+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 07, August 12, 2025.
An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development.
++ISSUE 07 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: EVALUATION & TESTING.
04: EVENTS.
05: HTML.
06: JAVASCRIPT.
07: MISCELLANEOUS.
08: TOOLS.
SECTION TWO:
09: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?
[Contents ends.]
++ SECTION ONE: New references.
+01: ACCESSIBILITY.
Built-In Accessibility: Blessing or Curse? (Video)
By Hidde de Vries.
"'We'll build in accessibility', they say. But what does 'built-in' mean in practice? Whether it's in standards, browser functionality, web platform features or design system components… the reality for users could be anywhere from an enormous opportunity to a huge disappointment. As a developer, you should probably ask questions and manage expectations to really make it work. In this talk, we'll look at how 'built-in' can be effective and how it can help you to remove barriers at scale…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvYz9Qfy8j4
A11y 101: 2.4.2 Page Titled
By Nat Tarnoff.
"…When we don't provide a clear
in the element of our HTML, we create issues. Issues a lot like trying to find the right book on accessible web development when the pages are facing you…"
https://tarnoff.info/2025/08/11/a11y-101-2-4-2-page-titled/
Accessibility Part Of The Tripod
By Nicolas Steenhout.
"Accessibility, performance, and security are three critical part of a good, quality site…"
https://nicolas-steenhout.com/accessibility-part-of-the-tripod/
Accessibility and the Agentic Web
By Léonie Watson.
"…I'm not going to predict the end of the web as we know it, but I do think there's a high probability that the way we use the web will change significantly - it's already changing…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2025/08/08/accessibility-and-the-agentic-web/
The Needs of People With Cognitive Disabilities
By Gian Wild.
"People with cognitive, language and learning disabilities comprise the largest group of those with disabilities accessing the web-approximately 15 to 20% of the population…"
https://ozewai.org/blog/accessibility-101/the-needs-of-people-with-cognitive-disabilities/
Rebuilding Graphs for Accessibility: Inside Khan Academy's Inclusive Design
By Cat Johnson.
"…Let us take you on a journey through how we created accessible graphs that work for everyone…"
https://blog.khanacademy.org/rebuilding-graphs-for-accessibility-inside-khan-academys-inclusive-designrebuilding-graphs-for-accessibility-inside-khan-academys-inclusive-design/
Avoiding the Word "Help"
By Eric Eggert.
"…I often use 'enable' or 'ensure' instead of the squishy 'help' where I can. 'Adding alternative text ensures that the content of the image is conveyed to screen reader users.' Or: 'Formatting the bold text as headings instead enables users to navigate between headings and use them as reference points for orientation.'…"
https://yatil.net/blog/avoiding-the-word-help
How Our Dog Increased My Appreciation for Accessibility
By Jason Grigsby.
"Let's recommit to supporting accessibility in our own work not only to support those who need it now, but also because it is in our own self-interest. You never know when you may suddenly find yourself needing accessibility features…"
https://cloudfour.com/thinks/how-our-dog-increased-my-appreciation-for-accessibility/
Accessibility Pushback
By Chris Yoong.
"Stop the excuses, debunking some common pushback against Accessibility…"
https://chrisyoong.com/blog/types-of-accessibility-push-back
How to Get Ready for ADA Title 2 (Video)
By Pope Tech.
"…In this webinar, we'll go over: What is the new ADA Title 2 rule? Digital content types. Risk management. Three phases to break the work into. Examples…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g2JLaVp2_w
Slides:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bkhsw-o3ay1WeSQp91H_YOqpALSS7NwVVbyyxhLRBPc/
ADA Title II Compliance: Strategies, Solutions, and Best Practices With Jay Wyant, Jennifer Broadus, Beth Valentine, and Glenda Sims (Video)
By Deque.
"Learn strategies for achieving ADA Title II compliance by the April 2026 deadline, demonstrate why you need to take action now, and provide practical guidance on achieving compliance and advancing digital accessibility across your organization…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4wJvhwj3FI
+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
There's a New Stretch Keyword in CSS? (Video)
By Miriam Suzanne.
"There's a new stretch keyword that we can use for CSS height and width properties. But how is that different from 100%? And how is that different from 100vh when we want a full-height layout?…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZZXOuLxagE
Infinite Pixels
By Eric A. Meyer.
"I was on one of my rounds of social media trawling, just seeing what was floating through the aether, when I came across a toot by Andy P that said…"
https://meyerweb.com/eric/thoughts/2025/08/07/infinite-pixels/
Should We Never Use Non-Logical Properties?
By Jens Oliver Meiert.
"Should we never use non-logical properties? (Or, should we always use logical properties?)…"
https://meiert.com/blog/non-logical-properties/
Getting Creative With Quotes
By Andy Clarke.
"Block quotes and pull quotes are useful for punctuating solid blocks of running text…"
https://css-tricks.com/getting-creative-with-quotes/
We Keep Reinventing CSS, but Styling Was Never the Problem
By Den Odell.
"…We keep reinventing CSS as if it's the root cause.
It isn't…"
https://denodell.com/blog/we-keep-reinventing-css
The State of CSS 2025 Survey Results Are Now Available!
By Sacha Greif.
"One could be forgiven for being slow to adopt all these new-fangled CSS features. After all, do we really need them? And even if we do, do they even work reliably across browsers?…"
https://2025.stateofcss.com/en-US/
+03: EVALUATION & TESTING.
How to Weight Percentages
By Jim Lewis and Jeff Sauro.
"…In this article, we show how these methods apply to the weighting of proportions and percentages when those measures can be conceptualized as means…"
https://measuringu.com/how-to-weight-percentages/
In User Research, Don't Stop at 'Yes' or 'No'
By Pavel Samsonov.
"Product stakeholders see user research as a tool to validate already-made decisions. But binary findings that confirm or reject a design provide little value…"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/research-yes-or-no/rss-syndication
Preference Testing for Assessing Visual Design (Video)
By Megan Chan.
"Preference testing is a tool to evaluate multiple design variations, helping you make informed decisions that align with your brand and resonate with your audience…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XYTk5MVvK0
+04: EVENTS.
Inclusive by Design - Unpacking the New Equal Access Digital Guidelines
August 20, 2025 at at 12.30 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)
Online
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/04660224-ef6e-42f9-941e-f1b0d3f9e78a@1ce6baa1-e79d-4c5a-87e4-4a198f3c43b8
The Accessibility Roles and Responsibilities Mapping (ARRM) Framework: What It Is and How It Can Be Leveraged for Digital Inclusion
August 21, 2025.
Online
https://knowbility.org/programs/be-a-digital-ally/august-2025
ADA Title II: What Public Entities Need to Know About Digital Accessibility with David Sloan and Erik Ducker
August 26, 2025.
Online
https://go.3playmedia.com/wbnr-08-26-2025-digital-accessibility-compliance
AI for All: Practical Accessibility Solutions for Your Everyday Work
August 28, 2025.
Online
https://umarcomm.umn.edu/blog/2025/08/04/accessibility-ambassadors-ai-all-practical-accessibility-solutions-your-everyday
Web vs Mobile Accessibility: Challenges, Gaps and Best Practiced
August 28, 2025.
Online
https://a11ytalks.com/posts/2025-aug
Embedding Accessibility, Ask the Professionals
August 29, 2025.
Online
https://events.humanitix.com/ozewai-embedding-accessibility-ask-the-professionals-29-august-2025
We Need to Talk About Captions with Piccia Neri
September 4, 2025.
Online
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6917534546224/WN_KS34OvPIQWuIuDzJbCw3ZQ#/registration
+05: HTML.
A Few Things About the Anchor Element's href You Might Not Have Known
By Jim Nielsen.
"I've written previously about reloading a document using only HTML but that got me thinking: What are all the values you can put in an anchor tag's href attribute?…"
https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2025/href-value-possibilities/
HTML is Dead, Long Live HTML
By Steven Witttens.
"Rethinking DOM from first principles…"
https://acko.net/blog/html-is-dead-long-live-html/
+06: JAVASCRIPT.
Progressive Web Apps
By Jeremy Keith.
"There was a time when you needed to make a native app in order to take advantage of specific technologies. That time has passed…"
https://adactio.com/journal/22074
+07: MISCELLANEOUS.
Congratulations, You've Unlocked 'Expert Mode'! (Whether You Wanted It or Not)
By Nimer Jaber.
"Let's advocate for a world where accessibility isn't an afterthought or a burden, but a foundational principle of good design. Let's demand equity, not just the illusion of access…"
https://nimerblogs.blogspot.com/2025/08/congratulations-youve-unlocked-expert.html
True Disability Inclusion Requires Planning for the Unexpected
By Sheri Byrne-Haber.
"…access isn't self-sustaining-it requires people who know how to keep it running…Disability inclusion is not about just providing a ramp. Disability inclusion is about what happens when the elevator is broken, or the ramp is blocked, and the person normally in charge isn't there…"
https://buttondown.com/access-ability/archive/true-disability-inclusion-requires-planning-for/
A Look Back At The Very First Website Ever Launched, 30 Years Later
By Josie Fischels.
"On August 6, 1991, the first website was introduced to the world…"
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/06/1025554426/a-look-back-at-the-very-first-website-ever-launched-30-years-later
+08: TOOLS.
Accessibility Maturity Snapshot BETA
By Intopia.
"The Accessibility Maturity Snapshot is a high-level self-assessment tool designed to help you understand your level of digital accessibility readiness and implementation…"
https://accessibility-snapshot.intopia.digital/
[Section one ends.]
++ SECTION TWO:
+09: 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.
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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@d.umn.edu
[Issue ends.]