+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE. - Volume 16, Issue 24, December 7, 2017. 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? http://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: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE. 08: JAVASCRIPT. 09: MISCELLANEOUS. 10: NAVIGATION. 11: TOOLS. 12: USABILITY. SECTION TWO: 13: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site? [Contents ends.] ++ SECTION ONE: New references. +01: ACCESSIBILITY. New Video Introduces Web Accessibility and W3C Standards By Shawn Henry. "The W3C WAI announces a new video introducing web accessibility and W3C's accessibility standards…" https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ig/2017OctDec/0215.html Web Accessibility Guidelines and How to Use Them By Alastair Campbell. "There's a bit of fuss at the moment because an update to the W3C's accessibility guidelines is coming out soon, almost 10 years after the last update…" https://www.nomensa.com/blog/2017/web-accessibility-guidelines-and-how-use-them Web Content Accessibility Guidelines-for People Who Haven't Read Them By Alan Dalton. "I've been a huge fan of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 since the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published them, nine years ago. I've found them practical and future-proof, and I've found that they can save a huge amount of time for designers and developers…" https://24ways.org/2017/wcag-for-people-who-havent-read-them/ 5 Common Misconceptions About Web Accessibility By Melanie Myers. …Melanie Myers shares her journey into accessibility and the misconceptions she uncovered that trip up many new to this digital focus…" https://www.24a11y.com/2017/5-common-misconceptions-web-accessibility/ Providing Alternate Content for Screen Reader Users By Sam Joehl. "Sometimes, components of your user interface will communicate information in a visual manner for which a programmatic or text equivalent may not be available…" https://www.24a11y.com/2017/providing-alternate-content-screen-reader-users/ Thoughts On The Inclusive Web By Allen West. "…Allen West shares experiences from a user's perspective on the inclusive web, illustrating the fluctuating level of accessibility and the challenges that he faces, highlighting the varying priority that accessibility has today…" https://www.24a11y.com/2017/three-developers-and-the-insightful-user-tester/ Accessibility First: Rethinking the Way We Approach Website Design and Development By Carie Fisher. "The term Inclusive Design is not a new one…" https://www.24a11y.com/2017/accessibility-first/ A11Y Style Guide By Carie Fisher. "This application is a living style guide, generated from KSS documented styles...with an accessibility twist…" http://a11y-style-guide.com/style-guide/ Building an Inclusive Web: Why Accessibility Matters By Sami Keijonen. "Accessibility matters because we, the people, want to use the web. Working towards an inclusive web helps us achieve that goal…" https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/building-an-inclusive-web-why-accessibility-matters--cms-29773 ESPN Web Accessibility Guide By ESPN. Includes a checklist, types of disabilities, facts, HTML5 & ARIA, and content types. http://www.espn.com/core/toolkit/page/webAccessibilityGuide Five Ways in Which Artificial Intelligence Changes the Face of Web Accessibility By Denis Boudreau. "…This article will give you a prospective sense of where we're headed with the technology. And what this means for accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in the digital space…" https://www.24a11y.com/2017/five-ways-in-which-ai-changes-the-face-of-web-accessibility/ OCR Website Accessibility Complaints Hit Schools and Universities By Vivian Cullipher. "An onslaught of complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) targets public and private school websites that are inaccessible to people with disabilities…" https://www.microassist.com/digital-accessibility/school-website-accessibility-complaints/ California Passes Website Accessibility Requirements Applicable to State Agencies By Kristina M. Launey. "California will soon have a new law requiring WCAG 2.0 AA compliance for state agencies' websites by 2019…" https://www.adatitleiii.com/2017/12/california-passes-website-accessibility-requirements-applicable-to-state-agencies/ +02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS. Cascading Web Design with Feature Queries By Chen Hui Jing. "Feature queries, also known as the @supports rule, were introduced as an extension to the CSS2 as part of the CSS Conditional Rules Module Level 3, which was first published as a working draft in 2011…" https://24ways.org/2017/cascading-web-design/ The (Far) Future of CSS (Video) By Tab Atkins. "Tab's CSS Day Conference presentation. https://vimeo.com/242890906 +03: DRUPAL. Drupal Accessibility Quicksheet By Mike Gifford, Drupal 8 Core Accessibility Maintainer. "Drupal Core is leveraged by every module & theme on Drupal.org. The central APIs are critical in setting good standard defaults which are inherited by sites built with it. This does not mean that all modules or themes are equally accessible, as individual developers may overlook or turn off best practices that are defined in Core. It simply sets default states which can be either ignored or overridden by the maintainer of the code…" https://github.com/mgifford/Drupal-Accessibility-Quicksheet +04: EVALUATION & TESTING. The Three Developers and the Insightful User Tester By Scott O'Hara. "…Scott O'Hara tells the classic tale of developers not aware of accessibility and how user testing with a person with disabilities highlights the classic errors made, and the revelations experienced just before project launch…" https://www.24a11y.com/2017/three-developers-and-the-insightful-user-tester/ Accessibility Testing By Rian Rietveld. "…In this post, I will go through the ways to use the web, which guidelines we use, when to test, what to look out for when checking for accessibility errors, and which checks and tools you should use to help you with testing…" https://hmn.md/2017/12/01/accessibility-testing/ 5 Steps to Prepare For a Moderated Benchmark By Jeff Sauro. To make a moderated UX benchmark study more effective use a few pre-study steps: review the study script, check the tech, perform a dry-run, run a pilot, and check in with stakeholders. Formalizing these steps in a simple checklist (like the one here) helps ensure you're consistent and minimize common fail points…" https://measuringu.com/moderated-checklist/ Warning: Your Web Survey is a Lot Less Reliable Than You Think By David Travis. "Because surveys usually involve hundreds of respondents, many design teams value the findings from a survey more highly than the results from small sample usability tests, user interviews and field visits. But the results of most web surveys are biassed by coverage error and non-response error. This means surveys, like most qualitative data in user research, should be triangulated with other sources of data." https://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/web-surveys-considered-harmful.html Over 40 Ways to Improve the UX of Your Online Surveys By Neil Turner. "…By not asking the right questions, in the right order, and in the right way, you risk your survey generating a pile of data garbage, rather than the useful feedback and insights that you were hoping for…" http://www.uxforthemasses.com/improve-ux-online-surveys/ User Research is a Team Sport By Ruth Ellison. "When faced with complex challenges it can be very difficult to get everyone on the same page. In this short piece, Ruth shares how one simple change to her team's approach helped crack a difficult project and create a successful outcome for everyone." http://uxmas.com/2017/user-research-is-a-team-sport Measuring and Quantifying User Experience By Matej Latin. "…Let's take a look at three methods that can help us prove that our work does make a difference…" https://uxdesign.cc/measuring-and-quantifying-user-experience-8f555f07363d The Ancient Art of Manual Usability Testing By Kim Krause Berg. "Automation and organic gardening have been on my mind and so has just about everything else, while I create content maps for a manual usability testing job for a client…" https://searchnewscentral.com/blog/2017/12/06/the-ancient-art-of-manual-usability-testing/ +05: EVENTS. Getting Started in Accessibility January 10, 2018. Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/getting-started-in-accessibility-tickets-41060232260 Applying Accessibility Criteria to Websites and Software January 24, 2018. Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/applying-accessibility-criteria-to-websites-and-software-tickets-41060956426 Getting Started in Accessibility February 1, 2018. Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/getting-started-in-accessibility-tickets-41060660541 Sustainable UX February 15, 2018. Online http://sustainableux.com/ +06: HTML. HTML5 autocomplete Attribute By Rakesh Paladugula. "Autocomplete is a new attribute in HTML5 specification. It is an attribute of input element…" http://www.maxability.co.in/2017/12/html5-autocomplete-attribute/ Short Note on Making Your Mark (More Accessible) By Steve Faulkner. "…The HTML5 mark element provides a semantic way to highlight portions of text, much as you would using a highlighter on paper…" https://developer.paciellogroup.com/blog/2017/12/short-note-on-making-your-mark-more-accessible/ +07: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE. Prototyping 101: The Difference between Low-Fidelity and High-Fidelity Prototypes and When to Use Each By Nick Babich. "…If delivering a good user experience is the goal of your project - and it should be - then prototyping must be a part of your UX design process. It's crucial to choose the most effective method of prototyping - minimizing work and maximizing learning - based on your product's need. The end result will be overall improved design that is based on prototype testing." https://medium.com/thinking-design/prototyping-101-the-difference-between-low-fidelity-and-high-fidelity-prototypes-and-when-to-use-474233ee8c77 +08: JAVASCRIPT. 77% of 433,000 Sites Use Vulnerable JavaScript Libraries By Tim Kadlec. "Last week, we released our first annual State of Open Source Security report. One of the discoveries the report mentions is that an analysis of around 433,000 sites found that 77% of them use at least one front-end JavaScript library with a known security vulnerability…" https://snyk.io/blog/77-percent-of-sites-still-vulnerable/ Important Considerations Regarding Accessible Drag and Drop for Web Technologies By Bryan Garaventa. "I have noticed many differing ideas and solutions when the topic of accessible drag and drop is mentioned, so I thought it might be important to outline the core concepts and issues that need to be addressed, the challenges now facing this effort, and the issues that are likely to remain in the future regardless…" https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/important-considerations-regarding-accessible-drag-drop-garaventa +09: MISCELLANEOUS. Videos from a11yclub: Talks from Heydon Pickering, Laura Kalbag, and Detlev Fischer By Contentful. "As a side event of the beyond tellerrand conference, Contentful hosted the sixth installment of Accessibility Club (a11yclub, for short) on Monday, Nov. 6…" https://www.contentful.com/blog/2017/11/23/a11y-club-berlin/ +10: NAVIGATION. Accessible Links Re:visited By Maggie Costello Wachs. "…we discovered during this audit that even small missteps in how we style links and write link text can mean the difference between a usable and unusable experience. Here's what we learned…" https://www.filamentgroup.com/lab/a11y-links.html +11: TOOLS. Sonarwhal By Stephanie Drescher. "Sonarwhal is a linting tool, built by and for the web community. The code is open source and lives under the JS Foundation. It helps web developers and designers like me keep up with the constant change in technology while simultaneously teaching how to code better websites." https://24ways.org/2017/lint-the-web-forward-with-sonarwhal/ +12: USABILITY. Jobs-to-Be-Done in Your UX Toolbox By Steph Troeth. "…a 'job' in JTBD lingo is a way to express a user need or provide a customer-centric problem frame that's independent of a solution…" https://24ways.org/2017/jobs-to-be-done-in-your-ux-toolbox/ Shneiderman's Eight Golden Rules Will Help You Design Better Interfaces By Euphemia Wong. "Follow Ben Shneiderman's 'Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design' if you want to design great, productive and frustration-free user interfaces…" https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/shneiderman-s-eight-golden-rules-will-help-you-design-better-interfaces Hick's Law: Making the Choice Easier for Users By Mads Soegaard. "…Understanding Hick's law means you can design so that more users will visit and stay on your website…" https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/hick-s-law-making-the-choice-easier-for-users The Heartwarming Story of Nelly & Neil By Paul Boag. "…So in 2018, I would encourage you to remember Nelly and to think a little bit deeper about what your users actually need." http://uxmas.com/2017/the-heartwarming-story-of-nelly-and-neil/ Writing Digital Copy for Specialists vs. General Audiences (Video) By Kate Meyer. "All people prefer web content that is digestible, but domain experts have shared knowledge that changes the rules of plain language." https://www.nngroup.com/videos/writing-digital-copy-specialists/ [Section one ends.] ++ SECTION TWO: +13: 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 Drupal Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/drupal.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 HTML Information. http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/html.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. + SUBSCRIPTION INFO. WEB DESIGN UPDATE is available by subscription. For information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe please visit: http://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.]