December 9, 2013 — Businesses are learning new ways to leverage data to improve themselves on a daily basis. They’re realizing that data collection and data analysis have a measurable return on investment, and decision-makers are asking to see them. Google Tag Manager is a relatively new system in which all of the different Google code snippets for a website or mobile application can be organized and controlled through a drag-and-drop interface in a Web browser. For this article, Drew Thomas will talk about adding Google Analytics to a mobile application, using the very future-proof Google Tag Manager to implement it. Read more…

December 6, 2013 — Leona Hu met Benjamin in a Berlin cafe called Shakespeare & Sons, during his transition from SoundCloud to NPR. During their conversation, he talked about when his father began using digital programs like AutoCAD, and how he became equally inspired, seeing it as a way for static design to achieve dimension. Benjamin spoke about his passion for music and how he enjoyed being involved in the design and music communities. He was named a “SoundCloud Hero” for raising awareness of white nose syndrome and colony collapse disorder. Read more…

December 5, 2013 — In this article, you’ll look how to modify admin post lists with WordPress. Daniel Pataki will focus on how to extend existing tables. You’ll do this using an example from a theme that he and his team recently built, named Rock Band. Rock Band includes event management, which means that they needed some custom event-specific interface elements and details to make the admin section more useful! Read more…

December 4, 2013 — Imagine how your excitement after posting a blog and seeing so many visitors talking about it, turns to dismay as they start to tweet that your website is down — a database connection error is shown. Many of these mobile users access the Web via slow data connections and crowded public Wi-Fi. So, anything you can do to ensure that your website loads quickly will benefit those users. In this article, Rachel Andrew will show you Varnish Web application accelerator, a free and simple thing that makes a world of difference when a lot of people land on your website all at once. Read more…

December 3, 2013 — Navigation is merely a means to an end, and this is why users have contrasting expectations about content and navigation. While content is supposed to be unique and exciting, navigating to it is supposed to be as simple as possible. In this article, you will find a guide to efficiently simplifying the navigation experience, by analyzing the type and amount of content as well as choosing and designing the right type of navigation menu! Read more…

November 30, 2013 — As designers, we usually turn to different sources of inspiration. As a matter of fact, we’ve discovered the best one: distinctive desktop wallpapers. This article features free desktop wallpapers created by artists across the globe for December 2013. Both versions with a calendar and without a calendar can be downloaded for free. It’s time to freshen up your desktop wallpaper! Read more…

November 29, 2013 — In this article, we feature a set of 54 flat icons created and designed by Nick Frost and Greg Lapin. If you are looking for a way to make your design fresh and expressive, then this freebie is the answer. It includes 36 icons drawn from a full commercial set available on Smallicons, plus 18 icons designed exclusively for Smashing Magazine. Read more…

November 28, 2013 — Today, Vitaly Friedman reveals the Smashing Book Mystery riddle and announces the winners! (in case you want to figure it out first, close this window since there are spoilers in this post. Read more…

November 28, 2013 — 95% of downloaded apps are abandoned within a month and 26% of apps are only used once, and depending on the user, these abandoned apps are deleted or ignored, never to be opened again. Lyndon Cerejo’s app graveyard is the final resting place for apps that he has downloaded but have since left neglected. The following are lessons from his app graveyard that he keeps in mind when designing apps, and they might help you, too. Read more…

November 26, 2013 — To celebrate the long-awaited release of our new Smashing Book (yaaaay!), we’ve prepared a little mystery for you. Below you’ll find an animated GIF that contains a hidden message. Once you resolved the mystery, you’ll see a Twitter hashtag displayed in plain text. Are you ready? Action! Read more…