Minible is a simple way to collaborate on content for a website
Colophon
Background
Minible was a simple idea that I came up with while on placement,while working with clients I found the process of having to collect web copy for a specific website a pain.
I wanted a way I could easily let them create the navigation hierarchy and all the content for the pages, I wanted it to be very easy for them to do and understand it quickly. I spent a lot of time trying out different layouts to cater for this content, whether this be using forms or lists. I decided to add in a comments feature as well to let the user write notes on each page.
The site itself is designed to be used by everyone and is also created in a way to get a client used to using a content management system and the idea of inputting data and then saving this.
Build
Minible is built using Codeigniter an opensource PHP Framework that takes the hassle out of building custom web applications due to using a MVC setup.
The hardest part for me was learning this language and getting an understanding of the MVC process as I had not done this before. The site itself is built using CSS & HTML in Coda and the mockups were created in Photoshop.
The site uses some neat CSS3 techniques and shall be responsive by the time this page is live, it is built on the Mysql framework and uses a database to pull information in.
I host all my websites with Hostgator.com who I can honestly say have never been down once for me or have I had any problems with them.
Accessibility & Browser Support
The site itself has been tested mostly in Safari 5.0.5 & Google Chrome. I also tested the main sites functionality and look throughout mulitiple different browsers using Adobes Browser Labs, which I highly recommend as it means not having to install Windows OS onto a Mac.
The site uses all the latest techniques and is built with commented code throughout. Most pages of the site are responsive and where I have used CSS3, I have also included a fallback for when I have used Browser Specific techniques it will degrade gracefully without the user even knowing.
One area I had this problem was with the CSS3 Gradient I had used on the buttons, when the gradient was not present the button could hardly be seen and I had to change the way this was displayed as it was my main Call to Action function for signups.
Who I am
My Name is Mark Kelso and I have just finished studying Interactive Multimedia Design at the University of Ulster.
I have been designing Web User Interfaces for a wide range of clients for the last 5 years, I take each site I design and create a unique design to the clients specification. I follow the web community very closely and keep up with all the latest trends.
I have just finished a year's placement working for Cronin Designs as a Web Developer managing all aspects of a project from Mockups, Design, Coding and Training.
While in Dublin I worked for clients such as the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Dyslexia Ireland, MRCS & Flora Butter.
Font Choices
I spent a lot of time choosing specific fonts for this complete application as not only were they need on websites, I also had to create business cards's and a word mark. The main type I chose for the logo was American Typewriter and for the logo I used a simple circle with the font Biffo. I chose this as I thought it worked with well the circular shaper and the italic angle really sold it. I chose American Typewriter as it is available on nearly every computer meaning even if the image logo did not display the text would display. It was also was handy for Printable Documents.
On the site itself I use a paid package of Typekit, Typekit is brilliant as it allows you to use their large library of fonts and then embed these in your webpage, its a very simple process. The great thing about packages like typekit is that it will allow these fonts to not only work on older versions of a browser but also on mobile & IOS Devices.
The fonts I choose to use for this site are Pill Gothic 300mg and for the lovely font at the top of the page I used Tamarillo.
Featured Articles
Minible has received quite a bit of press from local blog posts to international well known web design sites, below is a few of my favourites: