+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 24, Issue 24, December 11, 2024.

An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development. 

++ISSUE 24 CONTENTS.

SECTION ONE: New references.
What's new at the Web Design Reference site?
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/
New links in these categories:

01: ACCESSIBILITY.
02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
03: DRUPAL.
04: EVALUATION & TESTING.
05: EVENTS.
06: HTML.
07: MISCELLANEOUS.
08: NAVIGATION.
09: USABILITY.
10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

SECTION TWO: 
11: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

Almost, But Not Quite, Entirely Unlike…
By Léonie Watson.
"Can you give me the HTML for an accessible button please? It was a simple enough question. Or it would have been, had I been asking another person. As it was, I was asking ChatGPT, and so of course there was nothing simple about it…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/7/

Taking My Aggression Out on the Be My Eyes (BME) Description Bot 
By Gregory J. Rosmaita.
"…but I don't think it's sustainable strategy. More fun with 'AI' in an attempt to understand why it hides certain information it seems to have at its 'fingertips'…"
https://kolektiva.social/@oedipusnj/113619048420555908
Full exchange:
https://share.bemyeyes.com/en-US/chat/DVAsm9QZcw

Accessibility Fail Friday: 1 for YES and 0 for NO
By Sheri Byrne-Haber.
"Imagine this: you're filling out a survey and come across a question instructing you to answer 1 for Yes and 0 for No. As if that wasn't bad enough, the instructions are at the top of the page, and when you scroll to answer some of the questions, you've lost sight of what 1 and 0 means. Why is this an accessibility fail?…"
https://www.sheribyrnehaber.com/accessibility-fail-friday-1-for-yes-and-0-for-no/

Don't Use aria-label on Static Text Elements
By Ben Myers.
"…Don't use the aria-label or aria-labelledby attributes on <div>s, <span>s, or other elements representing static/noninteractive text-level semantics, such as <p>, <strong>, <em>, and so forth, unless those elements' roles have been overriden with roles that expect accessible names…"
https://benmyers.dev/blog/dont-use-aria-label-on-static-text-elements/

A11y 101: WCAG 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)
By Nat Tarnoff.
"…Sighted users can see the whole image in the video. While not everything on the screen is important, what is needs to be announced as well. This is where an audio description fits in. It describes the action happening, any key background content, or something relevant that can't be picked up by auditory cues…"
https://tarnoff.info/2024/12/09/a11y-101-wcag-1-2-5-audio-description-prerecorded/

How to Include Web Accessibility in Your Content Writing Process
By Whitney Lewis.
"Including web accessibility in your publishing process is proactive. It means fixing issues before they're problems for your users."
https://blog.pope.tech/2024/12/04/how-to-include-web-accessibility-in-your-content-writing-process/

How to Include Web Accessibility in Your Web Development Process
By Whitney Lewis.
"…Adding web accessibility testing to your development process can seem daunting - it's a whole field of strategies and requirements. But, it is possible. Queue the WAVE extension…"
https://blog.pope.tech/2024/12/04/how-to-include-web-accessibility-in-your-web-development-process/

How to Use the WAVE Extension and Start Manual Accessibility Testing
By Whitney Lewis.
"WAVE is an extension you can install on Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. The WAVE extension gives everyone a free and secure way to check most web content for accessibility. It can also help with manual testing…"
https://blog.pope.tech/2022/12/02/wave-accessibility-testing/

XR Accessibility: For People With Moving Disabilities
By Joe Lamyman. 
"…In this post, we'll explore considerations for designing and developing inclusive XR experiences for people with moving disabilities…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2024/12/09/xr-accessibility-for-people-with-moving-disabilities/

Accessibility Minute: Common Misconceptions About Digital Accessibility
By University of Colorado Boulder, Digital Accessibility Office. 
"…we will highlight some prevalent misconceptions about digital accessibility and clarify why these are incorrect…"
https://www.colorado.edu/digital-accessibility/newsletter/accessibility-minute-november-2024

OZeWAI Ask the Professionals 20 November 2024 (Video)
By OZeWAI.
"OZeWAI member Gian Wild (AccessibilityOz) moderated a panel featuring Co-chair Amanda Mace (GrackleDocs), Hans Hillen (TGPI) and Karl McCabe (BankWest)…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yvq_RnfA6I

EN301549 Requirements That Go Beyond WCAG (Video)
By IAAP Nordic Chapter.
"Recording of the webinar with Wilco Fiers, Malin Hammarberg, Peter Kemeny and Susanna Laurin…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLsApaHX7-8

Headaches with FCC Reporting on Captioning Problems Per CVAA
By Meryl K. Evans.
"When the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act  (CVAA) came out, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added a process for reporting captioning problems…"
https://equalentry.com/captioning-problems-fcc-reporting/

Advent of iOS Accessibility
By Dani Devesa.
"Starting something new: The Advent of iOS Accessibility. Twenty-four days of exploring some of the most common accessibility issues I've encountered, how to identify them, and-most importantly-how to fix them. Hope you enjoy the series…"
https://dadederk.github.io/post/2024-12-06-01/


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

More Options for Styling <details>
By Bramus Van Damme.
"As of Chrome 131 you have more options to style <details> and <summary>…"
https://www.bram.us/2024/12/03/more-options-for-styling-details/

Hints and Suggestions: The Design of Web Design (Video)
By Miriam Suzanne.
"…This is a dive into the origins of the web, and CSS in particular - the design constraints, the range of strange proposals, and how we got where we are. By the end, we have a better understanding of the cascade, and see the 'CSS is Awesome' meme in a new light…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2rqYu6jqWY

Color in CSS Or How I Learned to Disrespect Tennis (Video)
By Manuel Matuzović.
"Everybody's talking about container queries, nesting, scroll-driven animation, and view transitions. In all the excitement for these new modules, one topic is a bit overlooked: color in CSS. Manuel Matuzović summarises all the new things we can do in CSS with color to create flexible, scalable, accessible, and user-friendly design systems."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UyJe22WH58

Native HTML Light and Dark Color Scheme Switching
By Vadim Makeev.
"It's getting dark early in Berlin in the winter. It's not even close to evening, but my OS and all apps have already switched to dark mode…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/9/

The Heartfelt Story Behind CSS's New Logo
By Louise North.
"…The new CSS logo is not just a symbol of a technology that underpins the web; it's a tribute to love, loss, and the strength of a community that honors its members in meaningful ways. Central to this story is the color 'Rebecca Purple' (#663399), which features prominently in the design…"
https://webdesignerdepot.com/the-heartfelt-story-behind-csss-new-logo/

What Do the State of CSS and HTML Surveys Tell Us? 
By Rachel Andrew.
"The results for the State of CSS 2024 and State of HTML 2024 are now live. This post takes an initial look at some of the most interesting findings in those surveys…"
https://web.dev/blog/state-of-css-html-2024


+03: COLOR.

Forced Colors Mode Futility
By Matthias Zöchling.
"Are you aware of Forced Colors Mode? If not, there are some resources at the end. If so, did you also know that this accessibility feature can be used as an entry-level debugging tool?…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/5/


+04: EVALUATION & TESTING.

3 Design Processes for High Usability: Iterative Design, Parallel Design, and Competitive Testing
By Therese Fessenden.
" 3 methods for increasing UX quality by exploring and testing diverse design ideas work even better when you use them together."
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/parallel-and-iterative-design/

Does Thinking Aloud Uncover More Usability Issues?
By Sarah Mitchell.
"The Thinking Aloud method is often highlighted as a powerful way to uncover hidden usability challenges, but does it provide deeper insights than other approaches? In this article, we will explore how effective this method is, and when it's best applied in your UX research…"
https://www.loop11.com/does-thinking-aloud-uncover-more-usability-issues/

Tools for Unmoderated Usability Testing
By Lola Famulegun.
"There are many tools for unmoderated usability testing on the market. Choose a tool that offers the right features for your research. "
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/unmoderated-user-testing-tools/

Are You Doing Too Much Research?
By Carol Rossi.
"…This article presents a practical framework to assess research needs based on clarity, risk, and cost, ensuring your efforts deliver real impact…"
https://uxmag.com/articles/are-you-doing-too-much-research


+05: EVENTS.

Audio Description in Advertising
January 7, 2025.
Online and New York, New York, U.S.A.
https://www.meetup.com/a11ynyc/events/304882319/

Mid-Day Drupal Meetup
January 9, 2025.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
https://www.meetup.com/twin-cities-drupal-group/events/btvnntyhccbmb/

ADA Website Accessibility for GOVERNMENTS + 3rd Party Vendors
January 22, 2025.
Online
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ada-website-accessibility-requirements-for-governments-tickets-1070460940489

Exploring Website Navigation Accessibility: Live Demo!
January 27, 2025.
Online
https://www.meetup.com/accessibility-twin-cities/events/304345698/

Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium 
March 20-21, 2025.
Balimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/jacobus-tenbroek-disability-law-symposium

ACM SIGUCCS 2023 Annual Conference
April 6-9, 2025.
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
https://siguccs.org/Conference/2025/


+06: HTML.

Submit to the Quirks of HTML
By Felix Hessenberger.
"…All points listed in this article are the same across browsers; interestingly, the behavior of the submit button isn't defined anywhere in the HTML spec-it was initially just copied from Internet Explorer and Netscape for consistency (like discussed in this 23 year old (and still open) Firefox issue). However, as outlined in this article, the behavior can effectively be derived from combining the WCAG's recommendation that all forms should include a submit button and the HTML spec's rule that the enter key should submit the form implicitly…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/10/

Control the Viewport Resize Behavior on Mobile With interactive-widget
By Bramus Van Damme.
"Viewports units on mobile have been a problem for a long time. Using 100vh is most likely not exactly what you initially expected it to be. To fix this, the CSS Working Group came up with more units over time for you to use. The dynamic viewport units got introduced, which include svh and lvh which represent 1% of the small and large viewport height respectively…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/4/

Past HTML, Future HTML?
By Jens Oliver Meiert. 
"Consider the following HTML document…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/8/


+07: MISCELLANEOUS.

Authors Together
By Authors Together.
"In 2024, A Book Apart closed its doors after publishing a much-loved collection of more than 50 brief books for people who make websites. The rights to each book have reverted to the authors - hi, that's us - and we've put together this semi-official directory to help you find our books in their new homes…"
https://authors-together.org/


+08: NAVIGATION.

When Is a Skip Link Needed? 
By Akash Shukla.
"…In this post, we'll clarify when a skip link is required for compliance and why it's considered best practice for creating a user-friendly experience…"
https://www.tpgi.com/when-is-a-skip-link-needed/

Testing Navigation With Physical Keyboard on Android Hint - Keyboard Navigation Cluster
By Bogdan Cerovac.
"You connect your physical keyboard to an Android device and start pressing the tab key. And then shift tab. And sometimes - you circle around the UI but can not reach all interactive elements. Is this a WCAG 2.1.1 failure? Maybe it is, maybe you need to try harder…"
https://cerovac.com/a11y/2024/12/testing-navigation-with-physical-keyboard-on-android-hint-keyboard-navigation-cluster/


+09: USABILITY.

Aligning Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics with the WCAG 2.2
By Homer Gaines.
"After speaking with a team of designers who referenced using Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics for interface design while working on a redesign project, I wondered how these guidelines aligned with the current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)…"
https://rightbadcode.com/aligning-jakob-nielsens-10-usability-heuristics-with-the-wcag-22

3 Design Processes for High Usability: Iterative Design, Parallel Design, and Competitive Testing
By Therese Fessenden.
"3 methods for increasing UX quality by exploring and testing diverse design ideas work even better when you use them together."
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/parallel-and-iterative-design/

Crisis Aims to Be Bold and Impactful. But Does Their Website Live Up to Those Goals? (Video)
By Andy Clarke.
"Charities, NGOs, and non-profits are some of my favourite clients. I've been fortunate to work with Greenpeace and WWF, to name two. In both projects, I used storytelling to engage the audience and encourage them to support the charity. Balancing creative direction and user-experience design is one of my favourite things to work on…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90fVUttlq4

The Danger of Defaults (Video)
By Tanner Kohler.
"Assume that users will not change defaults and plan for this in your designs. Ask yourself 3 questions to create good defaults."
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/the-danger-of-defaults/


+10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

The Quantum Entanglement of Software Sustainability with Wilco Burggraaf (Podcast)
By Anne Currie.
"In this episode of Environment Variables, host Anne Currie speaks to Wilco Burggraaf, a lead green practitioner and architect at HighTech Innovators, for an engaging discussion on integrating sustainability into software development…"
https://podcasts.castplus.fm/e/x8vqlw6n-the-quantum-entanglement-of-software-sustainability-with-wilco-burggraaf


[Section one ends.]


++ SECTION TWO:

+11: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?

Accessibility Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/accessibility.html

Association Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/associations.html

Book Listings.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/books.html

Cascading Style Sheets Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/css.html

Color Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/color.html

Drupal Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/drupal.html

Evaluation & Testing Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/testing.html

Event Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/events.html

HTML Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/html.html

Information Architecture Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/architecture.html

JavaScript Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/javascript.html

Miscellaneous Web Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/misc.html

Navigation Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/navigation.html

PHP Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/php.html

Sites & Blogs Listing.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/sites.html

Standards, Guidelines & Pattern Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/standards.html

Tool Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/tools.html

Typography Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/type.html

Usability Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/usability.html

WebWaste & Sustainability Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/webwaste.html

XML Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/xml.html

[Section two ends.]


++END NOTES.


+ SUBSCRIPTION INFO.

WEB DESIGN UPDATE is available by subscription. For information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe please visit:
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/webdev_listserv.html
The Web Design Reference Site also has a RSS 2.0 feed for site updates.


+ TEXT EMAIL NEWSLETTER (TEN).

As a navigation aid for screen readers we do our best to conform to the accessible Text Email Newsletter (TEN) guidelines.  Please let me know if there is anything else we can do to make navigation easier. For TEN guideline information please visit:
http://www.headstar.com/ten


+ SIGN OFF.

Until next time,

Laura L. Carlson
Information Technology Systems and Services
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009
mailto:lcarlson@d.umn.edu 


[Issue ends.]