squeezing' user research into a project, because clients prefer to immediately jump to the visual part of design. But what is the value of UX research? List of used terms UX researchUser eXperience research. Find out how people feel when they use your product.UIUser Interface. The visual part of a digital product that people see when they use it. Related interesting reads or resources Just Enough Research, by Erika HallStart doing good research faster than you can plan your next pitch.Exposure is key to evidence-based decision making for product teams. Presentation for WPVIP- BigWP - 2020, by Cathi Bosco Why speculate about the people we are building and designing for? Our teams need a deep understanding of their needs and their environments.What Proactive User Research Looks Like, by Jared Spool - UIE ArticlesUnsplash plugin for WordPress by XWP

In episode 4, Cathi, Jackie & Monique talk about how you can approach usability on digital products in a systematic way. We also introduce and explain our usability model, a pyramid that is based on the foundation of performance, accessibility and security. Listen now or read the transcript in the show notes to learn more. Links to discussed topics on usability From the UXATT blog: 10 critical usability heuristics to improve a digital experience Related interesting reads or resources Press This podcast episode with Jackie D’EliaNielsen Group 10 Usability Heuristics

In episode 3, Cathi, Jackie & Monique talk about Web Stories for WordPress. Google recently released this plugin in Beta. With Web Stories, you can create visually immersive and engaging content. In this podcast, we look at the plugin from a design perspective. Who can benefit from this way of publishing content? What does it mean for accessibility? How is the overall editing experience? And why should you use this open source alternative, rather than use what's already out there, like Instagram Stories? We answer all these questions and more in this episode of the Rethink.fm podcast. Links to discussed topics on Google Web Stories Google Web Stories Pulitzer Prize Awarded: Powerless: A photographer's journey into Yemen's shattering war  by Lorenzo Tugnoli CodePen: Text Magic by Paul Bakaus Web Stories on WordPress Beta Related interesting reads or resources Other ways to publish stories in the include: Web Stories, Tapable HQ, Make Stories, Ampstor, Visual Stories Tappable Make Stories Ampst

In episode 2, Cathi, Jackie & Monique discuss: What is good digital design? We take you back to the 80s and talk design for print. From there we touch on some design changes over the years and discuss how we work now. We also talk about the design of lawnmowers and Monique will tell you why she thinks Apple products like the magic mouse and the iPhone 11 are examples of bad design.  Listen now through your favorite podcast software, or read the transcript at the bottom. Links to discussed topics on good digital design Unsplash WordPress plugin  (coming to the plugin repo next week!) How progressive web apps can drive business success Related interesting reads What is intuitive design? Nobody told me UX would be like this

In this episode, Jackie D'Elia introduces the new co-hosts for the rethink.fm podcast: Cathi Bosco and Monique Dubbelman. The podcast continues in a new format, focusing more on design and user experience, both in and outside the WordPress ecosystem. Please find the transcript of the podcast at the bottom of this post. Listen to Episode 1   New co-hosts for rethink.fm podcast While we're redesigning this website to fit our new branding, please learn more about the new co-hosts for rethink.fm. Cathi Bosco I'm Cathi and I'm a Connecticut based UX Architect. I'm really excited to be part of this! Since we all bake, it's also a baking support group! Where to find Cathi Cathi's Business Website Cathi's Personal Website Cathi on Twitter Jackie D'Elia Hi I'm Jackie, the founder of this podcast. In another life, I could have been Rizzo from Grease. Where to find Jackie Jackie's Personal Website Jackie on Twitter   Monique Dubbelman Hi, I'm Monique and I'm one of the inventors of Dutch Directness! (Or i

Photo credit: Gary Lopater on Unsplash Exploring Page Builders and Advanced Custom Fields in WordPress In this episode, Diane Kinney and I are talking about Page Builders and Advanced Custom Fields Pro. There are a variety of tools available when it comes to building a WordPress website - and choosing the right tool for the job -- can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed. No worries, Diane puts it all in perspective and provides some useful tips on choosing a page builder. Diane Kinney Yes, I’m a mega WordPress nerd and I’d love to share the things I’ve learned in the last 17 years of building both simple and complex sites. Listen to Episode 24 Where to find Diane: Diane's Business Website: The Versatility Group Diane's Personal Website: DianeKinney.com Diane's Twitter link: @dkinney Her upcoming book with Carrie Dils: Real World Freelancing Tools and Resources discussed: Advanced Custom Fields Pro CMB2 - Custom Metaboxes 2 Page Builders Beaver Builder Site Origin Oxygen Page Builder Elemento

Photo credit: Sasha on Unsplash Getting Started with Local SEO John Locke is back on Rethink.fm and this time we are talking about SEO and specifically Local SEO, what it is, who needs it and how to approach it. Whether you are just starting with SEO or have been struggling with it, this episode is sure to provide some valuable insight. John was my guest on Episode 1 of Rethink.fm where we talked about developing a content first strategy. John Locke John Locke is an SEO consultant from Sacramento, CA. He helps established businesses rank higher through his agency, Lockedown Design. Listen to Episode 23 Where to find John: Website: Locke Down Design Twitter: Tools and Resources discussed: DIY SEO Courses by Rebecca Gill KWFinder - Hundreds of keyword ideas SEO Audits Time To First Byte Brian Dean's Study of One Million Search Results Ahrefs - Tools to improve your search traffic, research your competitors and monitor your niche. SEM Rush Yoast Local SEO Plugin

Photo credit: Puk Patrick on Unsplash Collaboration - Teaming up to tackle larger projects In this episode, I'm chatting with Cathi Bosco and Joe Dooley about a large project we did together. We talk about our roles and how we worked together. One of the challenges we tackled was incorporating a flexible animated icon system using SVGs -- and what was involved in building that. Listen to Episode 22 Cathi BoscoCreative Director, Digital Consultant, Web Designer, Artist, Illustrator, Children's Book Author, trail runner, dog lover & free thinker... My specialty is creating beautiful and cohesive web presence packages for clients that can convert audiences and present content elegantly (think modern and clean presentation). Our sites are built on The Genesis Framework and they function exceptionally well for a wide range of programs, communities, organizations, and companies. If you have an unusual challenge – we are all ears… tell us about your project and ideas! We don’t take on each and every prop

Photo credit: MILKOVÍ on Unsplash eCommerce - Helping folks sell online In this episode, I'm chatting with Bob Dunn of bobwp.com. Bob is a master at producing content and building an audience. We're talking about eCommerce, and what's involved in selling products online. And the conversation doesn't stop there. Bob shares his experience with podcasting, page builders, managing affiliates, sponsors and more. So if you are thinking about starting an online business, this episode covers a lot of ground. Bob Dunn With a background in marketing Bob and his wife Judy grew a marketing company into what today is a content marketing machine centered around eCommerce. "In 2007 I began to dabble in WordPress and by 2008, I knew it was the perfect solution for me and my clients. We dove back into eCommerce a bit more by starting a membership site in 2008 as well, a time before membership sites really were catching on. And obviously, with the technology nowhere at where it is today, it took us a good 9 months to

In this episode, I am chatting with Kim Shivler about Learning Management Systems, what are they and how easy it is to create a membership site of online courses. If you are thinking about selling courses or have clients that want to, this episode is for you.

Why User Research Matters In this episode, I am chatting with Melissa Eggleston about UX, what it is and why it is a crucial component in creating a successful web project. I first met Melissa at WordCamp, Asheville in 2015 and had a chance to visit with her at the happiness bar and see her presentation Website Design with UX in Mind. Melissa Eggleston Melissa Eggleston is a User Experience Specialist and Content Strategist based in Raleigh / Durham, North Carolina. She helps businesses, non-profits, and universities find, attract, and help their target audiences. She often works for agencies and design/development teams. She's able to see the big picture while also digging into the details. She's worked on projects for both tiny tech startups and big organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Melissa's is the co-author of The Zombie Business Cure - How to refocus your company's identity for more authentic communication. Listen to Episode 19 Where to find Melissa: Website: Melissa Egg

In this episode, I am chatting with Robin Cornett about her journey into plugin development. Robin started as a photographer who built her own website. Since those early days, she has created some very useful plugins, and is a contributor to the Genesis Framework.

Photo credit: Yanko Peyankov on Unsplash Workflow Wisdom In this episode, I am chatting with Nick Davis about his own workflow journey and why he started GenesisWP.guide. Nick Davis Nick's been building websites for fun and profit since 1997, doing everything from working as one of the first online journalists at the BBC; managing the website of one of the UK’s largest airports; to running a large team of web developers and designers for a publishing company in Dubai. Since going out on his own and discovering WordPress in 2010, he's worked as a WordPress developer and consultant helping business owners and agencies launch better websites for their businesses or clients, obsessing about making everything on their websites as easy to manage as possible. Listen to Episode 17 Where to find Nick: I Am Nick Davis @iamnickdavis on Twitter GenesisWP Guide Tools and Resources discussed: KnowtheCode.io Alain Schlesser - Reusable Code Series Transcript Jackie Hey everybody, this is Jackie D'Elia with

Agency Workflows and Tools In this episode, I am chatting with Lee Jackson of AngledCrown all about agency workflows. What's life like running an agency across the pond? Tune in and find out. Lee Jackson Lee is the founder of Angled Crown, a digital agency in the UK. They primarily build WordPress site and plugins for design agencies. Lee is also the host of the WPInnovator Podcast - The podcast for designers, we talk agency life, strategy, marketing and WordPress. This episode of Rethink.fm is sponsored by: This episode of Rethink.fm is sponsored by Beaver Builder. If you are looking to reduce design and development time, Beaver Builder is your answer. It’s the only page builder I recommend and with over 375,000 WordPress websites built with Beaver Builder - you’ll be in great company. Stop reinventing the wheel. With dozens of gorgeous page templates, you’ll be able to spin up an amazing landing page in minutes. Looking for a template for your site's inner pages? Don't worry, they’ve got you co

All The Things In this episode, I am chatting with Morten Rand-Hendriksen. As someone who has taken most, if not all his courses on Lynda.com - all I can say is WOW - this is awesome. Let's get started! Morten Rand-Hendriksen Instructor, educator, speaker at LinkedIn Learning, helping people master WordPress, the web, and online communication. Since joining forces with Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning) in 2010, Morten has 60+ published courses on WordPress, front-end web design and development, and web standards, reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers from all over the world. He also contributes to the web community as a public speaker, author, educator, web developer, and design philosopher. This episode of Rethink.fm is sponsored by: Delicious Brains - They make super awesome products for WordPress If you’re a developer who’s looking to speed up their workflows so you can work less but bill the same (effectively increasing your hourly rate), WP Migrate DB Pro is for you. Or, check out their bl

In this episode, I'm chatting with Rachel Andrew - an authority on CSS Grid Layout, the new specification that is redefining how we approach layout for the web. We'll cover what you need to know to get started with CSS Grid and how this will change the way you think about the web design grid. Meet Rachel Andrew Rachel Andrew is a front and back-end web developer, author and speaker. Her books include the recent Get Ready for CSS Grid Layout and she is a regular contributor to a number of publications both on and offline. Rachel is co-founder of the CMS Perch, a Google Developer Expert and an Invited Expert to the CSS Working Group. She writes about business and technology on her own site at rachelandrew.co.uk. Show Notes Rachel's website:  https://rachelandrew.co.uk/ Grid by Example:  http://gridbyexample.com/ The CSS Layout Workshop:  https://thecssworkshop.com/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/rachelandrew Codepen:  http://codepen.io/rachelandrew/ Perch CMS:  https://grabaperch.com/ Transcript Open P

In this episode, I'm chatting with Gary Jones. I'm honored to have Gary on the show. He is your go-to person when you want things done right. He is a huge asset to the Genesis community and shares his knowledge in so many ways. If you spend any time on Github - you are sure to see his name as a contributor on so many open source projects. Let's get started. Meet Gary Jones Gary Jones is a UK-based WordPress Engineer, code consultant and father of extremely premature twins. Driven by a passion for excellence, he creates elegant WordPress plugins and theme solutions for clients, and provides services, including code audits, for other web designers and developers. He's worked on projects for SiteGround, Yoast, StudioPress, Web Savvy Marketing, Daniels Trading, Rolls-Royce and many smaller design and development agencies and individuals. Gary is a key contributor to the GENESIS FRAMEWORK and has contributed to all except one major branch of WordPress Core since 3.3. He has contributed to many open source pr