Comments on: An analogy for progressive enhancement

By: Web design news 23/02/10 « DesignerLinks

Web design news 23/02/10 « DesignerLinks — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:57:37 +0000

[...] Fortunately our very own Paul Stanton has provided a great analogy that explains progressive enhancement. [...]

By: Craig Rowe

Craig Rowe — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:56:42 +0000

I always think PC games alone are a better analogy. The developers have to create a game that works across all manner of PC configurations (both hardware and software) some without dedicated graphics some with, some with more RAM some with less. The user is then presented with a less ‘pretty’ version (maybe less smooth edges) etc. The installer checks the system for compatability and sets default settings (such as no shadows or reflections). In our case of course the browser generally does the picking – by understanding or not particular selectors.

By: Stanton

Stanton — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:21:09 +0000

@Andrew I still think the analogy holds up, regardless of who actually develops the game, or where in the world they are based, they each develop to the best capabilities of whichever platform they are tasked with.

Some games are written specifically for a platform, but some are also ported, this fact doesn’t have to be rolled into the analogy because the end product is still the same. For web design we could choose to write a specific stylesheet for IE6 from the ground up, but then we start to get into a level of technical detail which probably isn’t required for most client meetings.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:14:59 +0000

I think it is a terrible analogy. Console games for different platforms are developed by entirely different teams often in different studios, and in the case of Wii or mobile versions are designed from the ground up based on the capabilities of the platform. They are also marketed showing screenshots/video from the respective platforms so that the buyer knows what the graphics of the game will look like before purchasing.

By: Cairns Web Developer » Blog Archive » Web design news 23/02/10

Cairns Web Developer » Blog Archive » Web design news 23/02/10 — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:10:44 +0000

[...] Fortunately our very own Paul Stanton has provided a great analogy that explains progressive enhancement. [...]

By: Stanton

Stanton — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:41:21 +0000

@Al Let me know how it goes

@Andy Very good point! I’ve noticed people starting to charge extra for designing for IE6 and delivering a basic layout as standard. In effect, charging for ‘porting’ the design to the older platform.

By: Andy Birchwood

Andy Birchwood — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:30:56 +0000

Like all analogies, the console one isn’t perfect- games publishers spend extra money porting games across platforms- whereas progressive enhancement invariably saves time (and therefore money). This is one of my main convincers, and with some clients is a closer!

By: Al

Al — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:55:48 +0000

Really nice idea. Visual analogies (even when just described) work really well, as most people find them easier to conceptualise.

Even if not familiar with video games, the person you are convincing will no doubt have seen friends/family playing one.

Might well use this today on someone!

By: XtinaSparkle

XtinaSparkle — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:42:48 +0000

RT @stanton: Latest blog: An analogy for progressive enhancement http://coffeepowered.co.uk/2010/02/an-an...