From Content to Code, How Responsive Design Supports the Core Business

Abstract

OCLC has developed a new Web interface for the FirstSearch product using responsive design techniques. We have previewed this new interface with 19 institutions and in early 2013 we will go into open beta with the thousands of libraries currently subscribing to FirstSearch. We will describe the project from its beginning to the present and share what we have learned throughout the process. The majority of our presentation will focus on the technical aspects of implementing a mission-critical Web interface for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices using HTML5 and CSS3, including how we leveraged this emerging technology to meet the core principles of our business: performance and accessibility. We will discuss: • The importance of understanding your content in order to build the semantic structure of pages and use microformats to extend your reach across the Web. WCAG and ARIA accessibility guidelines within our application. • The use of progressive enhancement and CSS3 media queries to design interfaces that fit various device capabilities and viewports. • How to support a rich user experience by using CSS3 hardware accelerations, as opposed to JavaScript, to improve transitions and animations. • How to off-load data requests to improve performance.