
CTRL+CLICK CAST
We inspect the web for you.
Lea Alcantara and Emily Lewis
About
CTRL+CLICK CAST inspects the web for you! We proudly feature diverse voices from the industry’s leaders and innovators, who tackle everything from design, code and content management systems, to culture and business challenges. Our focused, topical discussions teach, inspire and waste no time getting to the heart of the matter. Formerly the EE Podcast, CTRL+CLICK is produced by Bright Umbrella and hosted by industry veterans Lea Alcantara and Emily Lewis.
Latest Episodes
View all 75 episodes
ctrlclickcast.com Mobile Refresh, Part 2
The grand finale! Emily and Lea discuss the technical execution of ctrlclickcast.com’s mobile-friendly refresh. We chat about what it took to translate the design into a more modular, modern front-end as well as the challenges and process to upgrade the site to the latest version of ExpressionEngine. Tune in to find out more—plus a major announcement! < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Fitts's Law ARIA roles AblePlayer Starter Files Cloudflare Podtrac UTM tags ExpressionEngine native template partials DataGrab Assets Tagger Bloqs Stash Font Awesome Font Awesme The complete guide to SVG: the power of sprites Rick Springfield Andy Gibb Special Olympics Animal Humane New Mexico Joseph Oliveros Transcription Our sound editor Goran Krznaric's Email Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Content Strategy with Carrie Hane
Tanzen’s Carrie Hane aims to demystify content strategy! We dive into how fundamental content strategy is to the success of a digital project — and ultimately, its organization! Carrie explains what to expect with content strategy, where it fits in a project life cycle, plus the value this strategy brings to designers, developers, and clients. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Tanzen Blog Tanzen Newsletter Designing Connected Content by Mike Atherton & Carrie Hane Get Your Content Ready BEFORE the Redesign How I Use the Core Model to Create Better Web Content So You're Ready For a Content-First Design Process Content First – Design Last Smashing Magazine Content Strategy category UX Booth Content Strategy category NPR Donation Page Brain Traffic Blog Gather Content Blog Gadgetopia (focus on content management) Content Design by Sarah Richards The Content Strategy Toolkit by Meghan Casey Letting Go of the Words by Janice (Ginny) Redish Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher

ExpressionEngine Community Association with TJ Draper
The ExpressionEngine Community Association helped organize the last couple of EE Conferences — what else is in its future? EECA president TJ Draper explains their dreams for the EE community, advocating for education, as well as its overarching goals. Tune in for details on how you can get involved, too! < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: ExpressionEngine Community Association (EECA) ExpressionEngine Conference EE Conf 2019 Golden Ticket ExpressionEngine Slack EE open source announcement Greenfield projects How to sell ExpressionEngine in a competitive situation - Lydia Chiu - 2018 Anne of Green Gables Show Hope Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

ctrlclickcast.com Mobile Refresh, Part 1
Why did it take 3 years to relaunch a modern, mobile-friendly ctrlclickcast.com? Lea and Emily dive into the business and logistical challenges in launching an internal project alongside client work. We chat about the plan and strategy we had 3 years ago, plus the content, IA and design process along the way. Tune in to hear insights on shifts we had to make to priorities and goals due to the delay. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: CTRL+CLICK CAST on Spotify! WBENC Conference The .net Awards Podcast of the Year Top 10 of 2015 JW Player Able Player Content Priority Guides Devon Sawa, Can I Keep You? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher

Vector Media Group’s Acquisition of Happy Cog with Matt Weinberg & Stuart Henry
At the end of last year, well-renowned digital agency Vector Media Group acquired the equally-renowned Happy Cog. Why? And what does it mean for our industry? We get the details from Vector partners Matt Weinberg and Stuart Henry, who explain how the idea of an acquisition evolved over time and how quickly the deal came together once decided. They share the nuances of reassuring both clients and staff, as well as the challenges of merging processes and services. We also get their perspective on the digital agency landscape, along with advice for other agencies that are considering joining forces. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Vector announcement Happy Cog announcement Businesswire press release Defy Ventures Make a Wish Foundation CTRL+CLICK CAST Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher

2018 Year in Review
We close 2018 with our annual Year in Review! What have we learned in tech, business and life this past year? We also share some fun faves to add to your watch, listen, read and play lists. Plus, special guest Erin Lewis is back to give a rundown on this year’s Rapidfire Questions. Spoiler: people have opinions about karaoke. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Craft Coding Challenge Twig Premiere Pro Premiere Gal Going Offline Street Smarts by Norm Brodsky Black Violin Marie Kondo Ellen Degeneres (Public Bathrooms bit) To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Crazy Rich Asians Simon’s Cat Simon’s Cat Pop Time Lupe Fiasco’s Drogas Wave Show Your Work Lainey Gossip The Good Doctor Doogie Howser, MD The Power by Naomi Alderman Less by Andrew Sean Greer “The Heart” produced by Radiotopia The Heart “No” Series Anna Faris is Unqualified Ask a Manager Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman Haunting of Hill House After Effects Adobe XD Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes Rainbow Brite @ErnLew CTRL+CLICK CAST Instagram Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Dealing with Business Challenges
Ups and downs in business are a given, but we don’t often talk about the downs. Without talking about our failures, though, how can we learn and find success in difficult times? So we’re giving you a peek behind the curtains at Bright Umbrella, sharing some of the business challenges we faced this year — including losing our largest client — and the changes we’re trying. No guaranteed solutions (just yet), but maybe we can all learn from each other! < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Become a #ctrlclickfan! Partners Counseling presentation at Owner Summit Demystifying the Web for Clients series Closing the Loop Email Craft Slack Bureau of Digital events Business Impact NW Ask a Manager Udemy Louder Than Ten Workshops Book Yourself Solid Never Split the Difference Extreme Ownership Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Designing for People Struggling with Mental Health with Francis Rowland
Compassion and perspective. These are two elements that lead design toward a more accessible and inclusive future, says Senior UX Architect Francis Rowland. We discuss how inclusive design principles help audiences with mental health struggles while improving everyone’s user experience. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Mind UK locator NHS mental health support locations Alastair Somerville Misuability worksheets A Web for Everyone by Sarah Horton / Whitney Quesenbery Microsoft's "Respecting Focus" booklet Inclusive Design Toolkit Accessible spaces - inclusion beyond screens (PDF) (Sigma) Kat Holmes and Mismatch design Design Patterns for Mental Health Kat Ely: The World is Designed for Men National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Veterans Crisis Line Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator World Mental Health Day 2018 Mental Illness Awareness Week Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher

Thriving at Work with Gina DeLapa
Our jobs as designers and devs can sometimes lead to burnout, bad habits, stress and worse. Career counselor and author Gina DeLapa joins the show to share practical tips that can help us thrive at work! Gina details the importance of self care and shares examples of what it really looks like in practice. We also discuss the importance of boundaries and self-reflection to help manage workplace drama and deal with negative feedback. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Thriving at Work World Mental Health Day 2018 Mental Illness Awareness Week The 5 Love Languages How Do I Find a Good Therapist HeartMath AutoSleep National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Veterans Crisis Line Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Biz Growth & Hiring with Ross Nover
Is your agency ready to hire its first employee? Friendly Design’s Ross Nover explains how his agency grew to eight full-time staff and why. We discuss business opportunities and time-saving, hiring vs. contracting out, plus the financial considerations involved when hiring. To help you decide whether to expand your staff, we share resources and advice on how to hire alongside its business benefits. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Owner Summit AIGA Bureau of Digital orgdesignfordesignorgs.com Debra by Beck Space Oddity by David Bowie The Good Place Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Editorial Design in Craft CMS with Travis Gertz
Don’t let technology constrain your design flexibility! Travis Gertz joins the show to explain the importance of art direction and creativity when designing for digital experiences. He outlines some simple, practical ways to apply these nuances as well as larger-scale design flexibility. We discuss how to apply flexible design with Craft CMS, share other site examples that showcase editorial design, plus considerations with client workflow and technical performance realities. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Coax Design Machines Stripe’s website Twitter thread about MySpace, LiveJournal and NeoPets ProPublica Vox Lost Type Co-op Kenneth Ormandy Tofino typeface Politics of Design Graphic Idea Notebook Designing News Are we designers shamelessly good at self promotion? Practical typography Reusable Twig Template in Craft Turning Craft into an Editorial Design Machine Tailwind CSS Bass CSS Tachyons Design Anarchy Medium is the Massage Designing the editorial experience Square Circle Triangle Lateral Thinking Creativity Step by Step Editing by Design: For Designers, Art Directors, and Editors — the Classic Guide to Winning Readers Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Offline Web Experiences with Jeremy Keith
From optimizing performance to enhancing the user experience, crafting a good offline web experience can be complicated! Front-end expert and author Jeremy Keith joins the show to make sense of service workers and progressive web apps. Jeremy details the technical aspects, as well as the more complicated UX considerations, and shares real-world examples of offline experiences with service workers. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Going Offline Securing Sites Made Them Less Accessible On HTTPS and Hard Questions Application Cache Is a Douchebag Fetch API Chrome Dino Introducing Background Sync Cache API The Web App Manifest Service worker resources Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Philanthropy Tech with Chantal Forster
What is philanthropy tech? Technology Affinity Group Executive Director Chantal Forster gives real-world examples of technology affecting change in our communities. She shares the staggering $60B figure that goes into philanthropic efforts and how technology may be the way to put that to better use. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Technology Affinity Group (TAG) Number of foundations in the US 1990-2014 Giving USA 2017: Total Charitable Donations Ralph C Wilson Jr Foundation Ford Foundation Public Interest Tech #publicinteresttech Pearce Family Foundation Rockefeller Foundation Kellogg Foundation Crown Family Foundation Tulsa Community Foundation Chicago Community Trust JPMorgan Chase & CO Global Philanthropy Box Dropbox G4G - GuideStar for Grant Applications State of Philanthrophy Tech survey Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Design & Dev IBM to release world’s largest annotation dataset for studying bias in facial analysis Soap dispenser doesn’t recognize dark skin Census 2020 NTEN Beth Kanter Amy Sample Ward NTC conference Tag2018.org Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Standard Agreements for Digital Services with Gabe Levine & Josh Barrett
The service agreements you sign with your clients are more than just legal contracts. They are core to your business operations and client relationships. So you need to get them right! Lawyers Gabe Levine and Josh Barrett join the show to discuss what client services agreements like MSAs and SOWs need to include — specifically for creatives and digital agencies. They explain the importance of working with agreements that are custom to your services, as well as with a lawyer who understands those services. And they detail the Standard Agreement they created with Bureau of Digital, which is not only geared toward digital services but is free for anyone to use! < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Groundwork Legal CreateLegal Owner Summit 2018 Owner Summit 2018: Bureau Standard Form of Agreement for Digital Services The Bureau Standard Form of Agreement for Digital Services Service Agreement Field Manual Discount codes for Josh's Service Agreement Field Manual Digital PM Summit Bureau of Digital events Owner Summit 2019 Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Designing a Modular System with Sarah Federman
Design systems can be confusing, especially when people are still trying to define what it means! Adobe Design Engineer Sarah Federman stops by the show to explain what design systems are, why they’re important and the details in their actual creation. We explain how modularity is built in to design systems and how it’s evolved through the years. We touch on how crucial developers are to design systems, how to adapt design systems even for small teams, and share tips on explaining the time and costs saved when a design system is in place. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Adobe Spectrum Neopets single source of truth (SSOT) Sketch Adobe XD table stakes Dan Mall's Distinct Design Systems Yelp Styleguide Pattern Lab Fractal Brent Jackson's Styled System Redlines GitHub Danny Banks Style Dictionary Salesforce Theo Design Tokens Designing an App Using the Material Design Sticker Sheet React Native InVision Design Systems ebook Alla Kholmatova Designs Systems Book Abstract design version control React Sketch app HTML Sketch app Salesforce Lightning Design System Shopify Polaris GE’s Predix Design System Adele Figma Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Democratizing Tech with Fabian Elliott
If you want to solve a problem, you need to first understand the problem. That’s why data is core to Black Tech Mecca’s City Assessment Framework, which is helping increase Black participation in Chicago’s tech industry. CEO Fabian Elliott joins the show to explain BTM’s mission and how they use data as the foundation for change. He details their holistic approach, focusing on education, corporate and entrepreneurship. He also shares how BTM’s framework and model can help other cities and communities, including the annual State of the Black Tech Ecosystem conference. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Black Tech Mecca (BTM) Black Tech Ecosystem DECA Inc The Mis-Education of the Negro State of the Black Tech Ecosystem Careless Whisper Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

CMS Upgrades & Migrations, Part 2
No matter how many upgrades and CMS migrations you go through, there are always issues. In Part 2 of this series, we tackle the technical planning, gotchas and QA of CMS upgrades and migrations. We stress the importance of setting the right expectations with clients, not taking one-click upgrades for granted, and share our tips on how to tackle the often painful process of upgrading or migrating to a new CMS. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: 3 Signs It’s Time to Migrate to a New CMS Updating Statamic Migrating from Statamic 1 Updating Craft 2 Upgrading from Craft 2 Updating ExpressionEngine 4 Upgrading from ExpressionEngine 2 Upgrading from ExpressionEngine 3 Focus Lab’s EE Master Config Demystifying series Feed Me for Craft CMS Feed Me Migrating from ExpressionEngine Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

The State of Web Images with Kitt Hodsden
From formats and techniques to performance and automation, images on the web can be complicated! Front-end developer and performance expert Kitt Hodsden joins the show to make sense of today’s options — and help you choose the options that are best for your projects. Kitt explains the historical background of web images, along with future-forward options like WebP and WebM. She also shares resources to help with virtually any approach to images, then dives into the solutions that consistently work for her, including srcset, automating optimization and lazy loading. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Beyond Resizing: The Image Performance Checklist srcset WebP WebM MozJPEG Guetzli Pngcrush pngquant ImageOptim Gulp imagemin SVGOMG Imager for Craft RespImageLint New Relic Cloudinary Imgix sitespeed.io Tim Kadlec Addy Osmani Ilya (Grigorik) Optimizing Content Efficiency Optimizing Content Efficiency: Image Optimization Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Biz Dev Strategies 101 with Alex Mejias
Business development is the key to business success, but where to begin? Alex Mejias, Foster Made’s Director of Strategy and Business Development, joins to the show to explain the fundamentals of business development. We discuss the mindset required for business growth, the basic sales process plus how to qualify leads. We share both the small and larger agency perspective about growth and business dev, the challenges we face and the nuances to consider when filling your agency pipeline. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Owner Summit Blair Enns Win Without Pitching The Business Coalition for Justice Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By

Fostering Diversity in Design Leadership with Timothy Bardlavens
How can we improve diversity in design leadership? Access. Access to resources, education, other designers … access to the knowledge that design is even a career to pursue in the first place. We chat with Microsoft’s Product Design & Culture Lead Timothy Bardlavens about the lack diversity in the design industry and in leadership, in particular. We discuss the challenges of “diversity programs” that don’t actually deliver what people need, and how genuine leadership is needed for even grass-roots efforts to find success. He shares how basic access and radical transparency can be the start of change, but also reflects on the reality that change still seems to lie on the shoulders of the people who need it most. < Download MP3 >      < Listen on ctrlclickcast.com > Show Notes: Dear AIGA, Goodbye. Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce Women Lead Initiative Gender Equity Toolkit Trevor Noah, Diversity And The Challenges Of Late Night In 2015 Let Samantha Bee show you how to hire more women Why Women Don’t Apply for Jobs Unless They’re 100% Qualified ‘I felt so alone’: What women at Microsoft face, and why many leave Julie (radical transparency) Design + Diversity Design + Diversity Fellowship Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Review our show on Stitcher Sponsored By