June 19, 2019 — How do you teach a computer to design a website?

I’ve spent the last year trying to automate my own job. I’ll tell you why that’s not such a bad thing, and how to actually go about doing it.

We’ll investigate how automation isn’t all that different from other technological leaps of the past—as well as ways in which it is vastly different. We’ll touch on how emerging technologies can be an equaliser and the real-world application of machine learning.

Along the way, we’ll talk about ethics, universal basic income, and how soon Judgement Day will be upon us.

Finally, we’ll touch on how Gutenberg opens up new possibilities within the WordPress space, and how to take advantage of those opportunities.

Presentation Slides »

June 6, 2019 — How do you teach a computer to design a website?

You may have heard that robots are coming to steal our jobs. But the end isn’t nigh! I’m here to tell you why that may not be such a bad thing – and share some of my own adventures trying to automate away my own job.

We will investigate how automation isn’t that different from other technological leaps of the past – as well as ways it is vastly different. We will touch on how emerging technologies can be an equaliser and the real world application of machine learning. Along the way, we will talk about ethics, universal basic income, and how soon ‘Judgement Day’ will be upon us.

Finally, we will touch on how Gutenberg opens up new possibilities within the WordPress space, and how to take advantage of those opportunities.

April 7, 2019 — NO AUDIO FOR FIRST 22 SECONDS

Why do so many websites look the same? As our tools have improved and we’ve been able to do more with the web, there’s been a growing trend toward websites that look exactly alike. Join me on a magical ride through the history of web design (watch out for animated gifs and midi files!) in order to figure out how we got here—and where we can go next.

February 11, 2019 — WordPress is being used in increasingly complex settings, powering everything from websites, to apps to content distribution services. As complexity increases, it becomes more and more important to make sure that we are designing and building the right experience for content creators, editors and end users. This panel will draw on real life examples that range from designing editor workflows through to UI design for public audiences. We’ll look at how to navigate the organisational challenges, including developing the business case for design and managing stakeholders. We’ll also look at how different products come with very different challenges and needs. Finally, we’ll discuss what success (and failure) looks like in the real world. This is not a technical talk.

January 24, 2019 — Gutenberg has been creeping up for a long time and now it’s coming for us all.

Most of the initial discussion in the community has revolved around development and usability issues. As it gets ready to launch we’re going to have to establish how we design for it, both in terms of the practical solutions we need immediately, and what it could mean for how we view our work in the long term.

June 21, 2017 — Sarah Semark is a designer, developer, and world-traveller. After running a business for eight years, she now works for Automattic designing and building WordPress themes.

The line between design and development is getting blurrier, and our approach to web design is becoming more modular. How do we keep track of it all?

Style guides to the rescue!

Using style guides that update as our projects progress, we can visually document our work and ensure that everything stays consistent. They may seem daunting and time-consuming at first, but they don’t have to be.

How do I get started with living style guides? What’s a living style guide anyway, and how do I know if mine is dead? Isn’t that going to slow me down? Why should I bother?

June 4, 2017 — Why do so many websites look the same? As our tools have improved and we’ve been able to do more with the web, there’s been a growing trend toward websites that look exactly alike. Why did this come to be, and what can we, as designers and curators of the modern web, do to avoid it? We’ll touch briefly on the history of web design, and examine how modern tools and practises have contributed to a more homogeneous-looking internet.

In order to answer these questions, we’ll explore on the history of web design, and examine how modern tools and practises have contributed to a more homogeneous-looking internet. We’ll examine the web design process from two perspectives – the designer’s and the developer’s – and discuss how the blurring of those roles impacts the design process. Along the way, we’ll discuss the various merits of following or bucking trends. Finally, I’ll offer some constructive advice to help you – whether you’re a designer or not – add an individual touch to your work.

Presentation Slides »

August 14, 2016 — Why do so many websites look the same? As our tools have improved and we’ve been able to do more with the web, there’s been a growing trend toward websites that look exactly alike. Why did this come to be, and what can we, as designers and curators of the modern web, do to avoid it?

In order to answer these questions, we’ll touch briefly on the history of web design, and examine how modern tools and practises have contributed to a more homogeneous-looking internet. We’ll examine the web design process from two perspectives – the designer’s and the developer’s – and discuss how the blurring of those roles impacts the design process. Along the way, we’ll discuss the various merits of following or bucking trends. Finally, I’ll offer some constructive advice to help you – whether you’re a designer or not – add an individual touch to your design work.

Presentation Slides »

May 28, 2016 — Once upon a time, icon fonts were the exciting new tools we used to build better websites. That time has passed, yet most of us are still relying on a tool that’s no longer relevant in the landscape of the modern web. In this talk, I’ll discuss the various merits of making the switch to SVG and some neat things you can do with SVG. We’ll touch on various use cases, and present some ideas for determining the workflow that’s best suited to your individual needs. We’ll provide some practical tips and tools for using SVG sprites more easily and efficiently in your work. We’ll also discuss ideas for implementing SVG within WordPress themes and plugins in a simple, consistent manner. Along the way, we’ll discuss various challenges you may encounter, and how to approach them. By the time we’re done, you’ll be fully armed to start using SVG today!

Presentation Slides »

May 25, 2015 — This presentation talks about getting out of the Photoshop mindset, embracing the tools that the modern web has provided us in order to streamline our development practises and get real-live sites up and running fast. We’ll start with talking about how to use style tiles to reduce the amount of time spent on mockups, and then we’ll move on to discuss how to leverage available tools in order to quickly get a site running: skeleton themes, CSS precompilers, version control for quick deployment, icon fonts, browser development tools, grids, and CSS frameworks. Whew!

Presentation Slides »