Web Design Update: October 7, 2025

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 15, October 7, 2025.

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

++ISSUE 15 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: MISCELLANEOUS.
07: NAVIGATION.
08: TOOLS.
09: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]

++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

A Threat Model for Accessibility on the Web
By Alice Boxhall.
Systemic neglect, driven by underestimating accessibility's complexity and failing to treat disabled users' needs as a primary requirement, is the overarching threat that causes constant, widespread failures in web accessibility.
https://alice.boxhall.au/articles/a-threat-model-for-accessibility-on-the-web/

Accessibility Info Bites - the Anatomy of an Accessible Button
By Jacinta Gregory.
"Learn how to create buttons that are clear, easy to interact with, and properly coded…"
https://intopia.digital/articles/accessibility-info-bites-the-anatomy-of-an-accessible-button/

The Difference Between Alt Text and Image Captions
By University of Colorado Boulder Digital Accessibility Office.
"…Both describe images, but they serve very different purposes, and understanding the difference is key to creating inclusive digital content…"
https://www.colorado.edu/digital-accessibility/accessibility-minute-september-2025

Providing Text Alternatives for Non-Text Content
By David O'Brien.
"I recently ran a session with some of our content developers covering alternative text, and the difference between alt text and captions. It seemed to be well received, so I thought I'd write it u…"
https://design.scotentblog.co.uk/providing-text-alternatives-for-non-text-content/

Understanding the Removal of 4.1.1 Parsing in WCAG 2.2
By Aditya Jainapur.
"…This article explains what SC 4.1.1 covered, why it was removed, how it affects accessibility in practice, and which criteria now address issues once covered by parsing…"
https://www.tpgi.com/understanding-the-removal-of-4-1-1-parsing-in-wcag-2-2/

I Completed an IT Degree… What's Accessibility?
By Serene Mishteler.
"Accessibility still hasn't found its place in the 'formal curriculum requirements' of most institutions. So how do you learn about it? That's a fair question and one I had to answer for myself…"
https://intopia.digital/articles/i-completed-an-it-degree-whats-accessibility/

ADA Title II and PDFs: Fix, Archive, or Delete?
By Karl Groves.
"…ADA Title II compliance doesn't care when a PDF was created. What matters is whether the public relies on it to access government services today. Age is no shield. By distinguishing between active, archived, and obsolete content, government agencies can create a roadmap that balances compliance risk with practical realities. Fix what people use, archive what's only historical, and delete what no one needs…"
https://afixt.com/ada-title-ii-and-pdfs-fix-archive-or-delete/

A Guide to Creating Accessible PDFs Using Free Tools
By Steve Frenzel.
"Before we look at what free alternatives there are for creating and checking PDFs, you should ask yourself the following question: do I really need to create a PDF, or could I create a website or write an email instead?…"
https://piccalil.li/blog/a-guide-to-creating-accessible-pdfs-using-free-tools/

Digital Accessibility Quick Cards
By Minnesota IT Services.
"We've updated most of our Accessibility Quick Cards with new tips based on WCAG 2.1, Level AA criteria and current accessibility best practices. We also improved our use of plain language and active voice to make them easier to understand and use…"
https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/accessibility-quick-cards.jsp

Web Accessibility in Mind Conference (Video)
By WebAIM and Pope Tech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq7VeohVxV8

Design as Care: Building What Speed Alone Can't Deliver (Video)
By Hannah Wagner.
"Silicon Valley says move fast and break things. But when you break access, trust, or safety, you've already failed. This talk reframes design as care-and explores how accessibility work builds what speed alone can't: resilience, equity, and long-term value. In a high-speed industry, careful design isn't slow-it's strategic…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF-4FtzB2h0

Advancing Web Accessibility: Standardization and Localization in Brazil (Video)
By Reinaldo Ferraz.
"In March 2025, Brazil took a major step forward in digital inclusion with two groundbreaking projects I had the privilege to coordinate: the Web Accessibility Technical Standard, based on WCAG 2.2, and the official Brazilian Portuguese translation of WCAG 2.2. Bringing these initiatives to life was a complex but rewarding challenge. In this talk, I'll share details of the process, the obstacles we overcame, and the impact of these efforts. My goal is to inspire people from other countries-especially non-English-speaking ones-to take similar steps toward a more accessible web for all…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTC1zK-B14M

Embedding Accessibility Into the Next Generation of BBC Apps (Video)
By Andy Ronksley.
"Learn how the BBC, the world's largest public sector broadcaster, approaches embedding accessibility at scale on six iOS and Android apps. We'll share details of our guiding principles and ways of working, the challenges of balancing accessibility, platform guidelines and six different brands, how native components can sometimes fall short on accessibility and how our work on products informs our accessibility guidelines.…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DULZy2coqw

European Accessibility Act (EAA) and What It Means for You (Video)
By Mark Walker and Lui Asquith.
"The European Accessibility Act (EAA) became law in all EU member states on 28 June 2025 and applies to any organisation that provides products and services to consumers in the EU, including businesses and public bodies in the UK. In this session, we'll look at testing, documentation, and what it means for developers and their organisations to be EAA compliant…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7T8I5ob5Gw

Website Accessibility Strategy
By Pope Tech.
"This is part of the ADA Title 2 toolkit, a resource to help public entities start building digital accessibility strategies…"
https://blog.pope.tech/2025/09/30/website-accessibility-strategy/


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

A Workaround for Using Custom Properties in Media Queries
By Manuel Matuzović.
Manuel details a CSS workaround using Container Style Queries and the min() function in conjunction with the @property at-rule to successfully use custom properties to define and check against viewport-based breakpoints, effectively mimicking traditional media queries where custom properties are normally disallowed.
https://piccalil.li/blog/a-workaround-for-using-custom-properties-in-media-queries/


+03: EVALUATION & TESTING.

Accessibility Testing Comparison: Automated Testing vs Human Auditing vs Usability Testing
By Naomi Sainesn.
"One of the biggest misconceptions in product design and development is the belief that if a product is 'compliant', it's fully usable to users with disability.…"
https://intopia.digital/articles/accessibility-testing-comparison/

How to Conduct User Testing With People With Disabilities
By Charlii Parker.
"Here's how to approach user testing with people with disabilities so you get the most valuable feedback, for both your team and your participants.…"
https://intopia.digital/articles/user-testing-with-people-with-disabilities/

Personas Make Users Memorable
By Taylor Dykes.
"Personas support user-centered design throughout a project's lifecycle by making user groups feel real and tangible. "
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/persona/

User Panels: Recruit Faster, Research Smarter (Video)
By Nielsen Norman Group. 
"User panels make research recruitment faster and more effective by giving teams easy access to engaged, relevant participants for ongoing studies and hard-to-reach audiences…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6bi17y5Ekg


+04: EVENTS.

When Compliance Isn't Accessible: Why Passing WCAG Doesn't Mean Your Product Works for Everyone
October 9, 2025, 1 PM Australian Eastern Daylight Time.
Online
https://intopia.digital/articles/free-live-webinar-when-compliance-isnt-accessible

WordPress Accessibility Day
October 15-16, 2025.
Online
https://2025.wpaccessibility.day/

Accessibility Testing: PDFs
October 24, 2025.
Online
https://events.humanitix.com/ozewai-accessibility-testing-pdfs-ask-the-professionals-24-october-2025

Accessibility for Social Media, Multimedia, and Videos
October 28, 2025.
Online
https://www.publicgardens.org/event/accessibility-for-social-media-multimedia-and-videos/

Web Summit
November 10-13, 2025.
Lisbon, Portugal
https://websummit.com/


+05: HTML.

HTML's Best Kept Secret: The <output> Tag
By Den Odell.
"Every developer knows <input>. It’s the workhorse of the web. But <output>? Most have never touched it. Some don’t even know it exists.…"
https://denodell.com/blog/html-best-kept-secret-output-tag

Rethinking Cookie Dialogs
By Nat Tarnoff.
"If you are anything like me, you don't want your data sold to third parties. You probably run ad blockers. Maybe a VPN. Some governments are trying to help by requiring the site to declare what cookies are used and providing the user to opt out. But the current method of displaying this information tends to have some serious accessibility issues. I have another way of thinking about them I'd like to propose…"
http://tarnoff.info/2025/10/06/rethinking-cookie-dialogs/


+06: MISCELLANEOUS.

Tim Berners-Lee Invented the World Wide Web. Now He Wants to Save It
By Julian Lucas.
"In 1989, Sir Tim revolutionized the online world. Today, in the era of misinformation, addictive algorithms, and extractive monopolies, he thinks he can do it again."
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/10/06/tim-berners-lee-invented-the-world-wide-web-now-he-wants-to-save-it

Meet the Team: Ian Lloyd
By TetraLogical.
"Meet Ian Lloyd, or Lloydi to you and me. He's a creative soul at heart with a wide range of hobbies and, of course, a deep-rooted enthusiasm for accessibility, which has extended into books, blogs, tools, and working with us!…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2025/10/01/meet-the-team-ian-lloyd/


+07: NAVIGATION.

Accessibility Info Bites - the Anatomy of an Accessible Link
By Jacinta Gregory.
"…Whether you're designing, writing, or testing, this quick reference will help you improve access for people with disability and boost usability for everyone…"
https://intopia.digital/articles/accessibility-info-bites-the-anatomy-of-an-accessible-link/


+08: TOOLS.

A11y-Tools Bookmarklets
By Ian Lloyd.
"All the bookmarklets from a11y-tools.com wrapped up and organised in one place for your convenience…"
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/a11y-tools-bookmarklets/fedddpaapeedmkanpenidomfbebacgoa

ADA Title 2 Readiness Toolkit
By Pope Tech.
"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title 2 ruling means public entities must have accessible online content…"
https://blog.pope.tech/2025/09/30/ada-title-2-readiness-toolkit/


+09: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) Becomes a First Public Draft Note
By World Wide Web Consortium.
"…These guidelines use planetary, people, and prosperity principles (the PPP approach) throughout the decision-making process, allowing users to minimize their environmental impact in various ways…"
https://www.w3.org/news/2025/web-sustainability-guidelines-wsg-becomes-a-first-public-draft-note/

[Section one ends.]


++ SECTION TWO:

+10: 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:lcar...@d.umn.edu


[Issue ends.]

Laura L. Carlson
Information Technology Systems and Services
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009
http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/

W3C Invited Expert
Accessibility Guidelines Working Group
https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/ag/participants

Pronouns: she/her/hers