Web Design Update: December 9, 2025

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 24, December 9, 2025.

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?
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/
New links in these categories:

01: ACCESSIBILITY.
02: CONTRAST & COLOR.
03: EVALUATION & TESTING.
04: EVENTS.
05: HTML.
06: JAVASCRIPT.
07: MISCELLANEOUS.
08: NAVIGATION.
09: TOOLS.
10: USABILITY.
11: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

How to Avoid Boiling the Accessibility Ocean
By Sheri Byrne-Haber.
"…Accessibility programs become manageable when responsibility shifts
to the people who create the work in the first place. The
accessibility team guides. Outside of audits, guidance, governance,
and training, the action falls to others outside of the accessibility
team. That creates a path where accessibility stops feeling
unattainable and becomes continuous forward progress…"
https://buttondown.com/access-ability/archive/137179936how-to-avoid-boiling-the-accessibility/

How Treating Accessibility as a Core Requirement Reshapes Planning,
Risk, and Customer Trust
By Michael Harshbarger.
"When accessibility moves from 'nice to have' to 'non-functional
requirement,' everything changes: how you plan, how you manage risk,
and how customers experience the product…"
https://michaelharshbarger.com/insight.html#core-requirement

From Reactive to Proactive: Building a Sustainable Accessibility Program
By Equal Entry.
"At an A11yNYC meetup, Lina Trifon, Senior Product Manager of
Accessibility, shared practical strategies for building sustainable
accessibility programs…"
https://equalentry.com/accessibility-program-sustainability/

You Can't Make Something Accessible to Everyone
By Adrian Roselli.
"This post's title is unpleasant, but it's important to acknowledge
the reality of the human condition and limitations in technologies.
Even purpose-built assistive tech…"
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/12/you-cant-make-something-accessible-to-everyone.html

Designing Accessible Animation and Movement on Your Website (Video)
By Pope Tech.
"Learn three strategies for designing more accessible movement for
people with vestibular disabilities, including prefers reduced motion
techniques…"
https://blog.pope.tech/2025/12/08/designing-accessible-animation-and-movement-on-your-website-video/

How Button Traits Can Make a Chaotic iOS App Accessible
By Diogo Melo.
"A while ago, I was using an iPad app where the main call-to-action
wasn't marked as a button. As a blind VoiceOver user, I simply
couldn't find the one thing the entire screen was built around…"
https://axesslab.com/how-button-traits-can-make-a-chaotic-ios-app-accessible/

Personalized Conversational Audio Descriptions in 360° Virtual Reality
for Blind and Low-Vision Users (PDF)
By Khang Dang and Sooyeon Lee.
"On-demand, conversational audio descriptions in 360° VR empower blind
and low-vision users to actively explore immersive visual content. We
present a Meta Quest demo that integrates head- pose based view
snapshots, real time speech recognition, and GPT-4o-powered chunked
text-to-speech streaming directly on-device
to support multi-turn Q&A with personalized voice profiles…"
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/665fdb8e793fb5757d256c60/t/69032eb9e4fca64e893921d6/1761816249945/2025+ISMAR-Adjunct.pdf

Did You Know Your Browser Has Two Accessibility Trees?
By Russ Weakley.
"The following steps represent my current understanding of how
Chrome's internal accessibility pipeline works. This overview is based
on information from the Chromium open-source codebase, public
documentation, and discussions from Chromium's accessibility
components…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/two-trees.html

Cynthia Shelly - Fireside Chat
By Steve Faulkner.
"I have known Cynthia Shelly since the early days of the HTML
Accessibility API Mappings 1.0 when we were co-editors…"
https://html5accessibility.com/stuff/2025/12/08/cynthia-shelly-fireside-chat-29th-november-2025/

Testing Methods: Pointer Cancellation
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation is a Level A conformance level
Success Criterion. It ensures that users can cancel or reverse pointer
actions, taps, clicks, drags, before completing them…"
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-pointer-cancellation/

Testing Methods: Label in Name
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 2.5.3 ensures visible labels match programmatic names, making
interfaces perceivable and understandable for all users. A hybrid
testing approach, combining automated, AI-based, and manual testing,
provides comprehensive coverage, catching both structural and
contextual accessibility issues."
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-label-in-name/

Testing Methods: Motion Actuation
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 2.5.4 Motion Actuation ensures users can interact without motion
gestures. A hybrid testing approach, combining automated, AI-based,
and manual testing, delivers comprehensive coverage, identifying
technical gaps, contextual barriers, and real-world usability issues
for full accessibility."
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-motion-actuation/

Testing Methods: Target Size (Enhanced)
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced) ensures interactive elements are
large enough for all users, including those with limited dexterity. A
hybrid testing approach combining automated, AI-based, and manual
testing delivers comprehensive compliance, balancing speed, accuracy,
and real-world usability."
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-target-size-enhanced/

Testing Methods: Concurrent Input Mechanisms
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 2.5.6 ensures digital content supports multiple input methods
simultaneously, providing flexibility and inclusivity. A hybrid
testing approach, automated, AI-based, and manual, uncovers technical
gaps, simulates real-world interactions, and delivers truly seamless,
accessible experiences."
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-concurrent-input-mechanisms/

Testing Methods: Dragging Movements
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 2.5.7 Dragging Movements ensures that users who can't perform
dragging gestures have accessible, single-pointer alternatives. A
hybrid testing approach, combining automated, AI-based, and manual
methods, offers the most complete path to verifying usability and
compliance."
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-dragging-movements/


+02: CONTRAST & COLOR.

Solving Small Text and Contrast Issues for Large-Screen Readability
By Alicia Jarvis.
"Why your beautiful UI becomes unreadable the moment it hits a TV
screen-and how to fix it…"
https://www.alicia.design/post/solving-small-text-and-contrast-issues-for-large-screen-readability


+03: EVALUATION & TESTING.

Semantic Differential Scales: Measure User Attitudes with Nuance (Video)
By Nielsen Norman Group.
"In UX surveys, semantic differential scales help measure user
attitudes with nuance. This video covers what they are, their pros and
cons, and how to write clear, balanced adjective pairs for UX research
studies…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIg3YRqoh5s


+04: EVENTS.

GAAD 2026
January 9, 2026: Call for Proposals Deadline.
(May 21, 2026: Event)
Online
https://accessibility.umn.edu/gaad/gaad-2026-call-proposals

Zero Project 2026
February 18-20, 2026.
Vienna, Austria.
https://zerocon26.zeroproject.org/

41th Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference
March 9-13, 2026.
Anaheim, California, U.S.A.
https://www.csun.edu/cod/conference

Web Day Out
March 12, 2026.
Brighton, England, United Kingdom
https://webdayout.com/

South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference
March 12-18, 2026.
Online and Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
https://www.sxsw.com/


+05: HTML.

Discover Dialog
By Sara Joy.
"…The dialog element has been available across browsers since March
2022, and allows you to pop a little overlay on your page - a common
variant is known as a modal - and it has a whole bunch of abilities
built in, with further useful facets still being added…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2025/9/

The Anatomy of an Accessible Button
By Includia.
"In the architecture of a user interface, buttons are the fundamental
units of action. They are the triggers for submitting data, initiating
processes, and manipulating content…"
https://www.includia.com/blog/posts/accessible-button-design/

Dealbreaker Bugs in Native Popovers
By Manuel Matuzović.
"…Popovers are great, and they work well, except for these two bugs.
You should definitely use them if you have control over the content
inside them. If you don't, you should consider waiting until these
bugs have been resolved…"
https://www.matuzo.at/blog/2025/deal-breaker-bugs-in-popovers

HTML Semantics: The Short Descriptions of All 113 Elements
By Jens Oliver Meiert.
"A complete overview: How the HTML spec defines the meaning of all
current HTML elements…"
https://meiert.com/blog/html-semantics-overview/

What's Wrong With This HTML, and is It Valid?
By Patrick Brosset.
"The fact that so much of the languages we use are so forgiving and
time-enduring made the web what it is today: a welcoming platform that
doesn't take so much effort to get used to, and kind of just works.
But, this also means that old features and bad practices can linger on
for a long time and, if they're used by many sites and users, can't
really ever be removed…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2025/8/


+06: JAVASCRIPT.

Understanding Aria-Live Timing: A Two-Layer Model
By Russ Weakley.
"Did you know that there are two completely separate systems that
determine when live regions are spoken?…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/aria-live-timing.html

End-to-End Browser and Accessibility Event Architecture
By Russ Weakley.
"Most accessibility specialists understand HTML, ARIA, and assistive
technologies at a surface level, but the layers between them are often
a mystery…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/end-to-end-event-architecture.html

What Really Happens When a User Clicks an Accordion Button?
By Russ Weakley.
"The 'End-to-end browser and accessibility event architecture'
article, along with the architectural diagram, describe all the
systems that exist inside the browser, accessibility pipeline, and
assistive technologies. It's a map of the components. This article is
different - it shows the processes that flow through those systems
when a user clicks an accordion button…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/accordion-button.html

What Are DOM Mutations?
By Russ Weakley.
"The DOM is a tree-like structure representing all elements in the
document. It is a live, reactive browser data structure, not a passive
copy of your HTML. DOM mutations are any changes to this tree. These
mutations can happen with or without JavaScript…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/dom-mutations.html

What Happens When an Event Occurs? - the Quick Answer
By Russ Weakley.
"This is the short version that explains what happens inside the
browser and what happens outside the browser when a user triggers an
event…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/what-happens.html

What is an AXEvent?
By Russ Weakley.
"An AXEvent is a notification generated by the browser when something
meaningful changes in the accessibility tree and needs to be
communicated to assistive technologies…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/axevents.html

Referencing HTML Elements Inside Shadow DOM
By mehm8128.
"…Reference Target for Cross-root ARIA enables us to reference HTML
elements inside the Shadow DOM. This makes developing accessible Web
Components easier, especially for UI component libraries and design
systems…"
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2025/4/


+07: MISCELLANEOUS.

Chatting About Shadow DOM (Video)
By Jay Hoffmann.
"I had a chance to talk to Eric Meyer, Brian Kardell, and Jeremy Keith
about a technology that kind of spans the history of the web itself,
Shadow DOM…"
https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/chatting-about-shadow-dom/


+08: NAVIGATION.

When Download Links Aren't Links: A Critical Accessibility Failure in
AI Tools Blind People Depend On
By Darrell Shandrow Hilliker.
"…a recent shift in how ChatGPT delivers generated files has created a
new accessibility barrier - one that directly harms the very users who
could benefit most from the technology…"
https://blindaccessjournal.com/2025/12/when-download-links-arent-links-a-critical-accessibility-failure-in-ai-tools-blind-people-depend-on/


+09: TOOLS.

APCA + WCAG 2 Contrast Checker
By Mike Gifford.
"A practical contrast checker that reports both:
* WCAG 2.x contrast ratio (the compliance metric used today in most policies)
* APCA Lc (Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm, a perceptual
readability metric)
This project includes a web UI (GitHub Pages) titled 'APCA + WCAG 2
Contrast Checker' that lets you enter colors in modern CSS formats,
preview states, and evaluate contrast with both methods…"
Live tool: https://mgifford.github.io/contrast-plus/
Repository: https://github.com/mgifford/contrast-plus

WAVE Extension Updates (Video)
By Pope Tech.
"We'll briefly cover three updates to the WAVE extension…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Rx_HTYWiw

Image Description Toolkit 3.6.0 Available
By Kelly Ford.
"A 3.6.0 release for my Image Description Toolkit is now available.
The release features a new -redescribe option as well as support for
two Microsoft Florence-2 models via Hugging Face…"
https://theideaplace.net/image-description-toolkit-3-6-0-available/


+10: USABILITY.

What Is the Difference Between Ease and Satisfaction
By Jeff Sauro and Jim Lewis.
"…In this article, at a conceptual level, we discuss the measurement
of satisfaction and perceived ease of use in UX research at the study
(overall) level and as post-task metrics…"
https://measuringu.com/what-is-the-difference-between-ease-and-satisfaction/


+11: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

Shape the Future: GHG Protocol Scope 2 Revisions and Expert Q&A (Video)
By EnergyTag.
"The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol is updating its Scope 2 guidance -
an essential framework for how companies account for emissions from
purchased electricity. These changes will guide corporate carbon-free
energy procurement and claims in this critical next phase of the
energy transition. This is a pivotal moment. The public comment period
is open, and your feedback will shape the future of carbon-free energy
reporting. As recorded on 6th November, hear from experts from
EnergyTag and Climate Group for a deep dive into the proposed
revisions, what they mean for your business, and how to share your
feedback via the consultation."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0UpcbLlnAk

GHGP Scope 2 Consultation Guidebook (PDF)
How to Respond to the Public Consultation
"The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) Scope 2 accounting standard update
is open for
consultation. It is important you respond to the GHGP survey before
December 19, 2025…"
https://scopetrue.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GHGP-Scope-2-Public-Guidebook.pdf

GHG Protocol Public Consultations
By Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
Site for Comments & Submissions
https://ghgprotocol.org/ghg-protocol-public-consultations

The Performance Inequality Gap, 2026
By Alex Russell.
"Have we finally rounded the corner? A look at the device and network
landscape…"
https://infrequently.org/2025/11/performance-inequality-gap-2026/

[Section one ends.]


++ SECTION TWO:

+17: 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.


+ SUBSCRIPTION INFO.

WEB DESIGN UPDATE is available by subscription. For information on how
to subscribe and unsubscribe please visit:
https://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:lcar...@d.umn.edu


[Issue ends.]