Web Design Update: July 1, 2025

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 01, July 1, 2025.

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

++ISSUE 01 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: EVENTS.
04: JAVASCRIPT.
05: MISCELLANEOUS.
06: USABILITY
07: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.
08: XML.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

A11y 101: 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts
By Nat Tarnoff.
"…Keyboard shortcuts are designed to help multiple disabilities. Keyboard only users, users with limited control, and screen reader users are just the beginning. But we always need to be careful when developing them…"
https://tarnoff.info/2025/06/30/a11y-101-2-1-4-character-key-shortcuts/

Top 5 Web Accessibility Issues in 2024 (And How to Fix Them)
By Kim Collins.
"Here are the top 5 web accessibility issues we found in 2024. We'll cover why they matter, how to find them, and how to fix them…"
https://intopia.digital/articles/top-5-web-accessibility-issues-2024/

Writing Alt Text With AI
By Jared Cunha.
"…I have been exploring ways to use LLMs to improve accessibility for web design and development, and I think that one really strong use case is for writing alternative text. It's far more descriptive than what I would have written without it. As for the level of effort, I'm spending much less time writing a prompt and tweaking the response…"
https://jaredcunha.com/blog/writing-alt-text-with-ai

Designing for Everyone: How to Embed Accessibility That Lasts (Podcast)
By Henny Swan.
In the latest episode of The Digital Accessibility Podcast, @iheni sits down with host Joe James to discuss embedding accessibility into digital products, the evolution of inclusive design, and the impact of emerging tech and regulations.
https://the-digital-accessibility-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/19-henny-swan

Preparation for the Update to ADA's Title II Series: Conduct an Accessibility Self-Audit
By Minnesota IT Services.
"Learn how to check your websites and mobile apps for accessibility issues…"
https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-694312

High-Level Accessibility Testing Report of Findings Template (.docx file)
By Minnesota IT Services.
"Use our template to create a high-level accessibility testing report…"
https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/High-Level%20Accessibility%20Testing%20Report%20of%20Findings%20TEMPLATE_tcm38-694319.docx

How Does Tech Enable Me as Deafblind?
By Torbjörn Svensson.
"In life with deafblindness, the digital world has brought many opportunities. Torbjörn will lecture from his perspective, as Deafblind, on digital accessibility and how it is something that everyone benefits from…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2Nrxcr4nJs

Able Player for WordPress: Version 2.0
By Joe Dolson.
"After taking over Able Player, I received feedback from various sources about the kinds of problems people are having with the accessible media player…"
https://www.joedolson.com/2025/06/able-player-for-wordpress-version-2-0/

Accessible Social Media: Alt Text
By Callum McMenamin.
"Alt text for social media images makes them accessible to blind people. This guide explains how to add alt text to your social media images, and why it's important…"
https://www.openaccess.nz/blog/accessible-social-media-alt-text/

iOS Accessibility Inspector: Beyond Automation
By Mark Steadman.
"Xcodes accessibility inspector has long been thought of as only an 'automated' issue tool. This thought has led to its full potential never being fully met by developers and testers. So if it's more than just automated issues, then what should users be doing with it to catch more accessibility bugs? Let's dive right in…"
https://dev.to/steady5063/ios-accessibility-inspector-beyond-automation-2cl2

What to Say When You Don't Know the Accessibility Answer
By Josh Crawford.
"Many content creators feel anxious when asked accessibility questions they can't answer, worrying about appearing unprofessional or giving incorrect advice. This guide provides professional response templates and follow-up strategies to help you handle unknown accessibility scenarios with confidence while building credibility with colleagues…"
https://www.digitalaccesstraining.com/pages/articles?p=what-to-say-when-you-dont-know-the-accessibility-answer

Tying Accessibility to Business Objectives
By Sheri Byrne-Haber.
"Let's face it: The federal government isn't going to restart enforcing the ADA anytime soon…"
https://buttondown.com/access-ability/archive/tying-accessibility-to-business-objectives/

What Is a VPAT? Understanding the Meaning and Value of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template
By Melissa Morse.
"VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility TemplateTM. A VPAT is a standardized document that outlines the level of accessibility of a product or service for people with disabilities…"
https://www.tpgi.com/voluntary-product-accessibility-template-vpat/

ADA Title II: What the New Digital Accessibility Rule Means for Public Entities
By Robert Jolly.
"…In simple terms: public entities must ensure their web content and mobile apps conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA…"
https://a11y.is/articles/ada-title-ii-what-the-new-digital-accessibility-rule-means-for-public-entities/

The European Accessibility Act: Dreams and Gratitude
By Lainey Feingold.
"This is an article about a law in Europe. It is called the European Accessibility Act and it goes into effect tomorrow June 28 2025. The law is designed to make certain technology and digital content accessible for disabled people. It has the potential to make accessibility mainstream. If a product is placed in the EU market, disabled people must be able to use it. This article is about Lainey's dreams for this law. It is also about her gratitude for those who made it happen."
https://www.lflegal.com/2025/06/european-accessibility-act-launch/


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

Scope in CSS
By Chris Coyier.
"This is a written adaptation of my talk at CSS Day 2025. It was a lovely event, but I realize life is complicated and not everyone can make it to events like this. There are videos up paywalled at conffab.com. I figure this written version can make my points as well…"
https://frontendmasters.com/blog/scope-in-css/


+03: EVENTS.

Introduction to Digital Accessibility
July 3, 2025.
Online
https://abilitynet.org.uk/training/introduction-digital-accessibility-free

Accessible Typography For The Web with Oliver Schöndorfer
September 11-19, 2025.   
Online
https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops/workshops/oliver-schondorfer-accessible-typography/

DataViz Accessibility Workshop with Sarah L. Fossheim
September 22-October 6, 2025.
Online https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops/workshops/sarah-l-fossheim-practical-accessibility/

#a11yTO Conf 2025
October 16-17, 2025
Toronto, Canada
https://conf.a11yto.com/

Accessing Higher Ground
November 17-21, 2025.
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
https://accessinghigherground.org/


+08: JAVASCRIPT.

Tips for Making Regular Expressions Easier to Use in JavaScript
By Axel Rauschmayer.
"In this blog post, we explore ways in which we can make regular expressions easier to use…"
https://2ality.com/2025/06/javascript-regexp-tips.html

Write More Reliable JavaScript with Optional Chaining
By Matt Smith.
"Let me know if this sounds familiar: you're deep into debugging or trying to access a deeply nested property in a JavaScript object. Suddenly you see this classic error…"
https://allthingssmitty.com/2025/06/02/write-more-reliable-javascript-with-optional-chaining/


+05: MISCELLANEOUS.

ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study
By Andrew R. Chow.
"Does ChatGPT harm critical thinking abilities? A new study from researchers at MIT-s Media Lab has returned some concerning results…"
https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/?j=4026275

Quality is a Trap
By Eric W. Bailey.
"Like cicadas emerging from the ground, design industry conversations about quality seem to periodically erupt on social media. Also like cicadas, these articles are as predictable as they are irritating…"
https://ericwbailey.website/published/quality-is-a-trap/

Federal Judge Orders OCR to Reinstate Laid-Off Employees - for Now
By Naaz Modan.
"The U.S. Department of Education plans to appeal the ruling, which said the RIF had left OCR 'incapable of addressing the vast majority' of complaints…"
https://www.k12dive.com/news/education-department-ocr-employees-RIF-reinstatement-preliminary-injunction/751558/


+06: USABILITY.

Supporting 'Power Users' Isn't Enough: 3 Complex-App User Types
By Kate Kaplan.
"Complex-app users don't always fit neatly into 'novice' or 'expert' labels. Designing for Legacy, Legend, and Learner users leads to more inclusive, effective systems…"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/complex-apps-users/

Stop Using Hero Images! They're Killing Your UX
By Louise North.
"There's a pattern that's haunted web design for over a decade now-one so embedded in our collective workflow that questioning it feels almost heretical…"
https://webdesignerdepot.com/stop-using-hero-images-theyre-killing-your-ux/

-Beautiful- and -Hard to Read-: Designers React to Apple-s Liquid Glass Update
By Boone Ashworth.
"Software designers, even those impressed by Apple-s refreshed look at WWDC 2025, are concerned about the readability of the company-s new see-through aesthetic…"
https://www.wired.com/story/designers-react-to-apple-liquid-glass/


+07: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

The Environmental Impact of Local Text AI
By Timothé Gratuze.
"The aim of this study is to compare different embedded large language models on smartphones in terms of their performance, energy consumption and environmental impact…"
https://greenspector.com/en/the-environmental-impact-of-local-text-ai/


+08: XML.

SVG Optimization and Accessibility Basics
By David Bushell.
"SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) are now commonplace on the web. When I wrote Resolution Independence With SVG for Smashing Magazine in 2012 many of the comments related to browser support and bugs. Back then we didn't have Baseliness for peace of mind.…"
https://dbushell.com/2025/06/25/svg-optimization-and-accessibility-basics/

[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.


+ SUBSCRIPTION INFO.

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+ 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:
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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