[webdev] Web Design Update: January 3, 2013

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 10, Issue 28, January 4, 2013.

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

++ISSUE 28 CONTENTS.

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

01: ACCESSIBILITY.
02: EVALUATION & TESTING.
03: EVENTS.
04: JAVASCRIPT.
05: MISCELLANEOUS.
06: TYPOGRAPHY.
07: USABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

Headings: Who needs 'em?
By Roger Hudson.
"This is a story about web page headings and sub-headings: A story
that tries to look beyond the absurd distinctions that are sometimes
made about the usability and accessibility of web content, to ask who
needs headings and why..."
http://usability.com.au/2013/01/headings-who-needs-em/

Touch Accessibility for the Blind and Visually Impaired
By University of Minnesota Duluth.
"Due to advances in screen reader technology, voice controls, gesture
functionality, and add-on applications some touch devices offer an
inclusive experience for the blind and visually impaired..."
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/itsshelp/news/2013/01/touch-accessibility-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired.html

Trials of iPads as Assistive Technologies
By Denise Wood.
"Through funding support provided by Telstra Australia we have been
undertaking research into the efficacy of mainstream devices such as
iPads as assistive technologies over the last few months.  The aim of
the research is to provide empirical evidence of the impact of the use
of such mainstream technologies on the attainment of the participation
goals of 10 adults with varying physical disabilities and
communication needs..."
http://denisewood.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/trials-of-ipads-as-assistive-technologies/

PDF/UA and Skipped Headings
By Ted Page.
"In July 2012 the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
published its first ever PDF accessibility standard, ISO 14289-1,
otherwise known as PDF/UA. The publication of PDF/UA is in many
respects a welcome step forward. However, this article will look at
its prescriptions for headings which, it will be argued, are
problematical..."
http://www.pws-ltd.com/sections/articles/2012/pdf-ua-and-headings.html

NVDA and PDF Table Accessibility
By Ted Page.
"It's no exaggeration to say that the recently released NVDA upgrade
is a huge step forward for PDF accessibility. With respect to tables,
NVDA now matches JAWS in almost every way that matters, and in some
respects it is significantly better. NVDA is now a realistic
alternative to JAWS..."
http://www.pws-ltd.com/sections/articles/2012/nvda-pdf-table-accessibility.html

One Accomplishment, One Resolution
By Terrill Thompson.
"I'm one of those people who finds the final week of a calendar year
to be a good time to reflect on the waning year and make plans for the
waxing one. Being just one person in a world of 7 billion, I'll keep
this post short and highlight just one accomplishment from 2012 and
offer one resolution for 2013..."
http://terrillthompson.com/blog/331

Web Axe 2012 Year in Review
By Dennis Lembree.
It was another great year for Web Axe and its creator Dennis Lembree.
http://www.webaxe.org/web-axe-2012-year-in-review/

5 Easy Steps To ADA & Section 508 Web Accessibility
By Word of Mouth Media.
"Are you ADA & Section 508 Compliant? Netflix is...almost: they have,
per legal ruling, agreed to make closed captions available for
members, for all of their videos, by 2014. Such accessibility
requirements used to be strictly reserved for governmental entities,
and technically it still is in the U.S. However, Netflix's new
business M.O. has set a legal precedent that should put all online
content professionals on alert-most especially elearning businesses
and those that transact with educational organizations or
initiatives..."
http://www.voiceyourmedia.com/5-easy-steps-to-ada-section-508-web-accessibility/

A Clear EU Accessibility Law Proposed? At What Cost?
By Hassell Inclusion.
"Early this month the European Commission issued a proposal for a
directive on 'Accessibility of Public Sector Bodies' Websites' (link
opens a PDF)..."
http://www.hassellinclusion.com/2012/12/clear-eu-accessibility-law/


+02: EVALUATION & TESTING.

6 Must-See Usability Testing Videos
By Tomer Sharon.
"Usability testing. Some people love it, some hate it, many don't get
it. Personally, I think they are the best thing anyone can do to learn
from their users. In the same time, they are emotionally exhausting
for moderators. Here are 6 usability testing videos I love. Four
serious ones, two not so much."
http://blog.usabilla.com/7-must-see-usability-testing-videos/


+03: EVENTS.

W4a 2013 - 21th International World Wide Web Conference
May 13-15, 2013.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
http://www.w4a.info/2013/

AHEAD 2013
July 8-13, 2013.
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
http://www.ahead.org/conferences/2013-cfp


+04: JAVASCRIPT.

Accessibility in Modern Interfaces
By James Edwards.
"Some of the things being done with JavaScript today are truly
amazing. The Internet itself is still young, yet it's been through
several evolutions in its short history - most significantly perhaps,
is the explosion of incredible Web applications that came in the wake
of AJAX. There was a loser though, and that was accessibility. But,
now we've reached a point where accessibility is catching up, thanks
to the development of the Web Accessibility Initiative's Accessible
Rich Internet Applications (WAI ARIA)..."
http://jspro.com/raw-javascript/accessibility-in-modern-interfaces/

How Browsers Interact with Screen Readers and Where ARIA Fits in the Mix
By Bryan Garaventa.
"The differing behaviors of screen readers across various browsers are
noticed all the time by screen reader users, and differing levels of
ARIA support are noticed in a similar manner, but the reasons why this
happens aren’t commonly understood by the majority of people..."
https://www.ssbbartgroup.com/blog/2013/01/02/how-browsers-interact-with-screen-readers-and-where-aria-fits-in-the-mix/

Object-Orientation and Inheritance in JavaScript: A Comprehensive Explanation
By Manuel Kiessling.
"...The good news is that [Object-orientation and inheritance in
JavaScript is] actually quite simple, but the bad news is that it
works completely different than object-orientation in languages like
C++, Java, Ruby, Python or PHP, making it not-quite-so simple to
understand..."
http://manuel.kiessling.net/2012/03/23/object-orientation-and-inheritance-in-javascript-a-comprehensive-explanation/


+05: MISCELLANEOUS.

Responsible Web Design
By Matt Mehlhope.
"As web designers and developers, we carry the heavy burden of
ensuring that content is delivered to an incredibly heterogenius
audience - internet-enabled devices. These devices come in different
shapes, sizes, and capacities. Regardless of their capabilities each
device platform deserves the same level of respect, something that we
have not historically given each equally. While responsive and
adaptive web design have become buzz words in the industry, they are
simply emblematic of our need to design responsibly - for all users
and devices - rather than for the capable few..."
http://mehlhope.net/responsible-web-design

10 Rules of Minimalist Design
By Brian Morris.
"These rules are not absolute, but rather guidelines to get you
started.  Don't be afraid to take risks with your design.  Doing so
will undoubtedly reveal cool new ways to craft a compelling design
that achieves its goal..."
http://www.webteacher.ws/2012/12/31/10-rules-of-minimalist-design/

5 Tips for Responsive Builds
By David Bushell.
"If design and content strategy stops when the build phase starts it's
time to rethink your process. The role of a modern front-end developer
goes beyond following pre-defined blueprints. An iterative, agile-like
approach is vital to account for responsive design challenges that
inevitably arise as a website takes shape..."
http://dbushell.com/2013/01/01/five-tips-for-responsive-builds/

10 Web Predictions for 2013
By Craig Buckler
"Happy New Year! 2013 has arrived and, while we may not have hover
boards or day trips to the moon, technology and the web is evolving
faster than ever..."
http://www.sitepoint.com/2013-web-predictions/


+06: TYPOGRAPHY.

Text Size and Screen Ratios
By Alastair Campbell.
"...overall, I agree with the conclusion of the Alistapart article.
However, the iPad mini has roughly the same CSS pixels per inch as
similar devices like the Nexus 7, so perhaps they all need to decrease
their viewport width?"
http://alastairc.ac/2012/12/text-size-and-screen-rations/


+07: USABILITY.

Page Weight Matters
By Chris Zacharias.
"...Many of us are fortunate to live in high bandwidth regions, but
there are still large portions of the world that do not. By keeping
your client side code small and lightweight, you can literally open
your product up to new markets."
http://blog.chriszacharias.com/page-weight-matters

Five Big UX Topics in 2012
By Catalyst Group.
""For years, UX professionals have vigorously lobbied for a "seat at
the table" when it comes to formative decisions about products and
product development. Looking back at 2012, trends indicate that this
wish is becoming reality. Many leading UX consultants reported that
their clients are more open to research and design methods with a UX
focus than they have been in the past. This elevated focus on UX ideas
and concepts will require informed engagement with several high-level
topics that emerged in 2012. This article discusses five of the themes
that we expect will have relevance into 2013..."
http://boxesandarrows.com/five-big-ux-topics-in-2012/


[Section one ends.]


++ SECTION TWO:

+08: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?

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

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

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

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

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

Dreamweaver Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/dreamweaver.html

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

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

Flash Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/flash.html

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Section two ends.]


++END NOTES.


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+ 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 at d.umn.edu


[Issue ends.]