Some call it Surfaces, others Containers. It surfaces here and there as Elevation (pun intended) or under other peculiar, unfortunate names. Placement within a layout, hierarchy and purpose of the containing section, and current background colour are all examples of design contexts that lack a common name to go by. This article explores why this concept remains underdeveloped and suggests a few paths forward.

In the early 2000s, list items and links were simple <li> and <a>. Not all mighty components as they are today. Still, it felt like there was nothing you couldn’t do with CSS. Alas, somewhere along the way, things got complicated. These days everything feels slower and somewhat stiffer. How did we get this far from the simplicity of CSS? I try to answer as best as I can.

Building a backlog from a messy prototype can be challenging, but it’s essential to change gears and depart from the prototyping mindset. Here are some strategies to deal with cognitive overload and to quickly start breaking down the chaos into meaningful, actionable, and purposeful tasks.