We've always been a proponent of Web Standards since our humble beginnings back in 2001 (and proudly have never built a website using tables). So it only made sense for us to embrace some of the new front-end technologies that we've all been hearing about over the past 12 months or so.

The Hungry Browser website is now built entirely in HTML5. We've not gone overboard here, as it is all about what is appropriate for our site and our audience. At the moment we are leaning more towards progressive enhancement, rather than going overboard and chucking in geo-location etc. just for the sake of it.

Progressive enhancement

At first glance it might seem not much has changed, but if you choose to look under the hood you will notice we are using the new semantic elements to structure our pages. We've incorporated the new HTML5 form elements such as the range, date, url, email and phone inputs and are using localStorage to allow users to complete the contact form offline (or in two parts). We are also using some advanced (and not so advanced) CSS3 techniques for presentation.

Fluid grids and responsive layouts

You will also notice that (thanks to CSS @media types) this site now has a fluid grid and responsive layout. So regardless of what device you are viewing this site on, you should (hopefully) get an optimal user experience based on the platform and the context in which you are browsing.

Final thoughts

Anyway that's enough blabbering from us. Have a look around the site and let us know what you think. Its not perfect just yet, but the web's ever-evolving nature means it never is.

Posted in: BlogDevelopmentUser experience

Tags: CSS3Fluid gridHTML5Progressive enhancementResponsive layout