Web Design Update: July 21, 2026

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 27, Issue 04, July 21, 2026.

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

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.
06: HTML.
05: JAVASCRIPT.
06: MISCELLANEOUS.
07: TOOLS.
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.

A11y 101 - 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
By Nat Tarnoff.
"…Labels and instructions are the most basic form of respect you can offer a user: telling them what you need before asking them to provide it…"
https://tarnoff.info/2026/07/20/a11y-101-3-3-2-labels-or-instructions/

The Grand Challenge of Transforming Instructional Design's Misguided Approach to Accessibility
By Matthew Schmidt and Noah Glaser.
"This paper argues that accessibility in the field of learning and instructional design and technology (LIDT) remains fundamentally misaligned with the lived realities of disabled learners…Accessibility is not compliance. It is refusal. Accessibility is not retrofitting. It is reimagined transformation…"
https://journal.otessa.org/index.php/oj/article/view/105/98

How Organizations Build Maturity Over Time
By The Vispero Team.
"…Accessibility maturity is not measured by where an organization starts; it is measured by its ability to continuously integrate accessibility into its operations…"
https://vispero.com/resources/building-an-accessibility-program/

Ask The Professionals: Accessibility News
By Ricky Onsman.
"Often, I'm the moderator for OZeWAI Ask The Professionals webinars, but on this occasion I was one of the panlists.…"
https://onsman.com/ask-the-professionals-accessibility-news/

Accessibility is Resistance!
By Léonie Watson.
"…The uncomfortable truth is that if we'd done a better job of making the web accessible, if we'd let the web realise its accessibility potential, far fewer people would be turning to AI to compensate now…I'm fed-up with not knowing what's in an image, fed-up with not being able to activate a link or a button, fed-up with date-pickers I can't even open, fed-up with having to ask for help, fed-up with not knowing, fed-up with the uncertainty, and I'm really, really fed-up with having to do the hard work because someone else hasn't…"
https://tink.uk/accessibility-is-resistance/

Artificial Intelligence, History, and Blindness: Lessons and Musings
By Jonathan Mosen.
"…I'm no cheerleader for AI, nor am I exclusively a detractor. It's a tool…"
https://mosen.org/ai/

Image to Text
By Jeremy Keith.
"…A human-generated image description will always be preferable, so any member of The Session can over-ride the placeholder alt text…"
https://adactio.com/journal/22657

ADA Integration Protections Questioned by DOJ
By Mark Miller.
"A Justice Department memo is questioning long-standing ADA integration protections, especially the requirement that people with disabilities be served in the most integrated community setting rather than institutions…"
https://inclusionimpact.co/news/ada-integration-protections-questioned-by-doj/


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

Grid Lanes - The Future of Masonry Layout
By Stacy Kvernmo and Miriam Suzanne.
"This long-debated solution for masonry layout is now available and it's time to figure out how to use it. Join us for a deep dive into the workings of Grid Lanes…"
https://www.oddbird.net/2026/06/18/winging-it-33/


+03: EVALUATION & TESTING.

Understanding Alpha Inflation
By Jim Lewis and Jeff Sauro.
"…Alpha inflation is what happens when running multiple statistical tests quietly erodes the reliability of your p < .05 threshold, the same way printing money erodes the value of a dollar…"
https://measuringu.com/understanding-alpha-inflation/

Heuristic Evaluations: How to Plan, Conduct, and Report Results (Video)
By Hoa Loranger.
"Heuristic evaluations are one of the most efficient tools in a UX practitioner's toolkit - fast, flexible, and valuable at almost any stage of the design process. But running one well requires more than knowing the 10 heuristics…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odk2fkPNVRA


+04: EVENTS.

Tech as Cognitive Accessibility: Designing Systems for ADHD Brains
July 29, 2026.
Online
https://a11ytalks.com/posts/2026-jul

W3C Technical Plenary and Advisory Committee (TPAC)
October 26 to 30, 2026.
Online and Dublin, Ireland
https://www.w3.org/news-events/tpac/2026/

Deep Dive into WAI-ARIA with Karl Groves
November 1, 2026.
Online
https://afixt.com/training/

Accessibility for Designers
September 21-29, 2026.
Online
https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops/workshops/accessibility-design-stephanie-walter/


+05: JAVASCRIPT.

If You Want to Create a Button From Scratch, You Must First Create the Universe
By Marco Campos.
"…people never explain why this advice is given, and why we should not recreate things from scratch…" Everything that follows in the article is an answer to this question.
https://madcampos.dev/blog/2026/07/accessibility-from-scratch/

Use Cases for Aria-Expanded
By Steve Frenzel.
"…The information an expandable button conveys to AT depends heavily on the context. This context also dictates which ARIA attributes should (or should not) be used…"
https://piccalil.li/blog/use-cases-for-aria-expanded/

LoAF (The Long Animation Frame) API (Video)
By Andy Davies.
"Over time the web has become more reliant on JavaScript. Some believe JavaScript is the only way to build the modern web and dismiss the performance concerns, while others hold opposing views. Wouldn't it be great if we had data on how scripts actually perform in our visitor's browsers - when they delay loading, cause jankiness and slowdown interactions, and perhaps more importantly which scripts are responsible…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIxNc6NwY1I


+06: MISCELLANEOUS.

I Investigate AI, and Publish What I Find
By Cereblab.
"Evidence-first, reproducible write-ups on how AI systems handle your code, your data, and your trust - captured, verified, and open to anyone who wants to check my work. No affiliation with any vendor…"
https://cereblab.com/

What xAI's Grok Build CLI Actually Sends to xAI: A Wire-Level Analysis
By Cereblab.
"…It transmits the contents of files it reads - including a .env secrets file - to xAI, verbatim and unredacted. …It uploads the whole repository - every tracked file's content plus git history - independent of what the agent reads…"
https://gist.github.com/cereblab/dc9a40bc26120f4540e4e09b75ffb547

Meta Used AI to Target Workers With Medical Conditions for Layoffs, Lawsuit Claims
By Daniel Wiessner.
"…The lawsuit appears to be the first against a major U.S. company to challenge the alleged use of AI in conducting layoffs…"
https://www.reuters.com/world/meta-used-ai-target-workers-with-medical-conditions-layoffs-former-employees-2026-07-14/


+07: TOOLS.

Online Broken Link Checker
"Checks your websites and blogs for dead links. Can scan an unlimited number of web-pages…"
https://brokenlinkcheck.com/

MacParakeet
By Daniel Moon.
"Fast, private, local-first voice app for Apple Silicon Macs - dictation, file/media transcription, meeting recording, Transforms, and a public automation CLI. Free and open-source…"
https://macparakeet.com/


+08: USABILITY.

Does Your Form Really Need a Dropdown List?
By Huei-Hsin Wang.
"Dropdown lists can be used in narrow, specific scenarios, but misuse can cause more harm than alternatives…"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/dropdown-list/

What's the Difference? Iterative v. Parallel Design  (Video)
By Nielsen Norman Group.
"Have you ever heard the expression, perfect is the enemy of good?…"
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UYfCWkMRu88


+09: WEBWASTE & SUSTAINABILITY.

Accessibility and Performance (Video)
By Marcy Sutton Todd.
"…If you care about impact, and you're curious how accessibility efforts intersect with web performance, join me. You might leave with a few new metrics - and a fresh sense of purpose…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdvk_qOKjVM
Marcy's Slides:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wolXtXZgS8U5IZKlaW7jF0yfrESr2X0VvYOG5xDEC9M/edit

Fast, Green, Responsive  (Video)
By Ines Akrap.
"Performance work has always been about speed. But speed is only part of the story. Every byte shipped carries a carbon cost, and decisions made in design and development ripple far beyond milliseconds. This session explores how web performance and sustainability are deeply connected: why faster sites are greener sites, and how minimal, efficient design becomes a responsibility that can no longer be ignored…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii-i7RjLW6M

[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.


+ 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