Dave McFarland portrait

Demystifying jQuery for Agile Prototyping

Dave McFarland, Sawyer McFarland Media | April 25, 2012 | 8:30 am - 5:30 pm

Dave’s Full-Day Workshop Agenda

Morning

JavaScript and jQuery in Agile environments

  • The best way to get started with JavaScript and jQuery
  • jQuery syntax patterns, classes, functions, and selectors
  • Diagnostic techniques using browser-error consoles

The how-tos of jQuery interactivity

  • How to react to events like scrolling and resizing windows
  • How to use interactive functions to get effects like collapse and expand
  • How to make a slide-out panel by adding script tags and animation

Afternoon

Exploring jQuery plugins for faster design

  • Ways to add lightboxes and sliders to your website right now
  • Which plug-ins to use for pop-up widgets, forms, and tabbed panels
  • When to use an existing plug-in or build your own

Navigating the jQuery UI library

  • Where to find common UI elements like the accordion widget
  • How to position utilities like auto-complete, date picker, and dialog box
  • The differences between jQuery’s support for the web and for mobile

Go Beyond CSS & HTML

The power of JavaScript and jQuery takes advantage of your DOM expertise. Simple programming skills can bring your designs to a whole new level.

Change Your Conversations

Conveying interactions with wireframes is tough. Talk about experiences earlier using functional prototypes. Your teams — and users — will thank you for it.

Prototype Faster

With just a few lines of code and some simple plug-ins, you’ll be making clickable prototypes that make great design happen much more quickly.

Demystifying jQuery for Agile Prototyping

You’re already comfortable in CSS, HTML, and the Document Object Model. But once you add JavaScript and jQuery to your skills toolbox, you’ll be gabbing it up with the developers and building interactive prototypes and sites to the benefit of your Agile teams.

Dave’s an expert in describing the fundamentals through detailed implementation. So be prepared to delve into functions, events, selectors, and classes. Plus, he’ll teach you to use the browser console as the chief way of troubleshooting any errors along the way.

Find out how to take advantage of all the great programming that already exists out there in jQuery plug-ins for common UI elements and widgets. Conquer all that is drag-able and select-able, then see how to add those elements to a page for both web and mobile.

Ultimately, you’ll learn to make websites interactive and prototypes click-able just by using some common jQuery plug-ins and UI library elements. So whether your boss wants a slider for the feature area, or your team is planning its next iteration, you’ll be programming to meet their needs — and yours.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Program JavaScript and apply it to your websites, applications, and prototypes.
  • Add jQuery plug-ins and widgets to web and mobile pages and prototypes.
  • Find the right jQuery UI elements from a host of options available in libraries.
  • Troubleshoot your code using consoles in various browsers.
  • Talk with folks who program JavaScript — because you’ll be speaking their language.
  • Conveying your designs effectively in the fast-paced world of Agile.

Dave McFarland, jQuery Master

Dave McFarland portrait

To say ”Dave McFarland knows his stuff“ is an understatement. So we’ll just get to the meat of it: he is the best JavaScript and jQuery instructor in our industry today. How’s that for an introduction?

Dave has built his web development career by pushing the envelope, whether by overseeing the complete CSS-based redesign of Macworld.com or contributing columns to CreativePro.com. He also has authored notable books used by practitioners of all levels, including CSS: The Missing Manual and JavaScript: The Missing Manual, both of O’Reilly Media.

His experience in higher education spans from UC Berkeley — where he worked as the institution’s webmaster — to Portland State University’s multimedia program, where he currently teaches.

So if you’ve been longing to learn programming from someone whose practical knowledge matches his skill in teaching it, then we’ll see you in Dave’s workshop.