+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE. - Volume 25, Issue, March 19, 2025. An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development. ++ISSUE 38 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: DRUPAL. 04: EVALUATION & TESTING. 05: EVENTS. 06: HTML. 07: JAVASCRIPT. 08: MISCELLANEOUS. 09: NAVIGATION. 10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY. SECTION TWO: 11: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site? [Contents ends.] ++ SECTION ONE: New references. +01: ACCESSIBILITY. Accessibility Requires Clear Responsibilities or It Will Fail By Bogdan Cerovac. "…Organizations need to understand how their people can put accessibility into practice. Which roles need to do what. Because otherwise it isn't enough. Otherwise we get to scenarios where wrong people decide about things that are essential for accessible experiences…" https://cerovac.com/a11y/2025/03/accessibility-requires-clear-responsibilities-or-it-will-fail/ A11y 101: 1.4.2 Audio Control By Nat Tarnoff. "Unexpected sounds can be quite problematic for folks. If the sound plays over 3 seconds it needs to have controls to pause or stop it. Avoid using unexpected sounds. Keep the volume reasonable. And it is always best to tie sounds to user action as it can be less shocking…" https://tarnoff.info/2025/03/17/a11y-101-1-4-2-audio-control/ A Confession By Adam Silver. "…I've fixed the contrast issues, thanks to Crystal's reminder… " https://adamsilver.io/blog/a-confession/ Standards and Requirements for Quality Audio Description By AJ Beltis. "…This article will cover the legal requirements for audio description, as well as who is responsible for adhering to them and how to best describe audio to get a high-quality description…" https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/standards-requirements-quality-audio-description/ Designing for Accessibility Right from the Start with Stéphanie Walter (Video) By Smashing Magazine. Stéphanie's February 20, 2025 presentation at the Smashing Meets conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2juq00vrvl0 AXSCHat with Mike Gifford (Video) By Monika Tomczak. "Mike Gifford is CivicActions' Open Standards & Practices Lead and a thought leader on open government, as well as digital accessibility and sustainability…" https://www.axschat.com/axschat-with-mike-gifford/ Featured Presentation: Digital Accessibility Legal Update: US By Lainey Feingold. "…Digital access is a civil right of disabled people. This session shares U.S. legal updates about access to websites, apps, kiosks, and more, and about laws, regulations, lawsuits, negotiations, and government policies…" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQyWH3DiD9s CSUNATC 2025 Recap By Adrian Roselli. "This post only covers my impressions and experiences from CSUNATC. Others probably had dramatically different experiences. The talks seemed to fall into three broad categories this year: product pitches, vendor room sessions (which were product and service pitches), and 'AI' talks…" https://adrianroselli.com/2025/03/csunatc-2025-recap.html CSUN Assistive Technology Conference Notes for 2025 By Ted Drake. "This article summarizes key takeaways and notes from the week's sessions. Christopher Phillips has been curating the big ol' list of CSUN presentation information…" https://www.last-child.com/csun-atc-notes-for-2025.html Great Big List - CSUN 2025 Presentation Links (Google Sheet) By Christopher Phillips. "CSUN 2025 Presentation Links…" https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OqmkBLPSfPDtRq_pMWcKcVCCWpfvwdeXHDtM7xk0ZHM/edit?gid=80757841#gid=80757841 Running Strong Accessibility Programs Without DEI Support By Sheri Byrne-Haber. "…Accessibility programs should not depend on the fate of DEI initiatives. By aligning accessibility with legal, product, customer experience, procurement, and leadership goals, organizations can ensure that accessibility remains a permanent and protected function. Accessibility is not an extra. It is a fundamental part of executing responsible business activities." https://buttondown.com/access-ability/archive/running-strong-accessibility-programs-without-dei/ Making Digital Spaces More Inclusive for People With ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia By Charlii Parker. "The internet is meant to be the great equaliser - bringing information, services, and cat videos to the masses. But for many neurodivergent folks, particularly those with ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia, the online world can feel like it was designed by an over-caffeinated octopus. It can be cluttered, overwhelming, and needlessly difficult to navigate. But it doesn't have to be that way…" https://intopia.digital/articles/making-digital-spaces-more-inclusive/ Guides By 18F. "Principles and standards that shape our work…" https://18f.org/guides/ +02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS. Reducing CSS Complexity With the :is() pseudo-class By Chris Ferdinandi. "Today, I want to show you how it can dramatically reduce selector complexity. Let's dig in…" https://gomakethings.com/reducing-css-complexity-with-the-is-pseudo-class/ +03: COLOR. WCAG Colour Contrast: What Does the 4.5:1 Ratio Actually Mean? By Dave Davies. "Anyone who has worked with web accessibility will likely be familiar with the WCAG Colour Contrast Requirements. These guidelines specify that text (and images of text) must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. But have you ever wondered what that 4.5:1 ratio actually means, and where it comes from…" https://davedavies.dev/posts/wcag-colour-contrast-explained/ +04: DRUPAL. Accessibility Always a Focus in Drupal! By Alka Elizabeth. "A Conversation with Gareth Alexander, Starshot Track Lead for Accessibility Tools…" https://www.thedroptimes.com/interview/45279/accessibility-always-focus-in-drupal Carbon Impact Evaluator By Claudia Desiderio, et al. "The Carbon Impact Evaluator module is designed to measure the carbon emissions associated with a website. To conduct this assessment, the module uses the CO2.js library from the Green Web Foundation, which offers two distinct methodologies for calculating emissions…" https://www.drupal.org/project/carbon_impact_evaluator +04: EVALUATION & TESTING. Understanding Different Types of 100-Point Scales By Jeff Sauro and Jim Lewis. "…Here are the differences between absolute percentages, percentiles, and rating scale transformations to 100-point scales…" https://measuringu.com/types-of-100-point-scales/ Survey Alternatives: 3 Scenarios When You Shouldn't Run a Survey (Video) By Maddie Brown. "Surveys are great for gathering quantitative, self-reported data but shouldn't replace behavioral methods like usability testing, qualitative interviews, or data you already have through analytics.…" https://www.nngroup.com/videos/when-you-shouldnt-run-a-survey/ +05: EVENTS. Panel: Crafting Accessible Experiences with Design Systems March 26, 2025. Online https://knapsack-cloud.zoom.us/webinar/register/7117400039033/WN_CGDXvF_8Q8SpintqEbR44A#/registration Against Technoableist AI / Cyborg Meets AI: Technologized Disabled People in the Context of Corporatized Technological Development and Health Management March 26, 2025. Online and Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. https://library.osu.edu/events/against-technoableist-ai-cyborg-meets-ai-technologized-disabled-people-in-the-context-of 20 Years of MeasuringU - Reflecting and Affecting UX Research for Two Decades at MeasuringU April 2, 2025. Online https://measuringu.zoom.us/webinar/register/3317411237096/WN_kQD0vyeOQuWnHmr_k-mWEA#/registration Cognitive Biases 101: How They Impact Users, Research, and Teams with Stéphanie Walter April 10, 2025. Online https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops/workshops/cognitive-biases-stephanie-walter/ UX Scotland June 11-12, 2025. Edinburgh, Scotland https://uxscotland.net/ Web Directions Code June 12-13, 2025. Melbourne, Australia https://webdirections.org/code/ Inclusive Design 24 (#id24) May 31, 2025 call for presentations closes. September 25, 2025 event. Online https://inclusivedesign24.org/2025/ +06: HTML. Cool Native HTML Elements You Should Already Be Using By Harrison Broadbent. "I'm constantly surprised by the native HTML spec. New features are regularly added, and I often stumble on existing, handy elements. While often not as versatile as their JS counterparts, using them avoids bloating your app with extra Javascript libraries or CSS hacks…" https://harrisonbroadbent.com/blog/cool-native-html-elements/ Popping Preconceived Popover Ponderings By Scott O'Hara. "…I decided to finally get this post in a publishable state because I still see people asking questions about popover. Like, what is it? How does it differ from a dialog (modal or non)? Why doesn't it do this one thing that I need it to? I'm not going to answer every question about popover. But I should get back into the habit of writing this stuff down once and pointing people to it, rather than providing repetitive one-off answers whenever I happen across someone asking about it…" https://www.scottohara.me/blog/2025/03/14/popovers.html +07: JAVASCRIPT. Is React Accessible? That's the Wrong Question By Access Armada. "Developers love to debate frameworks and libraries. As accessibility advocates, it's important to us that accessibility is considered in these debates. The common question is: 'Is React accessible?' But that's not quite the right way to think about it…" https://www.accessarmada.com/blog/is-react-accessible-thats-the-wrong-question/ +08: MISCELLANEOUS. Building A Disability-Inclusive AI Ecosystem By Ariana Aboulafia and Henry Claypool. "A Cross-Disability, Cross-Systems Analysis Of Best Practices…" https://cdt.org/insights/building-a-disability-inclusive-ai-ecosystem-a-cross-disability-cross-systems-analysis-of-best-practices/ Trump Firings Gut Education Department's Civil Rights Division By Michael C. Bender and Rachel Nostrant. "Many of the office's cases over the decades have served as a catalyst for broader policy change and social reforms…" https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/us/politics/trump-education-department-civil-rights.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3k4.NWNp.S_sfZL2xpjSX +09: NAVIGATION. Designing Accessible Website Navigation: Best Practices for Inclusive UX By Access Armada. "…This isn't intended to be an exhaustive guide, but keeping accessibility in mind when planning website navigation will set you on the right track towards a better user experience for all…" https://www.accessarmada.com/blog/designing-accessible-website-navigation-best-practices-for-inclusive-ux/ Why Website Taxonomies Drift (and What to Do about It) By Jorge Arango. "AI is everywhere these days, but most websites are still managed manually in CMSs like WordPress and Drupal. These systems provide ways to tag and categorize content, but over time, their structures degrade…" https://jarango.com/2025/03/11/why-website-taxonomies-drift-and-what-to-do-about-it/ +10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY. How Do We Work Out the Environmental Savings From Accessibility? (Video) By Chris Adams. "…In this talk, we'll take a look how we can quantify the environmental savings from supporting a wider range of devices with the digital services we design and operate…" https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-5292-how-do-we-work-out-the-environmental-savings-from-accessibility-/ Durable Technology By Chris Ferdinandi. "Imagine owning a smartphone or computer that lasted a decade (and didn't feel like it was slowing you down)…" https://gomakethings.com/durable-technology/ [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.]