Welcome to a new feature on the blog: a resource dedicated to all things web, as written by folks far more knowledgable than myself. I am, like many folks doing this work, a perpetual, passionate beginner. So much changes from day to day, both in technology and design, that reading, and reading a LOT, is an essential part of every day. I often find fantastic articles I’d like to share with my fellow WordPress geeks, so I’m starting a weekly (ok, whenever I feel like it) feature where I’ll share some of the great information I come across.

Today’s entries cover different topics: content management systems and the cognitive structures that drive irrational user choices, but they share the distinction of being comprehensively written, and necessary information for anyone interested in WordPress Site Design.

The Ultimate Guide to CMS, Part I

Everything you would want to know about content management systems by Ezequiel Bruni – except, not everything, as this is only part 1.

“This article is for web design clients, business owners, and other people whose eyes glaze over when you start throwing acronyms around. Designers and developers can look these things up for themselves, and will usually know what the buzzwords mean.

But if you’ve ever gone CMS shopping and thought, “Well that all would sound very nice if I knew what the heck they were talking about…”, then this article is for you.

I suggest having a read, narrowing down your list of options, and bringing it to your designer and/or developer to figure out which is the best option for you. If you’re in a large enough company that you have a whole design and development team, you should probably let them narrow down your list of options.”

The Irrational User

Alvin Hsia is a product designer @airbnb. In this article, he breaks down 8 cognitive biases to keep in mind when designing products.

“Cognitive biases can be found in almost all contexts of human life, but we are especially susceptible when interacting with products and services on the internet. There is a dearth of attention and a massive surplus of distraction when someone spends time using their smartphone or computer. Your website or app likely competes with hundreds if not thousands of other things for user mindshare – you’re going to need all the help you can get.

I’ve codified several of the most common human cognitive biases so people who create products can design and build with them in mind.”