WordPress

Welcome to our roundup of the best plugins for popular CMS, this month. We’re going to cover plugins built to enhance WordPress, Shopify, Craft CMS, and Joomla. Enjoy!

WordPress

Tutor LMS Elementor Addons

Tutor LMS Elementor Addons is a useful plugin that adds 25+ add-ons to the Elementor page builder. The plugin allows users to create custom styling and layouts for Tutor LMS courses. For this plugin to work effectively, you will have to install Tutor LMS and the Elementor Plugin. After activating all three plugins, you will be able to build single course pages using Elementor. Some of the Elementor Addons include course rating, course title, course author, course level, course duration, course thumbnail, course price, and lots more. The plugin can also be used to edit the look of your existing courses. The pro version of Elementor is not required to use this plugin. It has also been tested with top WordPress themes.

Quick Audio Player

Quick Audio Player is a customizable audio player for WordPress websites. The plugin is responsive and works with any WordPress theme. It runs seamlessly on all devices and major web browsers. Features of the plugin include an HTML5 audio player, live player editing, player poster image, rich control settings, player shortcode, player width customization, and player color customization. The player is available in different audio types including .mp3, .wav, and .ogg.

Simple Responsive WP Slider

Simple Responsive WP Slider is a lightweight slider plugin for WordPress. The plugin allows you to create and customize unlimited sliders for your website. You can use a shortcode or place the slider within Gutenberg blocks to add the slider to a webpage. Some of the features of the plugin include unlimited sliders and multiple sliders on each page. You can set custom configuration options for each slide, including the navigation and slider. Some of the basic configuration options for individual sliders include adding dots or arrows to the slides.

NutsForPress Images and Media

Images and Media is an essential plugin from NutsForPress that makes it easy to customize image and media files on WordPress. The plugin allows you to set the threshold size for images on your website and automatically resizes images that exceed that threshold upon uploading. It also allows users to set a JPEG compression level and will automatically compress JPEGs to meet that compression quality upon uploading. You can prevent GIFs from getting resized to avoid breaking their animation. The plugin can also bulk rebuild “alt title,” “description,” and “caption” for all uploaded media files. You can also bulk rebuild missing PDF preview images. They are seven custom thumbnail sizes to choose from. The plugin is fully compliant with WPML.

Ultimate Social Media Share

Ultimate Social Media Share is a lightweight and responsive plugin for WordPress that allows users to add social media share buttons and social media follow buttons to their site. The plugin is GDPR compliant and DSGVO compliant. The plugin does not collect any IP or personal data. You can insert the social buttons and icons in widgets or Gutenberg blocks. The plugin is free to use and supports 9 different languages. You can customize the plugin to suit your audience’s needs, and it is responsive on any screen, big or small. It is compatible with Gutenberg and Classic WordPress editors. Ultimate Social Media is compatible with WooCommerce, BBPress, BuddyPress, and all custom post types. You can choose from over 35 social media platforms. It is also free to use. The plugin’s social icons are Scalable Vector Graphics, meaning they are scalable to any screen size and load fast.

Wall Pricing Table

Wall Pricing Table plugin allows WordPress users to create pricing tables for their WordPress site. You can add the features of the different pricing plans and also display the price table anywhere on your site. The available fields on the pricing table are title, subtitle, price, button, and features(you can add as many as you want). You can differentiate each plan by color. The plugin is completely free to use.

Job App Manager

Job App Manager is a simple WordPress plugin that allows you to display a job application form on your website for candidates to apply with their details. A shortcode is used to display the form on any webpage on your site. After the user completes a form, they will receive a confirmation email. To find the submissions in the form, go to ‘All Submissions’ on the admin page. On the admin page, you can also search, filter, and delete forms. There is also a dashboard widget that shows the latest 5 form submissions.

Jetpack Boost

Jetpack Boost is a one-click optimization plugin that allows users to supercharge their WordPress site’s performance and SEO. Jetpack Boost is still pre-release software, so it’s advised to install the plugin on only production sites until version 1.01 is released. The pre-release version of the software has three powerful modules. The first module uses local critical CSS to generate optimized styles for your webpages. This will allow content to load faster on the screens of viewers. The second module defers non-essential Javascript. This means that the non-essential tasks show after the page loads, allowing important visual information to be seen sooner. The third module implements lazy image loading, so images load when they appear in the browser’s viewport. So if a viewer doesn’t scroll to the end of the webpage, images placed at the bottom of the page won’t load. This makes the website load faster.

Rsiltech Postcode Availability

Rsilitech postcode availability is a simple plugin that allows your customers to check shipping availability. All your customer needs to do is enter their postcode in the “check availability” section of the product details page. Other features include display delivery date in the product page, display shipping note on the product page, add postcode in the admin panel, edit postcode in the admin panel, and list postcode in the admin panel.

WPTD Video Popup

WPTD Video Popup is a simple video popup plugin for WordPress. The plugin supports both YouTube and Vimeo. Some of the plugin features include unlimited popups, retina ready, easy shortcodes for set up, and customizable width and height size for YouTube and Vimeo videos.

Easy Translate

Easy Translate allows you to translate your WordPress site into multiple languages. The plugin will translate everything on your site regardless of themes or plugin specifications. Easy Translate currently works with Polylang and WPML plugins. It uses the plugins to detect frontend language. It is easy to use and is compatible with all themes and plugins. You can translate your site to as many languages as you want. A unique feature of the plugin is that it can translate dynamic strings added by themes, WordPress, and plugins.

Shopify

ConvertOut Ambassadors

ConvertOut Ambassadors is a Shopify plugin that allows users to create an ambassador program in minutes. You don’t need any technical knowledge to get started. The plugin starts working minutes after installation. For every sale made, ConvertOut will track the commission it needs to pay to the ambassador. Payouts are made directly to the ambassador’s PayPal account.

Product Stories Convert Sales

Products Stories Convert Sale is a cool plugin that upgrades your website by giving it a trendy social network look. The plugin makes it fun and easy for customers to view products in your store. All your catalog will appear in carousel stories, just like Instagram feed stories. Coupons will also pop up in the stories to help increase sales. You will also receive real-time reports that will help you identify what your customers are interested in.

Advoz

Advoz is a Shopify plugin that allows experts to create high-quality Google, Facebook, and Instagram ads to promote your business. Once you set a weekly budget, you will receive a custom graphic or video on how the ads will run. The plugin will create ads that will drive quality leads to your store.

Craft CMS

Presence

Presence is a Craft plugin that displays the current users editing an entry. The users are displayed in the right sidebar settings when editing an entry. A default logo is set for users that do not have a profile image. Admins can review and approve the entries made.

Marketplace for Craft Commerce

Marketplace for Craft Commerce allows Craft users to turn their e-commerce sites into a marketplace. Users can add payees to products and also charge fees for your platform. You can charge a flat or percent fee. Payouts are handled via Stripe Connect.

Joomla

AA Youtube Subscribe Button

AA Youtube Subscribe Button is a Joomla module that allows you to show a Youtube subscribe button with your site’s subscriber number. It is easy to use and is fully responsive. It has cross-browser support and works with any template.

MyRealPin

MyRealPin provides a Pinterest-like look to your website. You can create your own pinboards and collaborate with friends. You can customize the Joomla extension to suit your needs.

AA Tiny Audio Player

AA Tiny Audio Player allows Joomla users to add an HTML5 audio player to their website. The extension comes with a responsive layout and supports animations. It works with .mp3, .ogg, and .wav video formats. It also works with all templates.

Featured image via Pexels.

The post Top New CMS Plugins, February 2021 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

3 février 2021/par Service comm.

3 Essential Design Trends, February 2021

It’s hard to believe we are more than a month into 2021 already. But that means more trends to dive into this year, right?

So far, the biggest trend of 2021 in website design is an overall lack of people in imagery. It’s not that surprising with a worldwide pandemic happening, but it can mean that designers are branching out in other ways to enhance visual interest in their designs. Here’s what’s trending in design this month.

1. Non-Traditional Nav

An interesting way to create visual interest can be to mix up the location, size, or placement of the main navigation menu.

While it can be hard to think about not using a top navigation element or a corner placement for a hamburger menu or icon, it is a solid option depending on the number of menu items and surrounding content.

And there are so many options when you start to think about it. Each draws the eye to different locations on the screen because it is unexpected and different.

Tilda uses a navigation menu anchored to the right side of the screen. But as you move through the almost file folder-style tabs, the flip to the right side of the screen. It has an authentic feel that’s interesting without being overwhelming to the user.

Cmentarz Łyczakowski also has a navigation element on the screen’s right side, but it is a closed, red frame with only a hamburger icon. It’s a rather unusual use of space for a navigation element, but it pulls together with the overlapping video box. Clicking the hamburger navigation pulls up a full-screen menu from the bottom (also a slightly different approach) with oversized clickable elements to move throughout the website.

Global Sense shifts the focus from top page navigation to the bottom of the home page. What makes it especially nice is that the navigation bar floats to the top and sticks on scroll. This ensures that while the homepage has a different look and feel, users don’t get lost without navigation as they move through the design.

2. Signature-Style Marks

Website designers use signature-style marks – from logos to headlines – to add a more personal touch to their website projects. And the result is a collection of stunning scripts and novelty typefaces.

So how can you replicate this trend?

You don’t have to digitize your actual signature. (That’s probably not the best idea from a security perspective.) But you can find a font that evokes the same feeling as your own handwriting or contract someone to create an experimental typeface for you.

The portfolio of “Zeus” has a beautiful handwriting style element layered over a dark geo-background. (Can you see the outline of the J and O from the signature there?) The signature-style mark works so well because everything is simple and understated, but with depth and dimension elements.

Another portfolio site, this one for Marco Rezende, uses a signature mark as the site logo. It’s an interesting divot that gives just a little more panache and flair to the overall design scheme to feel weighty and professional. Also, note that the designer used a mostly dark background with a white (light) mark. That’s also quite a common visual theme with this website design trend.

On the other end of the spectrum of this trend is Airport Restaurant. This isn’t a personal site, but the signature-style mark on the homepage gives it a more personal feel. It is almost reminiscent of signing the check after you eat. The additional use of color and size give this treatment a visual boost that helps propel the design forward.

3. Fluid Shapes

Using different types of shapes to create a visual theme has been popular for a few years. Most everyone probably has experimented with some geometric pattern or background by now.

Shapes are taking on a more fluid feel now, and much of that is due to adding hints of animation to shapes and backgrounds to create more liquid looks or harmonic flow.

This trend can work for bigger visual elements such as image frames or the overall homepage art element or smaller patterns or layering effects. The overall goal with fluid shapes is to create something smooth and almost seamless so that users aren’t focused on it but delighted by it.

Each of the three examples below takes a different approach to this website design trend.

Eder Anaya has a rotating rectangle with a fluid animation inside. The overall shape itself is also animated and changes from a rectangle to a trapezoid-type shape to a flat plane.

Wave Lab might have one of the coolest fluid shape animations out there. With images inside the shape, plus a colored outline, plus a subtle bounce, you’d think this is too much for a single element. But it works thanks to plenty of white space and a generally minimalistic aesthetic otherwise. The cleverest part is that one of the shapes is the “W” from the brand logo.

The Bulleit Group also uses fluid shapes but sans-animation. Animated elements are surrounding the shapes but not the shapes themselves. The design’s overall simplicity is intriguing, and the shapes create interest in a place where it might have been difficult otherwise. It’s also nice that they use this shape theme throughout the design and not just on the home screen.

Conclusion

How are you working with fewer images of people? Or is it something you are ignoring altogether with your website projects? Make sure to share some of the ways you are designing this year with me on Twitter, @carriecousins.

And keep those trends coming! It’s so much fun to explore new design elements.

The post 3 Essential Design Trends, February 2021 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

1 février 2021/par Service comm.

Should You Become a Web Designer in 2021?

If you’re here, then you’re thinking about becoming a web designer and wondering if it’s a smart move.

Honestly, it’s not uncommon to be plagued by doubts and what-ifs when making a big career change, and that’s especially so right now, what with all the uncertainty we’ve faced over the last year.

Here’s some good news: It’s never a bad time to become a web designer, which makes 2021 the perfect time to turn your passion into a career! Here are 8 reasons why:

1. People Are Spending More Time Online Than Ever Before

DoubleVerify surveyed consumers’ digital consumption habits in 2020, and guess what it found? The amount of time people spend online has doubled since the pandemic began. Before 2020, consumers worldwide were spending an average of 3 hours and 17 minutes online every day. Now? The average is 6 hours and 59 minutes.

Needless to say, web designers are in high demand as businesses rush to get in front of these consumers.

2. There’s a Big Freelance Boom Right Now

An Upwork study at the end of 2020 reveals that freelancing grew by 22% (about 2 million workers) since 2019. This now-popular career move is a great option for everyone — from university graduates entering the workforce for the first time to anyone who’s been recently laid off. Heck, if you’re just plain unhappy with the course of your career and want to shake things up, freelancing could be the breath of fresh you need.

3. It’s a Future-Proof Field

In these uncertain times, you’re right to be cautious about jumping into something new. But web design is a career that’ll be around for a long, long time. It’s not just the fact that we’ll always need people to build websites that makes this field future-proof. You could build… Websites. Mobile apps. Web apps. Progressive web apps. You could specialize in… Graphic design. UX design. Web development. You could work for yourself. Build your own agency. Go work for someone else.

There’s a ton of flexibility in how you make a living as a designer. So if your interests change or your industry is impacted, that’s fine. Just pivot!

4. You Can Do It From Anywhere, Anytime

When people are nervous about traveling or living in densely packed cities, that’s not something that should worry you as a web designer. One of the benefits of being a web designer is that you can do it from anywhere you want and on your own schedule.

This is especially nice for anyone who has a family and needs a more effective way of managing it all at once, even when the kids aren’t in school or jobs out in the physical world are diminishing.

5. You’re in the Driver’s Seat

Let’s face it, it can be really stressful working for a company where you have little to no say about what goes on, how it gets done, and how much money you make for all your efforts. This is one of the reasons why freelancing is such an attractive option for many. You get to decide which content management system you build websites with. You get to decide who you work with. You get to set your hours of availability. You make the rules. And you know what? You can change them at any time. It’s all on you.

6. It Can Be a Lot of Fun

There’s some fascinating stuff coming down the line in digital design. For instance, augmented and virtual realities are really starting to pick up speed as ecommerce companies need a better way to allow customers to window-shop and try stuff on digitally.

AI is also bringing a lot of changes to the space. Not only can machine learning and language processing improve the way companies do business online, but they can also improve the way web designers work, too.

7. It Can Also Be Really Rewarding

Because you control your career as a web designer, you get to decide who you build websites for. So, what kinds of causes are you passionate about? Is there an industry you have close ties to and want to give back? This isn’t about working for free. This is about offering your professional design services to people you’re invested in and causes that get you excited.

Not only will it be easier to work for clients like these, but you’ll enjoy it more, too.

8. You Don’t Need to Go to School to Become a Designer

This is a common question for people wanting to leap into web design. While you should have some basic knowledge and skills when you start, you don’t need a degree in design or development to start making money.

One of the beautiful things about becoming a web designer is that you can learn as you go. Here are 5 free courses that’ll help you get to the next level. For instance, you can start as a freelancer, building websites from pre-made templates or themes. As you get more experience and pick up advanced design and coding skills, you can then branch out into specialized fields or areas of expertise.

Ready to Become a Web Designer?

There are many, many reasons to leap into web design in 2021. But are you ready? Before you get started, make sure you have a trusted set of resources to help you with the business side of becoming a web designer. Webdesigner Depot is a good place to start. You’ll learn things like:

And much, much more. When you’re ready, check out this 3-part business branding series where you’ll learn how to kick off your new web design business the right way.

Featured image via Unsplash.

The post Should You Become a Web Designer in 2021? first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

27 janvier 2021/par Service comm.

20 Best New Websites, January 2021

Here we are into a brand new year, and although we’re far from out of the woods yet, there is a feeling of renewed hope on many fronts.

In this first collection of the year, we have a mix of retrospectives, brand new ventures, and business as usual. There is an eclectic mix of styles on offer, from glossy and slick to minimalist and brutalist, but all confident and looking to a better world in the year ahead.

Clar

Brand strategists Clar have a simple but strong site. Aside from a few personnel profile shots and the odd bit of line animation, it is all text. The typography is good, and the use of color holds interest.

Ebb Dunedin

This boutique hotel, opening in March 2021 (COVID permitting), has bucked the usual luxury hotel trend and bravely gone for a more minimal design style to complement its interiors.

Aplós

Perfect for Dry January, Aplós is a new, non-alcoholic spirit that can be drunk on its own, with a mixer or in a cocktail. The site design and branding aesthetic is sophisticated calm.

Malala Fund COVID Initiative

Subtle color and simple line decorations keep this site for the Malala Fund’s COVID Initiative clean but warm and appealing.

Taubmans Chromatic Joy

This micro-site promoting Taubmans’ new paint color collection is bursting with color and makes a big nod to the Memphis style of the 1980s.

Myriad

Myriad video production agency’s site uses small amounts of bright colors really well. And they quote Eleanor Shellstrop.

The Ocean Cleanup

Cleaning all the plastic crap out of the oceanic garbage patches is a grim job, but it’s getting done, and The Ocean Cleanup site explains how and why in a not grim way.

Photo Vogue Festival

This site displaying the work and talks from Vogue Italia’s 2020 Photo Festival mixes a hand-drawn style with clean type and a strong grid.

Zero

Zero is a digital branding agency. Their site is glossy with lots of high-quality images, smooth transitions, and a clear structure. The background options are a fun touch.

Fluff

This site for cosmetics brand Fluff takes an old school approach to designing for different viewports — sticking a fullscreen background behind your mobile view for desktop sounds like a terrible idea, but here it works.

Patricia Urquiola

The new site for Patricia Urquiola design studio is bright, bold, and assured, inspiring confidence.

Breathing Room

Breathing Room describes itself as a volunteer creative coalition that designs spaces for black people to live without limits through art, design, and activism. The design radiates confidence and optimism.

A Year in Review

A microsite from Milkshake Studio, highlighting their work over the past year. Some good scrolling animation.

Umamiland

Umamiland is an animated interactive introduction to Japanese food, with links to Google search results for individual items or where to get them.

Acqua Carloforte

Carloforte is the town on the island of San Pietro, near Sardinia, and the scents of the island inspire the perfumes of Acqua Carloforte. Cue beautiful photography.

Eugene Ling

Eugen Ling’s portfolio site is simple and straightforward with little or no marketing-speak and a lovely, understated slider transition.

CWC Tokyo

Cross World Connections is an Illustration and Creative Agency based in Japan and represents illustrators from all over the world.

Lions Good News

Following the cancellation of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2020, this site was set up to highlight good news in creativity during the pandemic. A carousel of paper flyers forms the main navigation and creates a lo-fi, DIY feel.

G!theimagineers

G!theimagineers is a production studio for events and entertainment. White lines on black, horizontal concertina navigation, and lots of circles.

Sgrappa

Sgrappa is handmade grappa with attitude, and this site has an uncompromising, in your face vibe.

The post 20 Best New Websites, January 2021 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

Actualités, Méthodes et organisation des process IT

25 janvier 2021/par Service comm.

The Value of Internal APIs

Internal APIs are designed primarily to streamline software development and simplify systems and operational processes. These currently represent the vast majority of use cases.

Internal APIs are often overlooked since they are aimed at in-house developers. These types of APIs generally work with proprietary data specific to a company and its departments. Although this data must be protected, it must also be accessible to those who work with it. Internal APIs allow for exactly this kind of secure access, creating more efficient development cycles for their products.

Source de l’article sur DZONE

20 janvier 2021/par Service comm.

12 Best WordPress Themes for 2021

If you already have a good idea of what you want a new website to look like, the next step would be to decide on the tools you’ll need to put into play to turn that vision into a reality.

Tools enable you to present its content in ways that will engage and captivate its audience and gain their trust.
Tools that will make your website perform flawlessly in all respects.

That is why choosing the right WordPress theme to get the job done is so important. You want a theme that features the page building tools and design aids that make your task far easier than anticipated.

The following 12 top WordPress themes and plugins have been selected with those purposes in mind. They will not only get the job done for you but do it better than most of the other website-building tools in the marketplace are capable of doing.

The choice is up to you. Whatever that choice may be, it should prove to be a winner.

1. BeTheme

A website-building toolkit that can boast of 40+ core features sounds like a pretty good-sized toolkit, and BeTheme is just that. In fact, this popular (200,000 sales) theme is the biggest WordPress theme of them all.

It’s unlikely you will need to put every one of these core features to use for your next project, but some will be essential, such as –

The Muffin Builder page builder, Admin Panel, and Shortcode Generator combine to make BeTheme easy to use, give you a ton of flexibility, and enable you to build your website without any need for coding.
Be’s library of shortcodes together with the many Header, Footer, and Grid options, and the new Header Builder extends your design options even more.
The Layout Generator will come in handy if you want to start a page from scratch.
You’ll love what may be the most important core feature of them all; Be’s selection of 600+ customizable pre-built websites. They cover most industry sectors and website types plus a variety of business niches.

Click on the banner to learn more.

2. Total Theme

Designed with excellence in mind, Total features an exceptional selection of tools and design aids to work with. Total is also well-known for its speed, ease of use, and the flexibility it offers its users.

Since you can disable any feature you want to, you won’t be distracted by or bothered with those you don’t intend to use.
Total’s 40+ quick import demos and one-of-a-kind theme cards are designed to get your projects off to a rapid start.
The Dynamic Template function is a driving force behind this WordPress theme’s remarkable flexibility.
You’re given a wealth of design options to work with, thanks to the live customizer and the advanced theme panel.
Total is a WordPress plugin and WooCommerce friendly.

Click on the banner to learn more.

3. Avada Theme

When a WordPress theme has the distinction of being the #1 best seller of all time, you can safely assume that those who created it got it right. Avada’s 450,000+ sales can’t easily be ignored.

Look closer, and you’ll see some of the many reasons behind Avada’s popularity.

There’s an impressive selection of one-click import demos, pre-built websites, and a wealth of supporting design elements.
The Fusion drag and drop builder and Fusion page and theme options enable designers to create complex websites without resorting to coding.
5-star support and free updates ensure users that they will always be able to follow the latest design trends and create websites as they envision them.

Click on the banner to learn more.

4. MaxCoach – Online Courses, Personal Coaching & Education WP Theme

MaxCoach is a specialty tool that enables web designers to create an online distance learning and/or tutoring platform. This LearnPress theme was last year’s #1 coaching theme, and it will most likely be so in 2021 as well.

The platform is learner-centric
MaxCoach’s design is modern, trendy, and unique
Elementor is the drag and drop page builder of choice

Visit the site to see for yourself why this specialty theme has generated so much interest.

5. TheGem – Creative Multi-Purpose High-Performance WordPress Theme

TheGem, WordPress’s ultimate multiuse toolbox, gives its users:

A selection of more than 400 professionally-crafted pre-built multi-page and single-page websites
Two popular page builders – WPBakery and Elementor
Demos, layouts, and page sections you can mix and match to create a look that’s uniquely yours

The GemBlocks with its 300+ pre-designed section templates to speed up your workflow, plus WooCommerce layouts and design aids

6. Uncode – Creative Multiuse & WooCommerce WordPress Theme

The Uncode multi-use WordPress theme is ideal for entrepreneurs, creative individuals, agencies, and small businesses.

Its 80.000+ sales to date have made it a ThemeForest best-seller.
Features include a unique WooCommerce Custom Builder you can use to give site visitors a supreme shopping experience.

Viewing Uncode’s showcase of user-built websites is a must. Click on the banner to visit the site and prepare to be impressed.

7. Rey Theme

This highly modular popular theme is definitely worth a close look. It is simply one of the most innovative website building tools you’re likely to find on the market today,

Rey’s features include a library of professionally-designed templates and an imposing selection of WooCommerce site-building tools
It is easy to set up and easy to use
You will be more than satisfied with Rey’s robust performance

Rey has built-in SVG support and is user and developer-friendly.

8. Aurum – Minimalist WordPress Theme

With this multiuse minimalist WordPress theme at your fingertips, you’ll be able to create an online store that will give shoppers a fully satisfying shopping experience.

With Aurum, you can design megamenus to accommodate huge selections of products
Aurum’s page load times are super-fast, and Aurum’s pages are responsive to every screen size
Popular plugins are included, and all the popular WordPress plugins are supported

Click on the banner and check it out.

9. Hongo – Modern & Multipurpose WooCommerce WordPress Theme

Its trendy selections of creative design elements and ready-to-go store demos make Hongo an ideal choice for company, blogging, and eCommerce websites.

Premium plugins and WPBakery custom shortcodes are among the most popular of Hongo’s website-building features
This multipurpose theme also features an attractive selection of product-related tools that include product compare, quick view, wish lists, and product filter

You can expect and receive exceptional user support.

10. XStore – The Most Customizable WooCommerce Theme Ever

With its $39 price tag, XStore gives you more value for your money than you’ll find in any other WooCommerce theme.

For starters, there are 100+ good-to-go shops
A full Ajax shop is another popular feature
As is XStore’s single product page builder and its selection of product filters and display features

Check XStore out if you’re looking for a way to create an awesome online store in no time at all.

11. KnowAll – Knowledge Base Theme

Have you ever come across a FAQ page you really liked? It doesn’t happen often.

Visitors that can’t find a good answer might decide to make a phone call (and be placed on hold). That answer is OK, but additional information would be more helpful.

With AI-based KnowAll, customers get answers 24/7, and they can search for other relevant information. They will be happier customers, which is obviously good for business.

12. Pofo – Creative Portfolio, Blog, and eCommerce WordPress Theme

Bloggers, creatives, agencies, and those looking to create an eCommerce site should give Pofo a good, hard look.

Pofo is fast, flexible, SEO optimized, and packed with useful features that include:

Trendy selections of pre-built design elements, ready-to-go home pages, and one-click import demo pages.
Premium plugins, including Revolution Slider and the WPBakery page builder.

Detailed online documentation is provided, and you’ll be more than pleased with this theme’s customer support.

A modern, fast-loading, and smoothly performing theme is what you need. It will help you create a website that will have a significantly positive impact on your business’ growth.

Themes like those presented here can do just that by enabling you to give your website the professional touch you’re looking for. You can do it without having to rely on a single line of code.

These 12 top WordPress themes are modern, trendy, and easy to work with. Trying to find the “best” of the bunch could admittedly be somewhat daunting. But, you can take comfort in the fact that you really can’t make a wrong or bad choice.

[– This is a sponsored post –]

The post 12 Best WordPress Themes for 2021 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

20 janvier 2021/par Service comm.

Poll: Should Designers Stay Out of Politics?

The Beazley Design of the Year for 2020 has just been awarded to US architecture firm Rael San Fratello & Colectivo Chopeke for their Teeter-Totter Wall project, a series of luminous pink seesaws built into the US-Mexico border wall in July 2019.

The 74 shortlisted entrants for the prize range from a poster for vegan burgers to a parody of Pantone’s Color of the Year. Most were self-consciously political.

As design has grown in stature, so has its ability to amplify the opinions that employ it. Most of us will never work on an actual political campaign. Still, there is little doubt that the design teams for both the Obama campaign in 2008 and the Ocasio-Cortez campaign in 2018 were significant factors in the resulting electoral success. And it isn’t just visual design, user experience across a platform has implications; last week, Twitter finally suspended the account of the outgoing US president, a decision that left CEO Jack Dorsey lamenting the platform’s “failure…to promote healthy conversation.”

As designers, our understanding of user experience — particularly the psychology of user experience — has grown immensely in the last decade. We’re very good and persuading people to do things, and that ability is a commodity, saleable to the highest bidder. As such, it is capable of undermining basic democratic principles by skewing debate and exerting disproportionate influence.

We frequently talk about Black Hat and White Hat techniques in the tech industry, but the truth is, almost all designers spend their days looking for ways to manipulate an audience.

When that manipulation extends into political events, do designers have an ethical responsibility to maintain an independent balance, just as we expect reputable journalists to?

Designers are — for now, at least — human beings. We have all of the prejudices, biases, and philosophies of any other human being. Do we have an obligation to use our skills to promote our ideals, or an obligation to resist doing so?

The post Poll: Should Designers Stay Out of Politics? first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

19 janvier 2021/par Service comm.

6 Tools for Rapid Cross-Device Website Testing

When creating a website, it’s vital to remember that not only does it need to work and look great on the device you are creating it on, but on all the other devices, it might be used on too.

Mobile and tablet optimization is important not only for the user journey but from an SEO point of view too, and badly created mobile sites just don’t cut it anymore.

With more and more devices entering the market, you need to check any website you create is compatible across the board. One bad experience and users are likely to leave and not come back again, which can be catastrophic for a business, particularly if it is just starting out.

It’s vital to check how a site looks and behaves when browsed differently from how you would use it. A common mistake is to assume users only browse websites on mobile devices in portrait mode; they don’t; landscape browsing is common, especially if the user is used to watching video.

Here are some of our top tools for testing websites on devices without the need for an entire device library:

1. Multi-Screen Test

WhatIsMyScreenResolution offers a great little tool to test how your site will look on different devices easily, and it costs absolutely nothing. You put the URL and choose between desktop, mobile, tablet, and television and then the orientation. Each device can also be broken down into different sizes and resolutions (or you can enter your own), making it easier than ever to test what a site will look like on different devices.

2. Responsinator

Responsinator is another great tool to test how a site looks on other devices without dipping into your wallet. Put your URL in the top bar, and it will instantly show you what it looks like on generic devices. This is a great, easy to use tool, and you can click through any links on your site to check the usability of multiple pages. This site is free, but if you want to “create your own” template, you need to sign up.

3. Google Dev Tools

Google Dev Tools is one of the most commonly used free tools. Add it to Chrome, and you can see how your site looks in a multitude of different screen sizes and resolutions. You can simulate touch inputs, device orientation, and geolocation to test how they work. It’s great to easily spot problems using their remote debugging tool to view, change, debug and profile a page’s code directly from your laptop or computer while viewing it on your mobile device.

4. Browser Stack

Browser Stack allows you to test your site on over 2,000 real devices and browsers, enabling you to see in real-time how your site looks. It is no hassle to set up, and it can be seamlessly integrated into your setup. As it tests on real browsers on real machines, you know the results are more reliable and accurate. It also enables you to debug in real-time using their pre-installed developer tools for ease of editing. The tests are all run securely on tamper-proof physical devices and are wiped clean of all data after each session, so you don’t need to worry about security being compromised.

5. TestComplete Mobile

TestComplete Mobile allows you to create and run UI tests across real mobile devices, virtual machines, and emulators. You can test both mobile device layouts and apps with script-free record and replay actions. This can help you to edit and fix any potential issues that may arise during the tests. Due to them being conducted on real devices, you know it is less likely to have errors in the system than a simulated device. This is free for 30 days then can get pricier, so make sure you take advantage of the trial and try the service before committing to it.

6. Sizzy

Sizzy is a great tool for checking sites, and it has a host of features to assist you. You can rotate the screen between portrait and landscape, filter by OS and device type, switch themes, and take screenshots. These little things mean it’s a super easy to use and convenient tool. It claims to simulate each device’s viewport and user agent, meaning the results are the same as what you would actually see on that phone/ tablet, etc. It can’t simulate different browser rendering engines however, so there’s a chance there might be some minor differences compared to the actual thing. Sizzy offers a free trial or has different price packages starting at $5 per month.

Featured image via Unsplash

The post 6 Tools for Rapid Cross-Device Website Testing first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.

14 janvier 2021/par Service comm.

What’s New in Ecommerce, January 2021

Ecommerce design may seem fairly straight-forward; you build an online store that showcases a company’s products or services and gives customers a quick and pain-free way to purchase them.

While that formula will always hold true, ecommerce is undergoing some big changes, and web designers need to be prepared to keep up with them. This monthly ecommerce trends roundup will explore these new and evolving design, sales, and marketing trends.

1. Calmer Color Palettes

Although we’re not likely to see this trend go near the sites for big box stores, it’s something smaller ecommerce companies are adopting. And with good reason.

As consumers become wary about how much money they’re spending, they don’t need to feel pressured or rushed into a purchase. And ecommerce sites that employ calmer color palettes — like pastels and earth tones — will do a better job of putting their customers at ease.

Bicycle saddle manufacture Brooks England shows how this trend plays out in ecommerce design:

It’s not just outdoors or sporting goods companies that can use more natural-looking colors, either. CBD product vendor Cannaray is another company that uses a more subdued color palette:

Really, any store that wants to do a better job creating satisfying experiences for customers and gaining their long-time loyalty should consider toning things down with color.

2. No-rush Shipping Rewards

For years, we’ve seen consumers go crazy for brands that offer free and fast shipping. But thanks to the surge in online shopping in 2020, ecommerce companies, their shipping partners, and delivery service providers just haven’t been able to keep up with the pace.

When customers are unhappy with slow deliveries, they’re going to go to social media and review sites to bombard brands with complaints, as has been happening with Loft since November:

Although many ecommerce stores still don’t inform customers ahead of time about these delays, we’re starting to see a new checkout trend.

Here’s how Gap is encouraging and rewarding customers for choosing no-rush shipping:

Amazon is another ecommerce site that encourages no-rush shipping at checkout with a reward:

Not only does this set better expectations for customers before they finish their purchases, but it encourages everyone to slow down a bit so that ecommerce companies and their shipping/delivery partners can keep up.

3. More Human and Empathetic Assistance

Each year, design trend roundups suggest that AI will play a greater role in web design.

While that may be true for things like the search bar or personalized recommendations, ecommerce sites are pulling back the reins on automated support and assistance.

Best Buy, for instance, offers customers the option to “Shop with an Expert”:

After shoppers go through a quick survey, they’re given a variety of options — based on their own level of comfort and convenience — to work with the expert:

Something that might’ve been left in the hands of a self-service quiz or automated chatbot is being given the human touch once more.

We’re seeing a similar trend with retailers like Warby Parker. While it still offers a virtual AR try-on, the main navigation actually emphasizes the home try-on option:

Again, this is another example of ecommerce companies becoming less reliant on automated support to give their customers a better and more confident shopping experience.

Wrap-Up

Ecommerce trends are always evolving. Sometimes it’s due to new technologies. Other times it has to do with what’s happening in the world around us. And sometimes it’s simply to keep up with changing consumer expectations.

Stay tuned as we explore new and emerging ecommerce trends in the coming months…

The post What’s New in Ecommerce, January 2021 first appeared on Webdesigner Depot.