Thoughts

Thoughts and Articles from Blend Interactive

Joe Kepley  |  August 21, 2023

DXP and Optimization — Part 2: Choosing Your Tools

Website model with different elements broken out.

Starting a plan to enhance your digital optimization, means finding your right tool set. 

Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

Joe Kepley  |  July 25, 2023

DXP and Optimization — Part 1: Setting Goals

Website model with different elements broken out.

Optimizing your website doesn't always require the budget of a Fortune 500 company. We're here to help guide small businesses toward enhancing their digital presence with the first in a three-part series: setting goals for web optimization.

Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

July 18, 2023  |  The Web Project Guide Podcast

Episode 21: Migrate and Populate the Content (w/ Carrie Hane)

A man watching a flock of migrating birds.

Corey and Deane discuss an old migration project. Then, Carrie Hane, Principal Digital Strategist at Sanity and co-author of Designing Connected Content, joins to talk about preparing content for site migration — how good content modeling helps set up a site for future success, the psychological side of migrations, and a few horror stories from Carrie and Deane. Carrie graciously insists this is not the most depressing episode yet.

Content and IA  |  Migration  |  Strategy

May 16, 2023  |  The Web Project Guide Podcast

Episode 19: Implement the Design (w/ Ethan Marcotte)

A rocket ship being built.

Corey and Deane talk about how front-end development has evolved past the early days. Then, Ethan Marcotte, author of Responsive Web Design and Partner at Autogram, joins to discuss front-end development and how the world has impacted how front-end design is treated and approached. We also joke about whether Deane actually “invented” responsive web design. (He didn’t.)

Accessibility  |  Design and Front-End  |  Development  |  Strategy

Corey Vilhauer  |  April 18, 2023

How Audits Improve Your Site: Accessibility, Performance, and Design Audits

A laptop showing a graphic with the word "Audit" in the middle.

Much like we maintain our homes from season to season, our websites need periodic audits — to see what has changed and what has not. In this post, we focus on three specific types of audits: accessibility audits, performance audits, and design audits.

Accessibility  |  Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

Joe Kepley  |  March 23, 2023

Web Analytics and HIPAA: How to Protect Your Site — and Your Users — From HIPAA Violations

The HIPPA logo on a styled background.

Blend's CTO Joe Kepley discusses how to balance the need for better information, with a user's right to privacy, especially with existing HIPAA standards.

Development  |  Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

Joe Kepley  |  March 20, 2023

What is DXP Really Going to Do For You?

A stylized photo of a construction site.

So ... what IS DXP? And how do you navigate the different forms and add-ons available within a digital experience platform (DXP)? Blend CTO Joe Kepley discusses the ins and outs of DXP, including how to prioritize the rollout of new features.

Development  |  Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

Joe Kepley  |  February 28, 2023

When is Headless the Right Solution: A Guide to Going Headless

 A flowchart showing a server connecting to a computer monitor with the word A P I in between.

If you’ve looked into building or upgrading a website in the last few years, you may have heard about “headless” content management systems (CMS). But what is a "headless" system? And, more importantly, when is it the right solution?

Development  |  Strategy

Joe Kepley  |  February 21, 2023

ChatGPT, Bard, and the New Wave of AI: What it Means for the Web

An old 80s computer surrounded by speech bubbles, with one that says "AI".

The path to computer intelligence hasn't proven quite so direct. On the surface, brains and computers seem very similar, but it's clear that computers aren't thinking yet. 

AI  |  Content and IA  |  Strategy

November 16, 2022  |  The Web Project Guide Podcast

Episode 13: Develop the Graphic and Interface Design (w/Sam Otis)

The framework of a rocketship.

Corey asks Deane about his ideal web design, and Deane talks about how CSS ruined the web. (He’s kidding, mostly.) Then, Sam Otis, lead designer at Blend Interactive and designer of The Web Project Guide, joins us to talk about his history in design — from Flash to responsive web design, what young designers need to know about the web, and what he wishes clients would stop doing.

Design and Front-End  |  Strategy