html5 website design

I recently discovered a March 2010 article entitled Sneaking into the Future: 25 Ultra Modern Websites. The article is a showcase of sites made with HTML5 and features (at number 15) the website I made for Little Coogie in Bangkok.

Not long after that, I discovered an April 2010 article entitled 25 Stunning HTML5 Websites. Once agin the Little Coogie site is featured, this time at number 7.

So, what is HTML5? Well, very simply, it's a new website design language that's destined to change forever the way websites are made. It's not an official standard just yet, but very soon it will be.

But while HTML5 is the shape of things to come, it has a drawback: by default, it will not work in older browsers such as Internet Explorer.

To the best of my knowledge, there are two ways to circumvent this problem. The first is to use a technique that relies on a programming language called Javascript. This is the technique used by 99% of HTML5 designers, and much of the time it will work perfectly. However, it will NOT work for Internet Explorer users who've adjusted their security settings so as to disable Javascript.

The second approach is something I worked out myself: it is a technique that relies on nothing more than a few lines of proven, standards-compliant code, and will work perfectly in ALL browsers regardless of their security settings.

Personally, I consider this important. Using cutting edge technology is all well and good, but a key aspect of website design is to ensure that the site will work properly in as many situations and across as many different platforms as possible.

If you have any doubts about this, think about it this way: would you prefer a website that almost always works, or one that always works?