+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE. - Volume 14, Issue 08, August 20, 2015. An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development. ++ISSUE 08 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: HTML5. 07: JAVASCRIPT. 08: MISCELLANEOUS. 09: NAVIGATION. 10: STANDARDS, GUIDELINES & PATTERNS. SECTION TWO: 11: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site? [Contents ends.] ++ SECTION ONE: New references. +01: ACCESSIBILITY. The American Foundation for the Blind Launches an Accessible HTML5 Video Player By Jamie Pauls. " Several years ago, AFB began working on an accessible Web player that would allow blind people to easily play video content on the Web. At the time, Flash-based content was the norm, and this standard presented a lot of problems for screen readers. With the emergence of HTML5, which is proving to be much more accessible to the blind community, there is even more that AFB can do with its accessible player..." http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw160805 Visual ARIA Now Allows Anyone with Sight to Aee how ARIA Works, from Anywhere in the World By Bryan Garaventa. "Having worked with ARIA for many years, and by observing how ARIA is traditionally perceived and taught, I have finally come to the realization that ARIA is impossible to teach to the vast majority of mainstream developers around the world in a scalable manner by using the technical specification for this purpose..." https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/visual-aria-now-allows-anyone-sight-see-how-works-from-garaventa An alt Decision Tree By W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. "This decision tree describes how to use the alt attribute of the element in various situations. For some types of images there are alternative approaches, such as using CSS background images for decorative images or webfonts instead of images of text..." http://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/decision-tree/ Justice Department Applies ADA Title III to Carnival's Cruise Ships, Website, and Mobile App in a Landmark Settlement By Seyfarth Shaw LLP. "In late July, coinciding with the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into a landmark settlement agreement with Carnival Corp. to improve the physical accessibility of 62 cruise ships sailing under the Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Princess Cruise brands. The agreement, also addresses the accessibility of Carnivals website, mobile application, and reservation system..." https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=dd6a9c97-dbb7-4e06-98f3-c8faa1d06447 What Happens When You Get Sued for Your Inaccessible Website By Karl Groves. "In the United States, the primary motivator for paying attention to accessibility seems to be risk avoidance...." http://www.karlgroves.com/2015/08/16/what-happens-when-you-get-sued-for-your-inaccessible-website/ Why Colleges Need a Top-Down Approach to Accessibility (Video) By 3Play Media. "Korey Singleton, Assistive Technology Initiative Manager at George Mason University, explains why he thinks colleges need accessibility policy support from the top-down." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKnhXAP3lZw The Ultimate Section 508 Guide for Students By Kimberley Hagan. "In 1973, the United States government passed a sweeping piece of legislation known as the United States Workforce Rehabilitation Act..." http://www.whoishostingthis.com/resources/student-section508/ A Case for Accessible Personal Health Records By Adrian Roselli. "There is a divide between the people building technology tools for patients and the patients that may use them. Too often tools are built in the same way one might build a social media app or a news web site..." https://medium.com/the-roundtable/a-case-for-accessible-personal-health-records-d20007e77c85 User Research with People who are Deafblind - It Makes Sense By Joanne Schofield. "Often the people who need to use government services the most are those who find it the hardest to do so. They don't want to interact with us - they have to..." https://dwpdigital.blog.gov.uk/2015/08/07/user-research-with-people-who-are-deafblind-it-makes-sense/ +02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS. Working with Colour in CSS By Ire Aderinokun. "Similarly to how we have different units for font sizes, there are a number of different ways we can define a colour in css." http://bitsofco.de/2015/working-with-colour-in-css/ +03: DRUPAL. HTML5 Validation is Not Fully Accessible By Mike Gifford. "The use of HTML5 'required' attribute in D8 has resulted in an accessibility regression. Basic client-side validation now occurs *before* hitting the server and running FAPI validation functions, so the browser jumps in and provides an error as you attempt to submit the form. In Drupal 7, the FAPI error messages include a) an icon + alt tag to indicate their relative importance (e.g. warning/notice), b) an error message which included the name of the field for reference, c) a red outline on the field..." https://www.drupal.org/node/1797438 +04: EVALUATION & TESTING. Sharing Our Work - Testing and Feedback in Design By Jessica Harllee. "Showing your in-progress designs can be scary, but there's no better way to keep your product in line with your users' needs. Research and testing aren't just boxes to be checked off; they're methodologies to be integrated into the entire design process-and the more, and the more diverse, the merrier. Jessica Harllee explains how Etsy shares their work with users every step of the way-and the benefits (and surprises) that follow." http://alistapart.com/article/sharing-our-work-testing-feedback-in-design 5 User Research Lessons I Learned From Making PB&J Sandwiches By Spencer Lanoue. "Have you ever written a test plan that made perfect sense to you, but it totally confused your test participants?..." https://www.usertesting.com/blog/2015/08/12/5-user-research-lessons-i-learned-from-making-pbj-sandwiches/ 5 Types of Usability Tests By Jeff Sauro. "While we often talk about usability tests as if there is one type of usability test, the truth is there are several varieties of usability tests..." http://www.measuringu.com/blog/five-types-usability.php +05: EVENTS. HTML5 Video Accessibility: Updates, Features, & Guidelines August 27, 2015. Webinar http://info.3playmedia.com/webinar-registration-08-27-2015.html An Event Apart Chicago August 31-September 2, 2015. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. http://aneventapart.com/event/chicago-2015 Online Video and the ADA: How a Landmark Case Changed the Legal Landscape of Closed Captioning September 16, 2015. Webinar http://info.3playmedia.com/webinar-registration-09-16-2015.html National Association of Government Webmasters Conference September 23-25, 2015. Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. http://nagw.org/conference/2015 An Event Apart Austin October 5-7, 2015. Austin, Texas, U.S.A. http://aneventapart.com/event/austin-2015 +06: HTML5. Current State of HTML5/CSS3 Browser Support By Jake Rocheleau. "W3C standards have created a beautiful ruleset for web developers to create ubiquitous behavior in website layouts. These rules are much more commonplace and have been adopted by professionals in every area..." http://designm.ag/web-designs/current-html5-css3-browser-support/ +07: JAVASCRIPT. The ES6 Conundrum: ES6 and the Evolution of JavaScript By Christian Heilmann. "ES6 is in a weird place when it comes to web development as a whole. It is a standard, it is well supported, but it also breaks backwards compatibility..." http://www.sitepoint.com/the-es6-conundrum/ How About We Make ES6 the New Baseline? By Christian Heilmann. "During the recording of the web platform's 'Are Web Components ready?' podcast one of the comments stuck with me..." http://christianheilmann.com/2015/08/17/how-about-we-make-es6-the-new-baseline/ +08: MISCELLANEOUS. The Language of Modular Design By Alla Kholmatova. "Goodbye, pages; hello, systems! When we break things down into atomic units, design elements become more scalable and replaceable, easier to test, and quicker to assemble. Alla Kholmatova emphasizes that a shared vocabulary should be the jumping-off point for teams who want to adopt a modular design approach. Let's start with language, not interfaces." http://alistapart.com/article/language-of-modular-design The Digital Designer's Role By Gerry McGovern. "Most organizations don't trust people who think. They prefer people who do what they're told. But a digital vision has never been more important." http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/new-thinking/digital-designer%E2%80%99s-role +09: NAVIGATION. Supporting Mobile Navigation in Spite of a Hamburger Menu By Amy Schade. "Mobile sites that use the hamburger or three-line menu need to support navigation activities throughout the site, in case users don't locate or use the main site navigation." http://www.nngroup.com/articles/support-mobile-navigation/ Hamburger Icon - How These Three Lines Mystify Most People By Chris Stokel-Walker. "The hamburger button has become a common symbol on our smartphones, tablets and computers. But, Chris Stokel-Walker asks, what is it, where did it come from, and do people really know what it means?" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31602745 +10: STANDARDS, GUIDELINES & PATTERNS. Opening Standards By Doug Schepers. "Today, the XML Activity, with several Working Group charters, was approved. This is a major milestone for W3C, not because of the activities of these groups themselves, but for W3C's process of developing standards...." http://schepers.cc/opening-standards +11: TOOLS. The Visual ARIA Bookmarklet By Bryan Garaventa. "Right click the 'Visual ARIA Bookmarklet" button' then choose Add to Favorites or Add to Bookmarks. The Visual ARIA Bookmarklet can then be run upon any webpage by choosing the bookmarklet from within your Favorites or Bookmarks menu." http://whatsock.com/training/matrices/visual-aria.htm +12: USABILITY. The Scroll Hijacking Usability Nightmare By Jake Rocheleau. "...Scroll hijacking is typically accomplished through JavaScript, so it's not controlled via the browser or the operating system. The reason hijacking is so controversial is that browser scrollbars belong to the browser window and they're meant to provide a uniform experience..." http://marketblog.envato.com/web-design/scroll-hijacking/ [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.]