#96 Is Bricks the Way Forward?  ## Metadata - Author: [[WP Café]] - Full Title: #96 Is Bricks the Way Forward? - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/650b4def-14c5-44d3-9008-1f8ce93617ad ## Document Notes ## Highlights - Episode AI notes 1. The design process often presents challenges that can lead to disappointment if deliverables don't align with client expectations. 2. A pragmatic approach to gaps in design can help maintain project momentum instead of fixating on imperfections. 3. Creating flexible card layouts may introduce inconsistencies in design updates, complicating client-customized layouts. 4. Implementing integrated custom fields (ICF) can promote design consistency and simplify updates across applications. 5. Modern web development faces challenges with CSS and template management, affecting the ability to make quick design changes. 6. Frustrations arise when new technologies attempt to address minor issues rather than the more significant concerns of clients. 7. Skepticism about new solutions often stems from their failure to tackle deeper problems, leading to feelings of postponed issues instead of real fixes. 8. The reliance on HTML content management may not meet the practical needs of many clients, highlighting a disconnect in perceived and actual solutions. 9. There is a gap between what developers understand about client needs and expectations and the capabilities of modern web technologies. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/832eeb9a-5dfe-4129-860f-98dc2966e16a)) - Navigating Design Challenges in Web Development The design process often presents challenges that can lead to disappointment when deliverables don't meet expectations. It is essential to approach these gaps pragmatically, focusing on continuing the project rather than dwelling on imperfections. While the overall design structure may be in place, decision-making frequently revolves around the breakdown of elements for construction. For instance, creating flexible card layouts that allow clients to customize their use of space poses the risk of inconsistency in design updates. If clients integrate multiple patterns across various pages, modifying design elements like border radius becomes labor-intensive and complicated due to the lack of a centralized source for editing. To tackle this issue, implementing integrated custom fields (ICF) allows for design consistency and ease of updates across all applications, addressing ongoing challenges in managing design variations effectively. Transcript: Speaker 2 Yeah, I Mean it's been interesting watching it Certainly like the design Process. I haven't been oh, it's difficult. I don't want to disparage anybody or badmouth anybody. Especially because I don't know what the agreements were between the design agency and the client. But yeah, I've been slightly disappointed in what we've kind of received, let's put it like that, from the designers. There was there was I guess an opportunity for us to be a bit awkward and dig our heels in and but the approach we've taken is just like let's just get on with it. Like you know what the design deliverables aren't perfect there's gaps it's not what we were expecting it's not what we were kind of promised when we spoke to the designers at the start Of the project but there's actually no point in us kicking up any fuss about it because we can just crack on and that's what we're gonna do. So yeah, I'm excited but also, nervous is probably the wrong word, but well we'll discuss it in a minute or two, but just how we're gonna approach this build. Speaker 1 I think we're still a little Maybe we have made a decision now, but it's been a bit for us in us getting there. I think that comes to the next point so Whilst the designs were being finalized most of the main pages were designed like and and the the discussions going on were Relatively minor really Weren't they moving things around pages which we could do anyway So some bigger issues, but essentially the main structure was there and we were trying to look at those designs and break Those down into, you know, how are we gonna build this bit, that bit, et cetera? And that's kind of where the big sort of decision points have been and what decisions we've taken. So I'm going to give a really basic example and if you want to learn more about this, Keith had a video on our YouTube channel which she talks about building a card layout. So one of the aspects of the design, as I'm sure it is, on most designs, is you have sort of little cards of call to action content. Picture, title, possibly a little paragraph, button. And there are various styles of those as well. So some are wider, some have got more information, some have got less information, some have a button, some have a read, colors, reverse. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes the image is first, sometimes, and various different variations of them. And we looked at those initially and thought they could easily be built with blocks, potentially with block patterns where the client can just drop, you know, three in a row on a page. And that's fine. But our biggest problem with doing that is, let's say we created a pattern and the client drops that onto the page, they then go and create 25 pages with all these patterns on them and then The client says to us, actually, I don't think that border radius is quite right on those buttons. I think it needs to be increased a little bit or decreased a little bit. At that point, it becomes very difficult to update all those pages at the same time. You'd have to edit each page and then change the border radius because a pattern is detached from a source, if that makes sense. There's no original source where you can change the design and then update it. And that has been a massive problem for us going forward. How do we do that? So we've settled on ICF blocks, I think. Can I just interject there, Mark? ([Time 0:03:38](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a74a5cf8-f58a-4dac-8936-451cd8b28b99)) - Challenges in Modern Web Development Practices Modern web development is facing significant challenges, particularly regarding the flexibility and functionality of CSS and template management. It is increasingly difficult to make quick and straightforward changes like adding an underline or modifying styles in CSS files, which disrupts the efficiency of development workflows. This complexity often leads to frustrations, as developers may feel burdened by new technologies that mainly address minor issues rather than the primary concerns of clients. Additionally, there is skepticism about new solutions and APIs that do not resolve deeper problems, which can feel like merely postponing issues rather than providing real fixes. Moreover, the reliance on HTML content management is insufficient for many clients, suggesting a disconnect between perceived solutions and practical client needs. Developers, especially those aware of these nuances, recognize that many proposed changes may not align with what clients actually want, indicating a gap in understanding client expectations and the capabilities of modern web technologies. Transcript: Speaker 2 Yeah, or we want to move the line across the site. We want an underline instead of the lines to the side. You can no longer go into a CSS file, look at your H2 or section style class and say do this instead. Speaker 1 Save, commit, deploy. Or add an element into a template that is pushed across the website. Yeah. Speaker 2 So I don't know. Like you were saying, you know, or we were saying earlier this morning, they probably have the skills and budgets to solve those problems that we don't. But I, these are the things that I see in it. Like me, I think I'm in the bit of a natural pessimist anyway. And I think these are the kinds of things that I see, these problems. And maybe I overemphasize them in my head. Maybe they're not a big deal as I make them out to be. But I just constantly see stuff like this, rather than opportunity. Like, here, got this new API, we've got this new way of doing things, we've got these new sync to variable patterns. I'm like, yeah, but it doesn't do this. I can't do that. It kicks this down the road, you know, it kicks this can down the road or that can down the road or whatever. And I just, yeah, just not. Speaker 1 Solve I think that's why we've decided not to go with it no it solves a small problem that actually clients don't actually want to solve sometimes they don't really want to be going and Speaker 2 Changing their pattern themselves you know anyway yeah I agree just Cameron here says relying on HTML and the content is not feasible for anything a client will touch the people who Think that's a viable solution haven't worked with clients. ([Time 0:26:28](https://share.snipd.com/snip/2eb01034-eb18-41ab-af4a-457b8891f6cb)) - Note: webdev WordPress - Tags: webdev, wordpress