We design sites for a myriad of devices with varying connection speeds. More and more, we’re discovering the importance of fast page speed. Even 100 millisecond delays in load times negatively impact user experience and conversions. The problem is, making a site fast and lightweight is often at odds with other design goals—like creating visually immersive experiences or meeting all of an organization’s rich-media ad requirements. While a stripped ­down site with no images, set entirely in Arial, is certainly going to be light, it’s not going to accomplish all of our client’s business goals.

In this exciting presentation captured live at An Event Apart Austin, designer Yesenia Perez-Cruz shows how we can make smarter design decisions, from the very beginning of a web project, to ensure that our sites perform well. Topics Yesenia covers include optimizing typography and UI, responsive images, and how to get clients on board.

Yesenia is a Senior Product Designer at Vox Media, and has been an Acquisitions Scout for A List Apart. Previously, she created beautiful, functional design systems for clients like MTV, Zappos, and Iron Chef Jose Garces at studios including Intuitive Company and Happy Cog.

Enjoy all the videos in An Event Apart’s library. There are over 30 hours of them—all absolutely free. And for your free monthly guide to all things web, design, and developer-y, subscribe to The AEA Digest. Subscribers get exclusive access to our latest videos weeks before anyone else!