When designing for the Web, one must be constantly mindful of the wide variety of Operating System/Browser combinations that are possible, and the varying results in rendering when it comes to these. If you’re a Mac user, you may find it difficult to debug your pages in Internet Explorer without having access to a Windows PC. Luckily, due to the recent move to Intel processors, Mac’s now have a whole bunch of different software solutions for Windows Virtualization, and recent improvements in this field offer even more seamless integration with OS X than ever before. One of the most popular applications for Windows Virtualization on the Mac is Crossover, which is based on WINE. While the premise of this app is great, it simply isn’t stable or reliable enough for repeated use.
VMware Fusion has my support as the best Virtualization solution. You choose to either boot up a fully-fledged Windows XP or Vista installation, or just open single applications from the OS. The Windows applications are “unified” with OS X, and are displayed as standard independent windows within the Mac OS. For example, I’ve added icons for Internet Explorer 6 and 7 (both Vista and XP versions) in my Dock, clicking these opens the apps in their own windows, seemingly absent from Windows XP/Vista.
Sure, it’s probably not worth throwing out your XP/Vista test box just yet, but if OS X is your only available system, then this certainly will allow for some comprehensive testing across multiple platforms.
When designing for the Web, or for any environment for that matter, every designer gets stuck at one point or another. Many people simply scrap their progress and start from the beginning, but is this the best practice? Here are a few tips that have helped me get through some creative dry patches.
Sleep on it
One of the best things one can do to bring a fresh view to their stale design, is to sleep on it. Get a good nights sleep (a nap may also help), forget about your design woes and come back the next day to your work. This is probably the most effective means of rebuilding your inspiration.
Take a walk
Walking is a great way to clear your mind, and we could all use a little more exercise too 🙂 If you don’t like walking, then just get out of the house, go and get a coffee, take a stroll through the mall. Just get away from your computer.
Take a shower
If you’re on a tight deadline, then Designers block can be a serious issue. And it’s effects are compounded with the stress and pressures of meeting your oncoming deadline. Taking a nice hot shower will cleanse your mind (and your body for that matter), and help you to relax. This has been a great help for me in some cases.
Do something else
Go and watch a movie, read the newspaper, hit up your Xbox 360, whatever you enjoy doing. These things are great helps in getting your mind under control, as long as you don’t get carried away and spend all day on them!
If you do ever run into Designers block, then be sure not simply scrap your work. Once you look upon your progress with fresh eyes and a clear mind, then your inspiration should come flooding back.