/>Omroep Rijnwoude website redesign
Today I launched the new website of Lokale Omroep Rijnwoude, after an extended period of development.
The design is something I whipped up way back in 2005. Due to uninteresting circumstances, the project got shelved. The site was on a development server back then, and remained there until I rediscovered it two months ago.
I proceeded to make a short list of things that needed to be added or changed, divided into tiny tasks, so it became easy to just fix something within 15 minutes, and scratch it off the list. A great way to work, if you don't have lots of time each day to spend on it.
The main goals I wanted to achieve were:
- an updated, fresher look,
- better use of screen real estate (screens have grown, so no need for a 760 pixel maximum width,
- If you click on photos in reports, you get a much bigger version
- A better user experience when using the site menu,
- Commenting capabilities on news,
- Bigger viewports for video.
Besides those, there were quite a few other minor issues and enhancements that got fixed. The website is now valid XHTML1.1 again (yes, with mime type switching) , something I still find quite a feat for a website with over 5000 news articles.
No HTML5?
No. Also, I'm still limiting the amount of JavaScript and fancy web12.0 stuff on my websites. Something has to have a very specific function, otherwise it will just make the site slow. Speed is still king. I've taken a lot of effort to increase the speed, by using sprites, server side thingies and caching. I also want to make the site look good for the audience, so I try to avoid fancy new stuff that can fall apart easily, and stick to my Russian CSS techniques.
Even though Omroep Rijnwoude will most likely be merging with AlphenstadFM in the next three years, it feels good to have a proper, modern website that outclasses all other Dutch local radio stations.
