Independent digital-work journal
Make digital work
a little clearer.
Thirty original guides to useful websites, accessibility, recovery copies, online accounts and practical digital planning.
Start here · Plan a useful website
Start with a task.
Build something useful.
Write down the task a visitor needs to complete before choosing a page layout.
Read the guide
Pages people can use
Make Navigation Follow Reader Tasks
Backups and recovery
Practise a Small, Documented Restore
Plan a useful website
5 articlesPlan a useful website
Turn a Visitor’s Question into a Website Brief
Write down the task a visitor needs to complete before choosing a page layout.
Read the articlePlan a useful website
Plan a Small Site Before Choosing Its Technology
Let a clear page inventory guide the implementation decision.
Read the articlePlan a useful website
A Content Inventory Needs Owners and Review Dates
Give each page a person and a reason to be reviewed.
Read the articlePlan a useful website
Choose an Article, Checklist or Reference Page
Match the format to the reader’s task.
Read the articlePlan a useful website
Resolve Duplicate Pages with a Content Decision
Keep the useful answer and plan what happens to old addresses.
Read the articlePages people can use
7 articlesPages people can use
Make Navigation Follow Reader Tasks
Organise labels around what visitors need to find.
Read the articlePages people can use
Write Useful Image Alternatives
Describe the image’s role in its page context.
Read the articlePages people can use
Give Headings a Meaningful Structure
Use headings to show the page’s organisation, not just its appearance.
Read the articlePages people can use
Label Forms and Explain Errors
Make each field and failed step understandable.
Read the articlePages people can use
Build Tables Around a Clear Comparison
Use a table when the relationship between rows and columns matters.
Read the articlePages people can use
Check Keyboard Access Before Launch
Try the real reader task with a keyboard.
Read the articlePages people can use
Keep Accessibility in the Maintenance Plan
Treat new content and new controls as reasons to review.
Read the articleBackups and recovery
5 articlesBackups and recovery
Decide Which Files Need Recovery Copies
Start with what would be difficult to replace.
Read the articleBackups and recovery
Cloud Synchronisation Is a Different Job from Backup
Know what each copy is meant to protect.
Read the articleBackups and recovery
Export Data Before Changing Online Services
Make a usable export part of the handover plan.
Read the articleBackups and recovery
Practise a Small, Documented Restore
Check recovery with an identifiable item in a separate location.
Read the articleBackups and recovery
Assign an Owner to Recovery Notes
Make sure a recovery plan can be found and followed.
Read the articleAccounts and access
5 articlesAccounts and access
Inventory Important Online Accounts
Know which accounts control your everyday work.
Read the articleAccounts and access
Use Distinct Passwords with a Password Manager
Avoid turning one compromised secret into access to many services.
Read the articleAccounts and access
Prioritise MFA for Critical Accounts
Start with the accounts that control other access.
Read the articleAccounts and access
Authentication Methods Offer Different Protection
Ask which threats a method is designed to address.
Read the articleAccounts and access
Review Access When Responsibilities Change
Match permissions to the current work people are authorised to do.
Read the articleData with a purpose
4 articlesData with a purpose
Map What a Contact Form Collects
Follow information from the field to its actual destination.
Read the articleData with a purpose
Ask Whether Each Form Field Is Necessary
Tie each question to the task the form supports.
Read the articleData with a purpose
Give Stored Data a Retention Purpose
Decide why a record remains after its original task is complete.
Read the articleData with a purpose
Prepare a Data-Incident Contact Plan
Know who receives an incident report and where the next steps are recorded.
Read the articleA practical digital business
4 articlesA practical digital business
Research a Customer Need Before Building an Offer
Start with evidence of a task rather than an imagined audience.
Read the articleA practical digital business
Compare Alternatives Without Copying Their Pages
Study the reader task and the available approaches.
Read the articleA practical digital business
Separate Startup and Ongoing Website Costs
Build a cost picture that includes work after launch.
Read the articleA practical digital business
Write a Plain-Language Digital Business Plan
Make the plan explain the customer task and delivery responsibilities.
Read the articleA considered approach.
Independent educational publication. Practical examples with links to primary guidance; no managed IT service or former-company affiliation claimed.