danspratling.dev
Writing
Thoughts on web performance, accessibility, design systems, and building with AI.
Feb 23, 2024 · 5 min
5 ways understanding opportunity cost will help your business grow
Let's talk about how understanding opportunity cost matters to you, and when to say no to the things that don't move the needle.
Feb 23, 2024 · 6 min
Why your website’s technology matters (but not how you might think).
The tech stack you choose for your website or web application matters. Most people will tell you it doesn't. Here's why they're wrong.
Feb 9, 2024 · 6 min
How to reduce website costs by simplifying your code
Developing websites is expensive. But many projects with custom code are overcomplicated and outdated, making changes much more costly for businesses. Here's how we fix that.
Feb 1, 2024 · 7 min
Simplify your web development and improve growth
I see a lot of people fall into the trap of creating overly complex websites. This happens for a variety of reasons. Maybe the popular (but outdated)
Aug 21, 2023 · 8 min
How choosing the right headless CMS can unblock your team's creativity
By moving the Skyward website to Storyblok, my team was able to edit content easily without developer support while remaining on the cutting edge of tech
Jul 24, 2023 · 7 min
What is Storybook: Visual Testing and Component Documentation made easy
How to utilize Storybook to make visual testing and component documentation easy, simplifying maintenance and allowing your project to scale faster
Jul 10, 2023 · 8 min
Load components on demand with Next/Dynamic
One of the most common reasons for slow websites is loading too much JavaScript. Using Next/Dynamic helps reduce that and improves performance across your site
Jul 3, 2023 · 4 min
Optimally load third party scripts using Next/Script
Loading Scripts across your Next.js website can be difficult, with lots of different ways to use them. Next/Script ensures you load them efficiently, every time
Jun 29, 2023 · 9 min
Understanding how much a website costs to build in 2023
Building websites is expensive. How do you know if you’re getting good value? This is the last guide you’ll need to understand how much websites cost to build.
Jun 16, 2023 · 8 min
Understanding Technical Debt: How we help enterprise reduce tech debt
Technical debt is caused by short-term solutions without thinking about the long-term impacts. This is how we reduce the problem in enterprise software orgs
May 22, 2023 · 12 min
What is Next.js and Why is Next 13 a game changer in 2023?
Next.js is a powerful framework that has gained a lot of popularity among developers in recent years, but what is it and how can it help your business grow?
May 9, 2023 · 6 min
The future of Jamstack frameworks: Astro, Next.js, Server Components and Dynamic Islands
The web is changing. Frameworks like Next.js & Astro are moving away from shipping lots of JavaScript by using Server Components. Here’s why that matters
Apr 11, 2023 · 7 min
Optimizing fonts on your NextJS website with next/font
Simplify font loading for your NextJS site using next/font. Automatically import your fonts in the most optimal way, loading pages faster & streamlining updates
Mar 10, 2023 · 11 min
Load images faster with Next/Image
How to start using Next/Image to automatically optimise your images, boosting website performance and improving user experience without losing image quality
Feb 27, 2023 · 9 min
How to fetch data efficiently in Next.js
Fetching data the right way boosts your websites performance, giving your users a significantly better experience, and it’s easier than you realise
Feb 5, 2023 · 9 min
Understanding custom website development. Is it right for you?
If DIY website builders aren’t cutting it, a custom solution built with your specific needs in mind might be just what you’re after.
Jan 16, 2023 · 14 min
Headless CMS explained - an unbiased opinion
Headless CMS. Traditional/Monolithic CMS. What are they? This complete guide will answer all your questions (and no, we don’t have a CMS to sell).
Jan 3, 2023 · 8 min
How to improve your website’s performance
Website performance is critical for delivering a great user experience. Here’s our checklist that ensures we get great performance for the sites we build.
Dec 26, 2022 · 7 min
Storyblok: An Honest First Impression
Let’s give the Storyblok CMS a try for the first time and see what it does right, wrong, and if it’s something we’ll use in the future!
Dec 14, 2022 · 8 min
How to choose the right headless CMS for you
With so many choices, how do you pick the right headless CMS to suit your team’s needs and scale with your business as it grows.
Nov 23, 2022 · 9 min
Why should you choose a headless website for your SaaS business?
Headless websites are best for SaaS businesses that need to scale quickly, have complex needs and want a flexible, performant and future-proof solution.
Nov 5, 2022 · 8 min
Why you should choose Jamstack
Jamstack is a modern approach to web development that makes building and scaling easier by decoupling different parts of your technical stack.
Aug 21, 2022 · 11 min
How to create a Table of Contents Automatically using Prismic & NextJS
A short guide on how to make a small change to your blog that will massively improve how your users will interact with your content
Nov 26, 2021 · 15 min
When should you rebuild your website?
Outdated websites can be harmful to your business's bottom line, but when is the right time to replace your website
Feb 19, 2021 · 9 min
How a design system enhances your entire team's workflow
A design system is used to help your teams work together by standardising their workflow. Here's why if you're not using one you're wasting a ton of potential.
Jan 25, 2021 · 3 min
Why I soft launched my website
My website released to critical acclaim, with thousands of visits in a few days. Learn why did I soft launch my website nearly a month earlier in secret
Jan 19, 2021 · 7 min
TailwindCSS: What is it and should we use it?
TailwindCSS is an extremely popular CSS framework right now, so let's compare it to the most popular UI Toolkit, Bootstrap, and see what the differences are
Jan 12, 2021 · 4 min
Reusing ideas to supercharge your projects
Don't waste time creating the same idea over and over again. Here's how I work smart, not hard, by reusing ideas across many projects.
Jan 5, 2021 · 6 min
Is Import or Require better for JavaScript Modules?
Import and Require are both valid ways for including JavaScript Modules, but which is best? Find out what the differences are and which to use in your project.
Dec 27, 2020 · 6 min
2020 - The good. The bad. The ugly.
This year has been a tough one filled with lots of emotions. Here's how the year went for me - special thanks to all those who helped me through it.
Dec 16, 2020 · 4 min
Why I rebuilt my portfolio website ... again
Despite having rebuilt my portfolio already this year, it was still a good idea for me to do another build from scratch. Here's why.
Dec 9, 2020 · 5 min
How I make $10k per month after only 3 months freelancing
It's rare that freelancers talk openly about money preferring to keep our experiences to ourselves. Here's how I grew my business to earn $10k per month.
Sep 14, 2020 · 3 min
Finding my first freelance project
Your first project is always the hardest to find. This is the story of how I found mine.
Sep 9, 2020 · 4 min
When to use a static website vs server-side websites
Static? Server? SPAaaaagh! With the modernisation of the web, it can be hard to know which approach is right for your website. Here's how to choose.
Aug 30, 2020 · 2 min
Designing in the browser - why I was wrong
Why I've changed my approach and now believe purpose built designs are always better than designing in the browser.
Jul 5, 2020 · 4 min
Managing nested state with useContext
Sometimes, state management can get really complex. Let's create a simple modal with useContext.
Jun 29, 2020 · 9 min
Fix your portfolio
Common issues I found reviewing your portfolio websites
Jun 27, 2020 · 6 min
Becoming a Freelancer
How I switched career directions and became a freelancer full-time
May 21, 2020 · 4 min
Why is writing documentation so hard?
Writing good documentation is a difficult challenge, but there are always things we can do to improve it.
May 18, 2020 · 4 min
MDX blog posts with Contentful and Gatsby
Sometimes, you just need a little more from your markdown content.
May 15, 2020 · 5 min
Automatic social images in Gatsby
Stop creating generic images for your blog post social media cards. Let's automate them instead!
May 14, 2020 · 4 min
10 ways to improve your site accessibility
Stop settling for lackluster accessibility. Make your sites available to everyone and gain more views.
May 14, 2020 · 5 min
My developer journey - From intern to full-time
Part 3: Interning, finding that first full time job, and the power of good impressions
May 11, 2020 · 5 min
My developer journey - Finding my first job
Part 2: Lots of interviews, lots of rejections, and my first internship
May 10, 2020 · 7 min
Generating a social image with Node.js
Stop creating generic images for your blog post social media cards. Instead, let's automate them!
May 9, 2020 · 5 min
My developer journey - School and University
Part 1: How I got into web development, from childhood through university
May 7, 2020 · 4 min
Is it ever a good idea to design in the browser?
Designing with tools like Sketch, XD or Figma has always been popular, but what if we skipped that step?
May 6, 2020 · 2 min
Understand recursion in 2 minutes
Recursive functions sound scary, but with a little breakdown you'll be using them in no time.