Web Design Update: March 19, 2025

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 25, Issue, March 19, 2025.

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: DRUPAL.
04: DRUPAL.
04: EVALUATION & TESTING.
05: EVENTS.
06: HTML.
07: JAVASCRIPT.
08: MISCELLANEOUS.
09: NAVIGATION.
10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

Accessibility Requires Clear Responsibilities or It Will Fail
By Bogdan Cerovac.
"…Organizations need to understand how their people can put
accessibility into practice. Which roles need to do what. Because
otherwise it isn't enough. Otherwise we get to scenarios where wrong
people decide about things that are essential for accessible
experiences…"
https://cerovac.com/a11y/2025/03/accessibility-requires-clear-responsibilities-or-it-will-fail/

A11y 101: 1.4.2 Audio Control
By Nat Tarnoff.
"Unexpected sounds can be quite problematic for folks. If the sound
plays over 3 seconds it needs to have controls to pause or stop it.
Avoid using unexpected sounds. Keep the volume reasonable. And it is
always best to tie sounds to user action as it can be less shocking…"
https://tarnoff.info/2025/03/17/a11y-101-1-4-2-audio-control/

A Confession
By Adam Silver.
"…I've fixed the contrast issues, thanks to Crystal's reminder… "
https://adamsilver.io/blog/a-confession/

Standards and Requirements for Quality Audio Description
By AJ Beltis.
"…This article will cover the legal requirements for audio
description, as well as who is responsible for adhering to them and
how to best describe audio to get a high-quality description…"
https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/standards-requirements-quality-audio-description/

Designing for Accessibility Right from the Start with Stéphanie Walter (Video)
By Smashing Magazine.
Stéphanie's February 20, 2025 presentation at the Smashing Meets conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2juq00vrvl0

AXSCHat with Mike Gifford (Video)
By Monika Tomczak.
"Mike Gifford is CivicActions' Open Standards & Practices Lead and a
thought leader on open government, as well as digital accessibility
and sustainability…"
https://www.axschat.com/axschat-with-mike-gifford/

Featured Presentation: Digital Accessibility Legal Update: US
By Lainey Feingold.
"…Digital access is a civil right of disabled people. This session
shares U.S. legal updates about access to websites, apps, kiosks, and
more, and about laws, regulations, lawsuits, negotiations, and
government policies…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQyWH3DiD9s

CSUNATC 2025 Recap
By Adrian Roselli.
"This post only covers my impressions and experiences from CSUNATC.
Others probably had dramatically different experiences. The talks
seemed to fall into three broad categories this year: product pitches,
vendor room sessions (which were product and service pitches), and
'AI' talks…"
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/03/csunatc-2025-recap.html

CSUN Assistive Technology Conference Notes for 2025
By Ted Drake.
"This article summarizes key takeaways and notes from the week's
sessions. Christopher Phillips has been curating the big ol' list of
CSUN presentation information…"
https://www.last-child.com/csun-atc-notes-for-2025.html

Great Big List - CSUN 2025 Presentation Links (Google Sheet)
By Christopher Phillips.
"CSUN 2025 Presentation Links…"
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OqmkBLPSfPDtRq_pMWcKcVCCWpfvwdeXHDtM7xk0ZHM/edit?gid=80757841#gid=80757841

Running Strong Accessibility Programs Without DEI Support
By Sheri Byrne-Haber.
"…Accessibility programs should not depend on the fate of DEI
initiatives. By aligning accessibility with legal, product, customer
experience, procurement, and leadership goals, organizations can
ensure that accessibility remains a permanent and protected function.
Accessibility is not an extra. It is a fundamental part of executing
responsible business activities."
https://buttondown.com/access-ability/archive/running-strong-accessibility-programs-without-dei/

Making Digital Spaces More Inclusive for People With ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia
By Charlii Parker.
"The internet is meant to be the great equaliser - bringing
information, services, and cat videos to the masses. But for many
neurodivergent folks, particularly those with ADHD, Autism, and
Dyslexia, the online world can feel like it was designed by an
over-caffeinated octopus. It can be cluttered, overwhelming, and
needlessly difficult to navigate. But it doesn't have to be that way…"
https://intopia.digital/articles/making-digital-spaces-more-inclusive/

Guides
By 18F.
"Principles and standards that shape our work…"
https://18f.org/guides/


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

Reducing CSS Complexity With the :is() pseudo-class
By Chris Ferdinandi.
"Today, I want to show you how it can dramatically reduce selector
complexity. Let's dig in…"
https://gomakethings.com/reducing-css-complexity-with-the-is-pseudo-class/


+03: COLOR.

WCAG Colour Contrast: What Does the 4.5:1 Ratio Actually Mean?
By Dave Davies.
"Anyone who has worked with web accessibility will likely be familiar
with the WCAG Colour Contrast Requirements. These guidelines specify
that text (and images of text) must have a contrast ratio of at least
4.5:1. But have you ever wondered what that 4.5:1 ratio actually
means, and where it comes from…"
https://davedavies.dev/posts/wcag-colour-contrast-explained/


+04: DRUPAL.

Accessibility Always a Focus in Drupal!
By Alka Elizabeth.
"A Conversation with Gareth Alexander, Starshot Track Lead for
Accessibility Tools…"
https://www.thedroptimes.com/interview/45279/accessibility-always-focus-in-drupal

Carbon Impact Evaluator
By Claudia Desiderio, et al.
"The Carbon Impact Evaluator module is designed to measure the carbon
emissions associated with a website. To conduct this assessment, the
module uses the CO2.js library from the Green Web Foundation, which
offers two distinct methodologies for calculating emissions…"
https://www.drupal.org/project/carbon_impact_evaluator


+04: EVALUATION & TESTING.

Understanding Different Types of 100-Point Scales
By Jeff Sauro and Jim Lewis.
"…Here are the differences between absolute percentages, percentiles,
and rating scale transformations to 100-point scales…"
https://measuringu.com/types-of-100-point-scales/

Survey Alternatives: 3 Scenarios When You Shouldn't Run a Survey (Video)
By Maddie Brown.
"Surveys are great for gathering quantitative, self-reported data but
shouldn't replace behavioral methods like usability testing,
qualitative interviews, or data you already have through analytics.…"
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/when-you-shouldnt-run-a-survey/


+05: EVENTS.

Panel: Crafting Accessible Experiences with Design Systems
March 26, 2025.
Online
https://knapsack-cloud.zoom.us/webinar/register/7117400039033/WN_CGDXvF_8Q8SpintqEbR44A#/registration

Against Technoableist AI / Cyborg Meets AI: Technologized Disabled
People in the Context of Corporatized Technological Development and
Health Management
March 26, 2025.
Online and Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
https://library.osu.edu/events/against-technoableist-ai-cyborg-meets-ai-technologized-disabled-people-in-the-context-of

20 Years of MeasuringU - Reflecting and Affecting UX Research for Two
Decades at MeasuringU
April 2, 2025.
Online
https://measuringu.zoom.us/webinar/register/3317411237096/WN_kQD0vyeOQuWnHmr_k-mWEA#/registration

Cognitive Biases 101: How They Impact Users, Research, and Teams with
Stéphanie Walter
April 10, 2025.
Online
https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops/workshops/cognitive-biases-stephanie-walter/

UX Scotland
June 11-12, 2025.
Edinburgh, Scotland
https://uxscotland.net/

Web Directions Code
June 12-13, 2025.
Melbourne, Australia
https://webdirections.org/code/

Inclusive Design 24 (#id24)
May 31, 2025 call for presentations closes.
September 25, 2025 event.
Online
https://inclusivedesign24.org/2025/


+06: HTML.

Cool Native HTML Elements You Should Already Be Using
By Harrison Broadbent.
"I'm constantly surprised by the native HTML spec. New features are
regularly added, and I often stumble on existing, handy elements.
While often not as versatile as their JS counterparts, using them
avoids bloating your app with extra Javascript libraries or CSS
hacks…"
https://harrisonbroadbent.com/blog/cool-native-html-elements/

Popping Preconceived Popover Ponderings
By Scott O'Hara.
"…I decided to finally get this post in a publishable state because I
still see people asking questions about popover. Like, what is it? How
does it differ from a dialog (modal or non)? Why doesn't it do this
one thing that I need it to? I'm not going to answer every question
about popover. But I should get back into the habit of writing this
stuff down once and pointing people to it, rather than providing
repetitive one-off answers whenever I happen across someone asking
about it…"
https://www.scottohara.me/blog/2025/03/14/popovers.html


+07: JAVASCRIPT.

Is React Accessible? That's the Wrong Question
By Access Armada.
"Developers love to debate frameworks and libraries. As accessibility
advocates, it's important to us that accessibility is considered in
these debates. The common question is: 'Is React accessible?' But
that's not quite the right way to think about it…"
https://www.accessarmada.com/blog/is-react-accessible-thats-the-wrong-question/


+08: MISCELLANEOUS.

Building A Disability-Inclusive AI Ecosystem
By Ariana Aboulafia and Henry Claypool.
"A Cross-Disability, Cross-Systems Analysis Of Best Practices…"
https://cdt.org/insights/building-a-disability-inclusive-ai-ecosystem-a-cross-disability-cross-systems-analysis-of-best-practices/

Trump Firings Gut Education Department's Civil Rights Division
By Michael C. Bender and Rachel Nostrant.
"Many of the office's cases over the decades have served as a catalyst
for broader policy change and social reforms…"
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/us/politics/trump-education-department-civil-rights.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3k4.NWNp.S_sfZL2xpjSX


+09: NAVIGATION.

Designing Accessible Website Navigation: Best Practices for Inclusive UX
By Access Armada.
"…This isn't intended to be an exhaustive guide, but keeping
accessibility in mind when planning website navigation will set you on
the right track towards a better user experience for all…"
https://www.accessarmada.com/blog/designing-accessible-website-navigation-best-practices-for-inclusive-ux/

Why Website Taxonomies Drift (and What to Do about It)
By Jorge Arango.
"AI is everywhere these days, but most websites are still managed
manually in CMSs like WordPress and Drupal. These systems provide ways
to tag and categorize content, but over time, their structures
degrade…"
https://jarango.com/2025/03/11/why-website-taxonomies-drift-and-what-to-do-about-it/


+10: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

How Do We Work Out the Environmental Savings From Accessibility? (Video)
By Chris Adams.
"…In this talk, we'll take a look how we can quantify the
environmental savings from supporting a wider range of devices with
the digital services we design and operate…"
https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-5292-how-do-we-work-out-the-environmental-savings-from-accessibility-/

Durable Technology
By Chris Ferdinandi.
"Imagine owning a smartphone or computer that lasted a decade (and
didn't feel like it was slowing you down)…"
https://gomakethings.com/durable-technology/

[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.


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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.]