Web Design Update: April 14, 2026

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 42, April 14, 2026.

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

++ISSUE 42 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: COLOR.
04: EVALUATION & TESTING.
05: EVENTS.
06: HTML.
07: MISCELLANEOUS.
08: USABILITY.
09: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

When Algorithms Forget You're Human
By Nat Tarnoff.
"…The problem isn't the user. It's the design…"
http://tarnoff.info/2026/04/13/when-algorithms-forget-youre-human-design-empathy-and-the-cost-of-ignoring-choice/

Old Advice - Hiding Content Has No Effect on Accessible Name or Description Calculation
By Steve Faulkner.
"This information (I wrote) originally appeared in Using ARIA I am re-upping and updating it here as the Using ARIA has now been updated and the content removed…"
https://html5accessibility.com/stuff/2026/04/07/old-advice-hiding-content-has-no-effect-on-accessible-name-or-description-calculation/

Oregon State University Commits to Accessibility Improvements for Blind and Low-Vision Students
By National Federation of the Blind.
"The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and Oregon State University (OSU) announced today that they have agreed to a settlement involving accessibility enhancements to university services, programs, and activities…"
https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/oregon-state-university-commits-accessibility-improvements-blind-and-low-vision

March 2026 A11y Book Club Meeting (Video)
By Crystal Scott.
Ricky Onsman hosts the March Accessibility Book Club online meeting with Lisa Riemers and Matisse Hamel-Nelis, co-authors of "Accessible Communications".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqiYWSas2eA

Cognitive Overload, Diversity, People
By Nicolas Steenhout.
"…Accessibility work centers people, not checkboxes. Not standards. Not compliance. People…"
https://buttondown.com/nic-steenhout/archive/cognitive-overload-diversity-people/

Tell the Federal Government Not to Change the Title II Accessibility Regulations (April 7, 2026 Update)
By Lainey Feingold.
"…the Americans with Disabilities Act has required digital accessibility since 1996. Whatever happens with this rule, access to digital platforms, tools, and content is a civil right that agencies and others covered by this rule ignore at their peril."
https://www.lflegal.com/2026/03/title-ii-action-needed/#article-updates

The Major Technical Reasons Why Accessibility Overlays Don't Work
By Karl Groves.
"…These are not implementation bugs. They are inherent limitations of the overlay approach. No amount of engineering can fully overcome them…"
https://afixt.com/the-major-technical-reasons-why-accessibility-overlays-dont-work/

How AI Impacts UI, UX & Accessibility (Video)
By Ricky Onsman.
"…Sai Ram (Accessibility SME at Wally) hosted Donna Bungard (Director of Accessibility at Indeed), Seema Shariat (Senior Product Manager at BetterUp), Baylee Swenson (Senior Developer at BetterUp), and me in an hour long discussion on the intersection of Generative AI and inclusive design…"
https://onsman.com/how-ai-impacts-ui-ux-accessibility/


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

contrast-color() Beyond Black and White
By Una Kravets.
"…Both of these approaches treat contrast-color() as a detector: it figures out whether you're on a light or dark surface, and your code decides what to do with that information. So it's up to you to do the rest! Whether that's tinting or picking an entirely different palette, contrast-color() unlocks a world of dynamic theming options."
https://una.im/advanced-contrast-color/

[css-image-animation] Suggest a Different Term Than "Decorative"
By Adrian Roselli.
"…The issue I am raising is that the concept of decorative images already has a meaning in the context of WCAG…My suggestion is that the CSS Image Animation Module WD replace uses of 'decorative image'…"
https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/13783

[css-image-animation] Alt-Less (Decorative) Images Need to Be Addressed
By Adrian Roselli.
"…The problem is that once an <img> element gets a blank alt, the user agent no longer exposes it to screen readers…"
https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/13785

[css-image-animation] Conveying Role, States, Properties to Platform AAPIs
By Adrian Roselli.
"…I see no reason to delay native UA controls when the accessibility support must be baked in to this feature from the start."
https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/13784


+03: COLOR.

WCAG3 Contrast as of April 2026
By Adrian Roselli.
"…The contrast algorithm used in WCAG 3 is yet to be determined…"
https://adrianroselli.com/2026/04/wcag3-contrast-as-of-april-2026.html


+04: EVALUATION & TESTING.

Inclusive User Research: Vulnerable People
By Ela Gorla.
"When running research with vulnerable people, such as people who have been bereaved, people in financial difficulty, or survivors of abuse or violence, it's essential to create an environment where participants feel safe and where researchers are skilled, supported, and able to work confidently and responsibly…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2026/04/09/inclusive-user-research-vulnerable-people/

Credible vs. Confidence Intervals: Different Meanings but Similar Decisions
By Jeff Sauro and Jim Lewis.
"…In this article, we return to an example used in our previous articles on Bayesian methods applied to UX research and compare analyses of that example with confidence and credible intervals…"
https://measuringu.com/credible-vs-confidence-intervals/


+05: EVENTS.

Abra Accessibility App Training
April 16, 2026 at 6 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).
Online
https://events.humanitix.com/ozewai-abra-accessibility-app-training-16-april-2026

Signed, Sealed, Accessible: Accessibility in Public Procurement (Funka Foundation)
April 17, 2026.
Online
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3OQ_86qQQ9aZgac54uCZaA

Accessibility: The Never-Ending Story
April 29, 2026.
Online
https://a11ytalks.com/posts/2026-apr

Accessible Events, Ask the Professionals
May 1, 2026, 12 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)
Online
https://events.humanitix.com/ozewai-accessible-events-ask-the-professionals-1-may-2026

Stem to Stern Accessibility
May 15, 2026.
Online
https://afixt.com/training/

Design, Develop, Deliver
May 21, 2026.
Online
https://gaad.umn.edu/


+06: HTML.

How To Use Standard HTML Video & Audio Lazy-Loading on the Web Today
By Scott Jehl.
"HTML video and audio lazy loading is now a web standard and quickly gaining support in all major browsers…"
https://engineering.squarespace.com/blog/2026/how-to-use-standard-html-video-and-audio-lazy-loading-on-the-web-today


+07: MISCELLANEOUS.

James Edwards AKA Brothercake
By Ricky Onsman.
"I think the time has come to concede that in all probability, my friend and colleague James Edwards AKA brothercake (@siblingpastry here), has left us…I also want to acknowledge that James made a massive contribution to the digital accessibility industry in all the time that I knew him…"
https://aus.social/@onsman/116369081198808210

How Strict Should We Be When Testing for WCAG Conformance? (December 2024 Video)
By James Edwards.
"The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are a curious blend of strictness and looseness. Some guidelines are precise, with clear objective requirements, while others are more far more subjective and open to interpretation. Why is that?…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTw23HE2jeEs

Getting Hidde Fireside
By Steve Faulkner.
"I had the pleasure of talking with Hidde a few weeks ago. We have met more times than I can recall. I can recall the meetings we have had of late as we co-edit, along with Jeroen Hulscher, the WCAG Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 2.0…"
https://html5accessibility.com/stuff/2026/04/08/getting-hidde-fireside/

Endgame for the Open Web
By Anil Dash.
"You must imagine Sam Altman holding a knife to Tim Berners-Lee's throat…"
https://www.anildash.com/2026/03/27/endgame-open-web/

I Decompiled the White House's New App
By thereallo.
"The official White House Android app has a cookie/paywall bypass injector, tracks your GPS every 4.5 minutes, and loads JavaScript from some guy's GitHub Pages."
https://blog.thereallo.dev/blog/decompiling-the-white-house-app

Trump Budget Calls For Eliminating Key Disability Programs
By Michelle Diament.
"President Donald Trump wants to stop directing federal funds to the nation's university centers on developmental disabilities, multiple Individuals with Disabilities Education Act programs and much more…"
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/04/07/trump-budget-calls-for-eliminating-key-disability-programs/31937/


+08: USABILITY.

Field Guide to Explaining UX Strategy (Video)
By Anna Kaley and Sarah Gibbons.
"Simple, relatable ways to explain complex UX strategy concepts like UX vision, goals, OKRs, and outcomes. Translate UX strategy into language anyone on your team can understand."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQBdkeeW6X8

Design Critiques: Getting Actionable Feedback (Video)
By Rachel Krause.
"Many design critiques can produce a lot of opinions but not a lot of direction, leaving designers with conflicting feedback, more questions than answers, and a longer revision cycle…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs3-g997Sh8


+09: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

Green Components: How Your Design System Can Aid Sustainability Goals
By Hidde De Vries.
"…In this article, we'll look at the Web Sustainability Guidelines and how they apply to the components in your design system…"
https://zeroheight.com/blog/green-components-how-your-design-system-can-aid-sustainability-goals/

[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