[webdev] Web Design Update: August 5, 2015

Wed Aug 5 06:35:02 CDT 2015

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 14, Issue 06, August 5, 2015.

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

++ISSUE 06 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: COLOR.
04: EVALUATION & TESTING.
05: MISCELLANEOUS.
06: PHP.
07: USABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]

++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

Wearable First Rethinking Accessible Design
By Ted Drake.
"Wearable devices go beyond the watch and eye glasses. This
presentation introduces the wide variety of devices and how they can
make the world more accessible.  This article by Smithsonian explains
how the pocket watch was wearable-first design..."
http://wearability.org/wearable-first-design.html

Will Your Toaster Become WCAG Compliant?
By Scott Hollier.
"...While the applicability of WCAG 2.0 would need a high degree of
interpretation to apply to a light bulb, web accessibility standards
certainly apply to the browsers and apps that we use to centrally
control it all. As this space continues to evolve, it's vital that
developers ensure that whatever devices control these products,
accessibility is at the heart of them..."
http://www.accessiq.org/news/w3c-column/2015/07/will-your-toaster-become-wcag-compliant

Describing Images for Improved Web Accessibility
By Michelle Williamson.
"One of the most basic techniques of web accessibility is adding
alternative texts to images..."
http://www.mediacurrent.com/blog/describing-images-improved-web-accessibility

CommonLook PDF GlobalAccess
By Jared Smith.
"CommonLook PDF GlobalAccess can streamline the accessibility
evaluation and repair of PDF files. It provides benefits over using
Adobe Acrobat Professional or other tools to create, evaluate, and, if
necessary, repair tagged PDFs. This article highlights some strengths
and possible shortcomings of PDF GlobalAccess. For a tutorial on how
to use this program, see the user guide on the CommonLook site..."
http://webaim.org/resources/commonlook/

Making Accessibility a Priority
By David M Johnson.
"... my goal is to provide a non-technical guide to making
accessibility a part of your developer DNA, whatever your app or
website happens to be..."
http://www.imore.com/making-accessibility-part-your-developer-dna

Designing a Manifesto for Accessibility
By Jason Vermes.
"It might be easy to assume that design and accessibility are two very
different concepts. After all, a ramp and automatic door opener are
not particularly remarkable architectural features and for the average
Canadian, they often go unnoticed. For someone who uses a scooter or
power wheelchair, however, a motorized sliding door and small incline
give independence..."
http://jasonvermes.net/2015/07/28/designing-a-manifesto-for-accessibility/

+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

CSS Vendor Prefixes
By Daniel Glazman.
"...let me give you my own perspective (and history) about them. This
article is with my CSS Co-chairman's hat off, I'm only an old CSS WG
member in the following lines..."
http://www.glazman.org/weblog/dotclear/index.php?post/2015/07/30/CSS-Vendor-Prefixes

+03: COLOR.

Using Color Theory to Improve Website Accessibility
By Julia Blake.
"There are tons of articles and guides about color theory and its
importance for every web designer. Colors are really essential in
design and may even influence people's behavior in many cases. Thus,
web designers usually check their website colors are suitable for the
overall website style and that they create a good impression for
users..."
http://www.onextrapixel.com/2015/07/25/using-color-theory-to-improve-website-accessibility/

+04: EVALUATION & TESTING.

How Iterative Testing Decreased Support Calls By 70% on Mozilla's
Support Website
By Susan Farrell.
"User research with data mining and paper prototyping quickly led to
measurable success for one of the busiest support websites in the
world."
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/testing-decreased-support/

Bridging the Distance - 5 Tips for Remote, Moderated Usability Tests
By Hannah Alvarez.
"We hope that you find the list of tips below from our experience will
help you to take advantage of this fast and flexible user research
method..."
http://www.usertesting.com/blog/2015/07/30/remote-moderated-usability-tests/

Rocket Surgery Made Easy Usability Testing Demo
By Steve Krug.
"...The main purpose for creating this video is to demonstrate how
easy and simple usability testing can be. The test conducted on this
demo is an abbreviated version of the one Krug recommends you perform
on your own site..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QckIzHC99Xc

+05: MISCELLANEOUS.

Meiert's Law of User-Generated Code
By Jens Meiert.
"Whenever you allow your users to edit the code of your website,
you’re doomed. It’s only a matter of time until you need to rewrite
the whole service—and alienate all those users..."
http://meiert.com/en/blog/20150804/meierts-law-of-user-code/

+06: PHP.

The State of Accessibility in PHP Tools
By Parham Doustdar.
"Usually when I tell people that I'm blind, many people ask me how I
can use the computer..."
http://www.sitepoint.com/the-state-of-accessibility-in-php-tools/

+07: USABILITY.

The Paradox of Choice (TED Talk Video)
By Barry Schwartz.
"...Paralysis is a consequence of having too many choices...Even if we
manage to overcome the paralysis and make a choice we end up less
satisfied with the result of the choice than if we would be if we had
fewer options to choose from...Why choice makes people miserable? 1)
Regret and anticipated regret 2.) Opportunity costs 3.) Escalation of
expectations 4.) Self-blame..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsCoM

The Perception of Control
By Marli Mesibov.
"As we create positive experiences, we sometimes create the perception
of control, even when the user doesn't actually control the situation.
This week, author Marli Mesibov discusses the ethics involved in
designing for perception rather than reality."
http://www.uxbooth.com/articles/the-perception-of-control/

[Section one ends.]

++ SECTION TWO:

+07: 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.

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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.]