Need someone to lead product management at your software company? I build high-craft software and the teams that build it. I'm looking for my next opportunity. Check out my resume and get in touch.

Adam Kalsey

This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

Personal

California Government CSS Design

Freshness Warning
This blog post is over 21 years old. It's possible that the information you read below isn't current and the links no longer work.

21 Nov 2003

CalGrants.org, a site that I’ve been working on for the last couple of months has finally launched after many rounds of revisions and copy edits. The site was built in conjunction with design firm THOMAS|ferrous and PR firm Runyon Saltzman & Einhorn. As far as I know, this is the first California state government site that is designed with entirely CSS layout techniques.

The site features an accessible design that allows screen readers, PDAs, and non-graphic browsers to have full access to the content while providing a rich graphic experience to others. All text is resizable and the layout flows to accommodate the size changes.

The headings use a replacement technique that swaps out text headings for graphics in browsers that support it. All non-content images are pulled in through CSS, getting design elements out of the HTML entirely. Since pages of the site are intended to be printed, a print stylesheet was crafted to ensure a quality printed page.

Here’s proof that a CSS site doesn’t need to be the boxy, minimalist designs that are often shown as examples.

Recently Written

Think Systems, not Symptoms
Dec 15: Piecemeal process creation frustrates teams and slows work. Stop patching problems and start solving systems. Adopting a systems thinking approach helps you design processes that are efficient, aligned with goals, and truly add value.
Your Policies Aren’t Your Culture
Dec 13: Policies guide behavior, but culture is the lived norms and values of your team. Policies reflect culture -- they don’t define it. Netflix’s parental leave shift didn’t change its culture of freedom and responsibility. It clarified how to live it.
Lighten Your Process Burden
Dec 7: Everyone hates oppressive processes, but somehow we keep managing to create them.
Product Add-Ons Are An Expansion Myth
Dec 1: Add-ons can enhance your product’s appeal but won’t drive significant market growth. To expand your customer base, focus on developing standalone products.
Protecting your Product Soul when the Same Product meets New People.
Nov 23: Expand into new markets while preserving your product’s core value. Discover how to adapt and grow without losing your product’s soul.
Building the Next Big Thing: A Framework for Your Second Product
Nov 19: You need a first product sooner than you think. Here's a framework for helping you identify a winner.
A Framework for Scaling product teams
Oct 9: The people, processes, and systems that make up a product organization change radically as you go through the stages of a company. This framework will guide that scaling.
My Networked Webcam Setup
Sep 25: A writeup of my network-powered conference call camera setup.

Older...

What I'm Reading