Web Design Update: March 17, 2026
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Laura Carlson
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+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 38, March 17, 2026.
An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development.
++ISSUE 38 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: USABILITY.
SECTION TWO:
08: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?
[Contents ends.]
++ SECTION ONE: New references.
+01: ACCESSIBILITY.
Designing for People With Anxiety
By Demelza Feltham.
"Most of us will experience anxiety at some point, sometimes triggered by a stressful moment, other times as a chronic condition. By taking thoughtful, intentional steps, we can ensure our designs at the most reduce stress, and the very least, do not contribute to or amplify it further…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2026/03/10/designing-for-people-with-anxiety/
The Gaps We Inherit (Video)
By Lola Odelola.
"What does accessibility interoperability look like? This talk explores the edges of support between browsers, assistive tech, and specs…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdMryq78KaQ&t=363s
How to Build an Audio Description Strategy That Actually Works
By 3Play Media.
"This session provides a deep dive into audio description requirements, workflows, and publishing options…"
https://www.3playmedia.com/events/wbnr-03-11-2026-audio-description/
Digital Accessibility Policies and Statements - What, How and Why (Video)
By Knowbility.
"In this webinar, accessibility expert Kevin White outlines how to build and maintain effective digital accessibility policies and statements…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFYf39eHx4
Quick Tip: Dialog Focus
By Nat Tarnoff.
"The specifications for dialogs and modals recommend placing focus on the first focusable item in the dialog. The vast majority of the time this is a close button. this means that a screen reader user will hear something similar to 'Dialog, Shopping Cart, Close, button.'…"
http://tarnoff.info/2026/03/10/quick-tip-dialog-focus/
Adobe InDesign's AI Alt-Text Generator: What Designers Need to Know
By Colleen Gratzer.
"…So can designers trust this feature? You should never ever trust an automated tool for Alt-text. You always have to review whatever it comes up with…"
https://creative-boost.com/adobe-indesign-ai-alt-text-generator-what-designers-need-to-know/
An Empirical Investigation on the Diffuseness of Accessibility Issues in Public Web Applications
By Mabrouka Chouchane, Sirine Elghali, Chukwubunkem Okezie, Makram Soui, and Marouane Kessentini.
"…In this work, we experimentally investigate the diffuseness of web accessibility defects in real-world web applications and assess how these defects impact the specific domains of the web apps included in our study. Furthermore, we explore the relationship between structural elements, web app features, and the prevalence of accessibility issues within these applications…"
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10447318.2026.2640458
Great Big List - CSUN 2026 Presentation Links
By Christopher Phillips.
"The Great Big List for the conference this year is now available…"
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XUI1FwBzOewO0UHtRRtlL0dt_Ycqi7W9mqNfhqiyx-E/
Letter to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Regarding a Proposed Interim Final Rule for the ADA Title II Website Accessibility Rule
By National Federation of the Blind.
"…There is no basis for reconsidering the website rule, which has already gone through fourteen years of consideration, public input, and adjustment, and which is based on a requirement in existence for nearly fifty years. Additionally, public entities have had nearly thirty-six years to prepare for the requirements that were initially established in the ADA…"
https://nfb.org/es/node/16470
I Tried to Educate an Accessibility Overlay Company From the Inside
By Chris Yoong.
"…Educating accessibility overlay companies from the inside doesn't work…"
https://chrisyoong.com/blog/educating-accessibility-overlay-companies
Government Tech Largely Falls Short on Accessibility Requirements, GSA Finds
By Madison Alder.
"Federal agency compliance with a statute known as Section 508 is lacking, with nearly a quarter of agencies failing to test at least one of their top digital products…"
https://fedscoop.com/government-tech-largely-falls-short-on-accessibility-requirements-gsa-finds/
+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
Underlining Links With CSS
By Stuart Robson.
"Every time I need to style link underlines beyond the default browser styling, I find myself searching MDN for the same properties. I always think 'surely I know this by now?' but then it slips my mind and off I go searching again. So, I've decided to write this down as my personal reference guide. Hopefully, it'll save you the same trip to the documentation…"
https://www.alwaystwisted.com/articles/underlining-links-with-css
+03: EVALUATION & TESTING.
Accessible Research From Design to Dissemination (Video)
By Funka Foundation.
"In this webinar we present practical approaches for integrating accessibility throughout the research process - from design to dissemination. Learn how reaching diverse audiences at all stages can strengthen participation, boost relevance and increase real-life impact."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT2gF_-oGKE
The Methodological Problems Hiding in Your Research Tools
By Maria Rosala.
"The methodological blind spots in UX research tools have always been a problem. Now that AI is planning and analyzing research, it's gotten worse."
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/research-tool-problems/
Bayes' Law in UX Research: From Urns to Users
By Jim Lewis and Jeff Sauro.
"…The best way to understand how to apply Bayesian thinking and math to UX is to match the original Bayesian examples from hundreds of years ago to modern problems in UX. And it starts with urns…"
https://measuringu.com/bayes-law-in-ux-research-from-urns-to-users/
+04: EVENTS.
Durham-Raleigh A11y: The Accessibility Meetup-Triangle Style
March 17, 2026.
Morrisville, North Carolina, U.S.A.
https://www.meetup.com/durham-raleigh-a11y/events/312453102/
Accessibility Change-Makers and Leaders
March 20, 2026 12 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).
Online
https://events.humanitix.com/ozewai-accessibility-change-makers-and-leaders-ask-the-professionals-20-march-2026
Dreaming of Accessible Development: Annotated Wishes for Designers and Devs
March 25, 2026.
Online.
https://a11ytalks.com/posts/2026-mar
Title II Open Forum (Florida AHEAD: EIT Committee - Virtual Office Hours)
March 26, 2026.
Online
https://fsw.zoom.us/meeting/register/FPKorsHfSqeVrI3r5IxGyg#/registration
AI and the Future of Sustainability Reporting
April 1, 2026.
London, England, United Kingdom.
https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/apply/events/ai-and-the-future-of-sustainability-reporting/
+05: HTML.
The Enforced Accessibility of the Geolocation Element
By Chris Coyier.
"There's a <geolocation> element in HTML now…"
https://frontendmasters.com/blog/the-enforced-accessibility-of-the-geolocation-element/
Testing Browser Support for focusgroup
By Jeremy Keith.
"…I've just signed up for another origin trial. This time it's for the proposed focusgroup attribute…"
https://adactio.com/journal/22445
+06: MISCELLANEOUS.
Past, present and future: An update on W3C's Strategic Objectives on the 37th anniversary of the Web proposal
By Seth Dobbs.
"Today's anniversary of 'Information Management: A Proposal' that Tim Berners-Lee wrote on 12 March 1989 prompts me to stop and reflect on the importance of the web, and the key role the World Wide Web Consortium plays in making the web work - for everyone. I want to take a brief moment to celebrate the importance of the platform, and to call out key initiatives from our strategic objectives…"
https://www.w3.org/blog/2026/past-present-and-future-an-update-on-w3cs-strategic-objectives-on-the-37th-anniversary-of-the-web-proposal/
Heydon Fireside 2
By Steve Faulkner.
"Heydon takes a second bite of the fireside…"
https://html5accessibility.com/stuff/2026/03/12/heydon-fireside-2-cant-shut-the-fucker-up/
Trading Openness for Convenience: From App Stores to AI Assistants
By All Things Open.
"…In this episode, Chris Heilmann, VP of Developer Relations at WeAreDevelopers, joins the We Love Open Source podcast to share why AI-assisted coding feels like subscription dependency in disguise, how agentic browsing resembles malware dreams, and how two blind developers from Australia built NVDA, proving anyone can write and publish software independent of ability…"
https://allthingsopen.org/articles/trading-openness-convenience-app-stores-ai
+06: USABILITY.
Endowment Effect in UX: Why Ownership Increases Engagement (Video)
By Lola Famulegun.
"The endowment effect explains why users value things more once they feel ownership. In UX, we can design for this effect to increase engagement and user retention…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJs6GA-hrwE
[Section one ends.]
++ SECTION TWO:
+06: 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.]
- Volume 26, Issue 38, March 17, 2026.
An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development.
++ISSUE 38 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: USABILITY.
SECTION TWO:
08: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?
[Contents ends.]
++ SECTION ONE: New references.
+01: ACCESSIBILITY.
Designing for People With Anxiety
By Demelza Feltham.
"Most of us will experience anxiety at some point, sometimes triggered by a stressful moment, other times as a chronic condition. By taking thoughtful, intentional steps, we can ensure our designs at the most reduce stress, and the very least, do not contribute to or amplify it further…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2026/03/10/designing-for-people-with-anxiety/
The Gaps We Inherit (Video)
By Lola Odelola.
"What does accessibility interoperability look like? This talk explores the edges of support between browsers, assistive tech, and specs…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdMryq78KaQ&t=363s
How to Build an Audio Description Strategy That Actually Works
By 3Play Media.
"This session provides a deep dive into audio description requirements, workflows, and publishing options…"
https://www.3playmedia.com/events/wbnr-03-11-2026-audio-description/
Digital Accessibility Policies and Statements - What, How and Why (Video)
By Knowbility.
"In this webinar, accessibility expert Kevin White outlines how to build and maintain effective digital accessibility policies and statements…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFYf39eHx4
Quick Tip: Dialog Focus
By Nat Tarnoff.
"The specifications for dialogs and modals recommend placing focus on the first focusable item in the dialog. The vast majority of the time this is a close button. this means that a screen reader user will hear something similar to 'Dialog, Shopping Cart, Close, button.'…"
http://tarnoff.info/2026/03/10/quick-tip-dialog-focus/
Adobe InDesign's AI Alt-Text Generator: What Designers Need to Know
By Colleen Gratzer.
"…So can designers trust this feature? You should never ever trust an automated tool for Alt-text. You always have to review whatever it comes up with…"
https://creative-boost.com/adobe-indesign-ai-alt-text-generator-what-designers-need-to-know/
An Empirical Investigation on the Diffuseness of Accessibility Issues in Public Web Applications
By Mabrouka Chouchane, Sirine Elghali, Chukwubunkem Okezie, Makram Soui, and Marouane Kessentini.
"…In this work, we experimentally investigate the diffuseness of web accessibility defects in real-world web applications and assess how these defects impact the specific domains of the web apps included in our study. Furthermore, we explore the relationship between structural elements, web app features, and the prevalence of accessibility issues within these applications…"
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10447318.2026.2640458
Great Big List - CSUN 2026 Presentation Links
By Christopher Phillips.
"The Great Big List for the conference this year is now available…"
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XUI1FwBzOewO0UHtRRtlL0dt_Ycqi7W9mqNfhqiyx-E/
Letter to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Regarding a Proposed Interim Final Rule for the ADA Title II Website Accessibility Rule
By National Federation of the Blind.
"…There is no basis for reconsidering the website rule, which has already gone through fourteen years of consideration, public input, and adjustment, and which is based on a requirement in existence for nearly fifty years. Additionally, public entities have had nearly thirty-six years to prepare for the requirements that were initially established in the ADA…"
https://nfb.org/es/node/16470
I Tried to Educate an Accessibility Overlay Company From the Inside
By Chris Yoong.
"…Educating accessibility overlay companies from the inside doesn't work…"
https://chrisyoong.com/blog/educating-accessibility-overlay-companies
Government Tech Largely Falls Short on Accessibility Requirements, GSA Finds
By Madison Alder.
"Federal agency compliance with a statute known as Section 508 is lacking, with nearly a quarter of agencies failing to test at least one of their top digital products…"
https://fedscoop.com/government-tech-largely-falls-short-on-accessibility-requirements-gsa-finds/
+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
Underlining Links With CSS
By Stuart Robson.
"Every time I need to style link underlines beyond the default browser styling, I find myself searching MDN for the same properties. I always think 'surely I know this by now?' but then it slips my mind and off I go searching again. So, I've decided to write this down as my personal reference guide. Hopefully, it'll save you the same trip to the documentation…"
https://www.alwaystwisted.com/articles/underlining-links-with-css
+03: EVALUATION & TESTING.
Accessible Research From Design to Dissemination (Video)
By Funka Foundation.
"In this webinar we present practical approaches for integrating accessibility throughout the research process - from design to dissemination. Learn how reaching diverse audiences at all stages can strengthen participation, boost relevance and increase real-life impact."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT2gF_-oGKE
The Methodological Problems Hiding in Your Research Tools
By Maria Rosala.
"The methodological blind spots in UX research tools have always been a problem. Now that AI is planning and analyzing research, it's gotten worse."
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/research-tool-problems/
Bayes' Law in UX Research: From Urns to Users
By Jim Lewis and Jeff Sauro.
"…The best way to understand how to apply Bayesian thinking and math to UX is to match the original Bayesian examples from hundreds of years ago to modern problems in UX. And it starts with urns…"
https://measuringu.com/bayes-law-in-ux-research-from-urns-to-users/
+04: EVENTS.
Durham-Raleigh A11y: The Accessibility Meetup-Triangle Style
March 17, 2026.
Morrisville, North Carolina, U.S.A.
https://www.meetup.com/durham-raleigh-a11y/events/312453102/
Accessibility Change-Makers and Leaders
March 20, 2026 12 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).
Online
https://events.humanitix.com/ozewai-accessibility-change-makers-and-leaders-ask-the-professionals-20-march-2026
Dreaming of Accessible Development: Annotated Wishes for Designers and Devs
March 25, 2026.
Online.
https://a11ytalks.com/posts/2026-mar
Title II Open Forum (Florida AHEAD: EIT Committee - Virtual Office Hours)
March 26, 2026.
Online
https://fsw.zoom.us/meeting/register/FPKorsHfSqeVrI3r5IxGyg#/registration
AI and the Future of Sustainability Reporting
April 1, 2026.
London, England, United Kingdom.
https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/apply/events/ai-and-the-future-of-sustainability-reporting/
+05: HTML.
The Enforced Accessibility of the Geolocation Element
By Chris Coyier.
"There's a <geolocation> element in HTML now…"
https://frontendmasters.com/blog/the-enforced-accessibility-of-the-geolocation-element/
Testing Browser Support for focusgroup
By Jeremy Keith.
"…I've just signed up for another origin trial. This time it's for the proposed focusgroup attribute…"
https://adactio.com/journal/22445
+06: MISCELLANEOUS.
Past, present and future: An update on W3C's Strategic Objectives on the 37th anniversary of the Web proposal
By Seth Dobbs.
"Today's anniversary of 'Information Management: A Proposal' that Tim Berners-Lee wrote on 12 March 1989 prompts me to stop and reflect on the importance of the web, and the key role the World Wide Web Consortium plays in making the web work - for everyone. I want to take a brief moment to celebrate the importance of the platform, and to call out key initiatives from our strategic objectives…"
https://www.w3.org/blog/2026/past-present-and-future-an-update-on-w3cs-strategic-objectives-on-the-37th-anniversary-of-the-web-proposal/
Heydon Fireside 2
By Steve Faulkner.
"Heydon takes a second bite of the fireside…"
https://html5accessibility.com/stuff/2026/03/12/heydon-fireside-2-cant-shut-the-fucker-up/
Trading Openness for Convenience: From App Stores to AI Assistants
By All Things Open.
"…In this episode, Chris Heilmann, VP of Developer Relations at WeAreDevelopers, joins the We Love Open Source podcast to share why AI-assisted coding feels like subscription dependency in disguise, how agentic browsing resembles malware dreams, and how two blind developers from Australia built NVDA, proving anyone can write and publish software independent of ability…"
https://allthingsopen.org/articles/trading-openness-convenience-app-stores-ai
+06: USABILITY.
Endowment Effect in UX: Why Ownership Increases Engagement (Video)
By Lola Famulegun.
"The endowment effect explains why users value things more once they feel ownership. In UX, we can design for this effect to increase engagement and user retention…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJs6GA-hrwE
[Section one ends.]
++ SECTION TWO:
+06: 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.]
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
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
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