Web Design Update: September 9, 2025

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 11, September 9, 2025.

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

++ISSUE 11 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: BOOKS.
02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
03: COLOR.
05: EVENTS.
06: HTML.
07: JAVASCRIPT
08: MISCELLANEOUS.
09: USABILITY.
10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

For Review: WCAG 3 Working Draft - September 2025
By Shawn Lawton Henry.
"W3C WAI invites you to comment on the updated:
W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0 Working Draft…"
https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-wai-announce/2025JulSep/0004.html

WCAG 3 September 2025 Update
By Rachael Bradley Montgomery.
"The Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG) has updated the W3C Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3 Working Draft…"
https://whollyaccessible.org/2025/09/04/wcag-3-september-2025-update/

An Accessible Guide to WCAG 3.3.8: Authentication Without Frustration
By Ramona Schwering.
"Logging in can be tough for users with cognitive disabilities. WCAG's Success Criterion 3.3.8, "Accessible Authentication," provides guidance…"
https://auth0.com/blog/an-accessible-guide-to-wcag-3-3-8-authentication-without-frustration/

Testing Methods: Low or No Background Audio
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio is a Level AAA conformance level Success Criterion. It states that audio content (like speech or dialogue) must not have background sounds that make the speech hard to hear…"
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-low-or-no-background-audio/

How to Perform a Comprehensive WCAG Audit
By Team A11Y Collective.
"Master WCAG audits with our comprehensive guide. Discover pro tips for efficient testing, result interpretation, and ongoing accessibility maintenance…"
https://www.a11y-collective.com/blog/wcag-audit/

How to Scope Accessibility Remediation
By Chris Hinds.
"Being asked to scope accessibility remediation can feel like a daunting, if not outright impossible, tasks…"
https://equalizedigital.com/how-to-scope-accessibility-remediation/

Accessible Writing Techniques for Web Content
By Team A11Y Collective.
"Master accessible writing with expert strategies for inclusive web content. Transform your writing workflow with actionable tips for reaching every reader…"
https://www.a11y-collective.com/blog/accessible-writing/

Steps for Converting a Microsoft Word File to PDF to Include the Tag Structure
By Michael Vitagliano.
"The following article will outline how to convert a Microsoft Word document into a PDF so you can start sharing your documents with others without worrying about edits and formatting differences…"
https://accessingenuity.com/blogs/articles-resources-briefs/steps-for-converting-a-microsoft-word-file-to-pdf-to-include-the-tag-structure

How Designing for Disability Benefits Everyone
By Vision Australia.
"The curb-cut effect demonstrates how solutions designed for people with disabilities often benefit everyone, revealing a powerful design principle. This article explores the historical origins in Berkeley, California, the business benefits, and examines modern examples like closed captioning and audiobooks that serve broader audiences than intended."
https://www.digitalaccesstraining.com/pages/articles?p=the-curb-cut-effect-how-designing-for-disability-benefits-everyone

Beyond Barriers - An Accessibility Podcast
By Ricky Onsman.
"It's been a year since I recorded this for the Beyond Barriers webcast, but after a hiatuts it's finally airing as the first in a new series. We're kicking things off with an important question: 'Is accessibility a checklist to comply with the law or are we actually trying to make the world more accessible?' Our first guest, Ricky, brings 30+ years of accessibility expertise to the table."
https://onsman.com/beyond-barriers-an-accessibility-podcast/

Unfinished Business 134 with Léonie Watson (Video)
By Andy and Rich.
"This week on Unfinished Business, Andy and Rich are joined by accessibility consultant, co-founder, and bundle of enthusiasm, Léonie Watson."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mv8MxDTJ4g

Sneak Accessibility
By Chris Ferdinandi.
"I'm increasingly of the belief that the most effective way to fix accessibility issues in the sites and apps that we build is just do it…"
https://gomakethings.com/sneak-accessibility/

America by Design is Deplorable for All
By Frank M. Taylor.
"On August 21 President Donald Trump issued an executive order for a national initiative to improve digital experiences for Americans called 'America by Design'. After establishing a National Design Studio, one of the first products was AmericaByDesign.gov -which is deplorable for all. And I'm going to explain why.…"
https://blog.frankmtaylor.com/2025/08/28/america-by-design-is-deplorable-for-all/

Principles of Web Accessibility
By Heydon Pickering.
"A set of high-level guiding principles for approaching web accessibility…"
https://github.com/Heydon/principles-of-web-accessibility

For Wide Review: Accessibility Maturity Model - Updated Draft Note
By Tamsin Ewing.
"The Accessibility Maturity Model provides a framework to assess an organization's policies and procedures to deliver accessible products and services. It can be used to measure current capabilities, identify gaps, and plan improvements…"
https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-wai-announce/2025JulSep/0003.html

How to Minimize Legal Risks in Accessibility Compliance
By Nat Tarnoff.
"I've been doing accessibility work long enough that I can confidently say, you cannot avoid lawsuits about accessibility. What you can do is minimize your risk. If you do not have an accessibility effort going on in your company, start one. This guide will help you prioritize where you should be looking first. If you have a program going, this can help focus your efforts into where most lawsuits look first…"
http://tarnoff.info/2025/09/01/how-to-minimize-legal-risks-in-accessibility-compliance/

A (Not So Swift) Rant…
By Lauren Sherrard.
"I've got a BIG rant for you this week, about Taylor Swift's new website. A site this high-profile, with a huge design budget, backed by of one of the biggest record labels in the world, still bypasses accessibility standards. Here's what I spotted (and how you can do better!)…"
https://www.laurensherrard.com/blog/a-not-so-swift-rant

ADA Title II: What Public Entities Need to Know in 2025
By Noah Pearson.
"…Read on to learn what Title II entails, what digital content is covered, and the steps your organization can take to maintain compliance…"
https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/ada-title-ii-for-public-entities/

Do You Know Your ADA Digital Accessibility Risk?
By Sheri Byrne-Haber.
"…Accessibility is a journey that requires ongoing attention, but the cost of inaction is rising. Now is the time to make informed decisions and invest in meaningful accessibility improvements."
https://buttondown.com/access-ability/archive/do-you-know-your-ada-digital-accessibility-risk/

Legal Update: August 2025
By Ken Nakata.
"Just like last month, there was nothing to report. Then, in the third week of August, a few cases started popping up…"
https://convergeaccessibility.com/2025/09/02/legal-update-august-2025/


+02: BOOKS.

Berners-Lee, Tim. "This Is for Everyone The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web" Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2025.


+03: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

CSS Properties
By Nikolai Shabalinn.
"Complete reference of CSS properties with their release dates and documentation links. Explore the evolution of web styles from the beginning to the present day…"
https://nikolai-shabalin.github.io/css-properties/en/

Don't Inherit the Box Model
By Miriam Suzanne.
"Setting the box-sizing model to border-box is one of the few remaining CSS 'resets' used across most projects. But there are two common approaches, and the more popular choice will cause more problems than it solves…"
https://www.oddbird.net/2025/09/04/box-model/

The Fundamentals of CSS Alignment
By Temani Afif.
"…Through this exploration, you will understand the logic behind all the alignment properties and how they work in each layout. It's not another article about centering, we are going beyond…"
https://css-tip.com/explore/alignment/

Why I Still Prefer ems Over rems
By Chris Ferdinandi.
"Today, I wanted to talk about why I still think em units are superior to rem, and why Kelp uses them…"
https://gomakethings.com/why-i-still-prefer-ems-over-rems/


+04: COLOR.

Baby Steps Accessibility - Color Contrast of Text
By Dennis Deacon.
"Low contrast text represents 79.1% of all errors. Find out how to make a dent on these issues…"
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/baby-steps-accessibility-color-contrast-of-text/

OKLCH
By Jakub Krehel.
"Convert, generate and explore OKLCH colors and create a unique color palette for your next app… OKLCH is a newer color model that is designed to be perceptually uniform. This means that colors are much more accurate in terms of how humans perceive them and it makes working with them much easier…"
https://oklch.fyi/


+05: EVENTS.

Arrrr! - A Pirate's Guide to Accessibility
September 16, 2025.
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A.
https://www.meetup.com/durham-raleigh-a11y/events/309801724/

Using ChatGPT and Claude Artificial Intelligence to Create Complex Alternate Text
September 17, 2025.
Online
https://accessingenuity.com/pages/webinar/using-chat-gpt-and-claude-artificial-intelligence-to-create-complex-alternate-text-digital-accessibility-webinar

Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) - What It Is, Why You Need It, and How It Works
September 18, 2025.
Online
https://knowbility.org/programs/be-a-digital-ally/september-2025

7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility
September 25, 2025.
Online
https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HrijFaCcTwC09bk_V0onDg#/registration

Part 1: Web Accessibility Basics - Manual Testing: Color Contrast, Keyboard Access, and Reflow
October 1, 2025.
Online
https://accessingenuity.com/pages/webinar/part-1-web-accessibility-basics-manual-testing-color-contrast-keyboard-access-and-reflow-digital-accessibility-webinar

Accessibility in Technology Procurement and Use
October 2, 2025.
Online
https://webaim.org/training/procurement/

ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium
October 6-8, 2025.
Washington D.C., U.S.A
https://www.ictaccessibilitytesting.org/


+06: HTML.

Screen Reader HTML Support
By Steve Faulkner.
"The VoiceOver (Mac and iOS) HTML support tables are now available…"
https://github.com/TetraLogical/screen-reader-HTML-support/blob/main/README.md#screen-reader-html-support


+07: JAVASCRIPT.

active-descendant Console Debugger
By Steve Faulkner.
"Let me be perfectly clear, this script was generated by ChatGPT. It came to be from a problem I encountered when QAing a WCAG 2.2 assessment. I knew that the advice provided  was not right, but didn't know what was going on. I suspected it was something to do with aria-activedescendant implementation (in a custom menu in this case). But could not work out what, so I asked ChatGPT to help create a script to help debug aria-activedescendant…"
https://html5accessibility.com/stuff/2025/09/03/active-descendant-console-debugger/

Learning Web Development: Asynchronous JavaScript - Promises and Async Functions
By Axel Rauschmayer.
"In this chapter, we learn how to handle tasks that take a long time to complete - think downloading a file. The mechanisms for doing that, Promises and async functions are an important foundation of JavaScript and enable us to do a variety of interesting things…"
https://2ality.com/2025/09/javascript-async.html


+08: MISCELLANEOUS.

What Problem Does ChatGPT Solve?
By Jeffrey Bilbro.
"If we use AI to reduce or avoid the effort of exercising our human creativity and intelligence, those gifts will atrophy…"
https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/technology/what-problem-does-chatgpt-solve

Quick Tip: Stop Gate Keeping Tech
By Nat Tarnoff.
"Technology is moving at an ever rapid pace. Some of the recent "AI" things to come along is one area that comes to mind. AI has its flaws and used incorrectly can do great harm, but it also can also improve the quality of life for others. Don't stop them from using tools that help them, no matter your belief of such tools…"
http://tarnoff.info/2025/09/08/quick-tip-stop-gatekeeping-tech/


+09: USABILITY.

Anatomy of Good Icons (Video)
By Nielsen Norman Group.
"Icon clarity is shaped by consistent layout, stroke thickness, and the handling of exterior and interior corners."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MRTqn9tRl8

"Your" vs "My" in User Interfaces
By Adam Silver.
"…It's a trick question because often you don't need any prefix…"
https://adamsilver.io/blog/your-vs-my-in-user-interfaces/

What is the Rule of Thirds in the UX Mobile Design Process?
By Dakota Murphey.
"…The Rule of Thirds offers mobile UX designers a valuable framework for creating balanced, engaging interfaces that guide user attention effectively. That said, like any design principle, it's only as valuable when it's thoughtfully applied, as opposed to rigidly adhering to it in every design process…"
https://www.loop11.com/what-is-the-rule-of-thirds-in-the-ux-mobile-design-process/

Smart-Device Apps: 7 Best Practices to Make
By Tim Neusesser.
"Smart-device apps need to support remote usage and input of complex settings, while promptly displaying feedback and status information."
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/smart-device-best-practices/

The VR Hype Cycle: Lessons for the Age of AI
By Caleb Sponheim.
"Hype happens when messaging becomes divorced from good experiences. Learning from the virtual reality hype cycle can help us avoid future distractions"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/vr-hype-cycle-lessons-for-ai/

Template Trap (Video)
By Sarah Gibbons.
"Templates help, but only when used with intent. Use them thoughtfully, adapt them to context, and don't skip the critical thinking…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSZEVLG4Vp0


+10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

Why Inclusive Products Are Green Products
By Ela Gorla.
"More and more organisations are conscious about the environmental impact of their products - both physical or digital - and are trying to make positive changes…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2025/09/01/why-inclusive-products-are-green-products/

AI Has a Hidden Water Cost - Here's How to Calculate Yours
By Leo S. Lo.
"Artificial intelligence systems are thirsty, consuming as much as 500 milliliters of water - a single-serving water bottle - for each short conversation a user has with the GPT-3 version of OpenAI's ChatGPT system. They use roughly the same amount of water to draft a 100-word email message."
https://theconversation.com/ai-has-a-hidden-water-cost-heres-how-to-calculate-yours-263252


[Section one ends.]


++ SECTION TWO:

+11: 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