Bootstrap CSS!

What is a bootstrap? A bootstrap is a line of code that makes the framework for websites easier for developers. They are also used as templates for typography, buttons, tables, navigations, models, and several other functions. This makes web development ten times easier than starting from scratch. Having a template gives the coder a head start in developing the website.

Bootstraps prevent repetition between projects, add consistency to design and code between projects and between developers, quickly and easily prototype new designs and ensures cross-browser compatibility. Browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, Safari, and Opera are all compatible with the bootstrap. This makes it the website available to more people.

Another advantage of bootstraps is that they are responsive. This means that they adjust to whatever device is being viewed on like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. This is vital to every website because without a responsive website the UX and UI between the product and the user would be a disaster. It would look unorganized as if someone copy and pasted oversized graphic elements.

The image above shows an example of how a responsive website looks like. We have the Desktop, tablet, and mobile versions on the website adjusted by their dimension and resolution of the screen. As you can see the header is sized down according to the viewing device. It is also noticeable especially in the mobile version that the layout changed from profiles lined up horizontally versus in mobile where the profiles (circles) are lined up vertically.

One way to get bootstraps to create a website is through the website getbootstrap.com. This website allows any web developer to get a bootstrap to include in their work.  These shortcuts also have pre-styled components like dropdowns, button groups, navigation bar, breadcrumbs, labels, badges, alerts, progress bar, and several others.

Essentially, bootstraps are shortcuts of code in HTML and CSS; instead of typing fifteen lines of code, it could be shortened to three with the power of the bootstrap!

Why is Bootstrap so popular?

I believe bootstrap is popular because of the possibilities it is capable of. The templates Bootstrap provides can be altered to be one of a kind. Making a website could take only a matter of minutes, while at the same time visually look modern unlike former ways of building websites. Web Responsiveness is also another factor that makes web developing a lot easier which is why it is so popular.

Photo by David Rangel on Unsplash

Landing Pages: Tolerable vs. Terrible

After attempting to create a landing page on my own I learned several things. My text was oversized, as well as everything else: icons and graphics. Another flaw I was told by a very experienced designer suggested keeping my information to a minimum. The purpose is to download the app. It does not require a whole website based on the app.It is only a landing page!

If you are new to Adobe Muse or website making, in general, I recommend using a UI/ UX (user experience) template to get a sense of what sizes to make the font for desktop and scale down for tablet and mobile version.

It is important to make sure the user does not get distracted by the landing page. Too much information will result in a confused potential customer and maybe even lose the user from downloading the app. It is easy to mislead yourself from thinking your font is too small for the desktop version of the landing page. DONT MAKE IT BIGGER. Huge mistake buddy, Keep your font size under 60 unless you’re doing something design-wise.

Tolerable

Here is a list of qualities a landing page is recommended.

• Functioning download buttons
• Responsive web page (desktop, tablet, mobile)
• Showcase application
• 44pt to 18pt font from headings to paragraphs
• Animations
• Little text
• Graphics
• Joshua Tree (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity)
• Functioning Call to Action
• Color scheme (Analogous, Complimentary,  Monochromatic)
• Focuses on downloading app

Terrible

Here is a list of things you should not do in a landing page.

• Make a whole website dedicated to the app
• Unresponsive/ broken breakpoints
• Oversized text
• Too much test
• Non-web responsive fonts (acts as an image)
• Clutter of any kind
• Broken Call to Action
• Too many colors
• Too much information
• Poor use of Joshua Tree

Examples

View these sample landing pages by clicking this link here to get a better understanding of tolerable and terrible landing pages. Click here to see my own landing page for my Trax app.

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

Bootstrap CSS

A bootstrap is a line of code that makes the framework for websites easier for developers. They are also used as templates for typography, buttons, tables, navigations, models, and several other functions. Bootstraps prevent repetition between projects, add consistency to design and code between projects and between developers, quickly and easily prototype new designs and ensures cross-browser compatibility. Another advantage of bootstraps is that they are responsive. This means that they adjust to whatever device is being viewed on like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. Ome way to get bootstraps to create a website is through the website getbootstrap.com. This website allows any web developer to get a bootstrap to include in their work.  These shortcuts also have pre-styled components like dropdowns, button groups, navigation bar, breadcrumbs, labels, badges, alerts, progress bar, and several others.

Essentially, bootstraps are shortcuts of code in HTML and CSS; instead of typing fifteen lines of code, it could be shortened to three with the power of the bootstrap! Here is an example of a bootstrap being used for accommodating to different electronic devices that are accessible to the internet.

When creating a page layout for websites it is essential to use the grid system which allows the creator to easily make a website with efficiency.

• “Rows must be placed within a .container (fixed-width) or .container-fluid (full-width) for proper alignment and padding.
• Use rows to create horizontal groups of columns.
• Content should be placed within columns, and only columns may be immediate children of rows.
• Predefined grid classes like .row and .col-xs-4 are available for quickly making grid layouts. Less mixins can also be used for more semantic layouts.
• Columns create gutters (gaps between column content) via padding. That padding is offset in rows for the first and last column via negative margin on .rows.
• The negative margin is why the examples below are outdented. It’s so that content within grid columns is lined up with non-grid content.
• Grid columns are created by specifying the number of twelve available columns you wish to span. For example, three equal columns would use three .col-xs-4.
• If more than 12 columns are placed within a single row, each group of extra columns will, as one unit, wrap onto a new line.
• Grid classes apply to devices with screen widths greater than or equal to the breakpoint sizes, and override grid classes targeted at smaller devices. Therefore, e.g. applying any .col-md-* class to an element will not only affect its styling on medium devices but also on large devices if a .col-lg-* class is not present.”

These key points to starting a website are from the website itself that makes bootstraps, https://getbootstrap.com/docs/3.3/css/#overview.

Photo by Ryan Everett on Unsplash