Web Design Update: April 22, 2025

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 25, Issue, April 22, 2025.

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

++ISSUE 43 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: EVALUATION & TESTING.
05: EVENTS.
06: HTML.
07: MISCELLANEOUS.
08: NAVIGATION.
10: TYPOGRAPHY.
11: USABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

Buttons vs. Links: What's the Difference and Why Does it Matter? (Video)
By Huei-Hsin Wang.
"Buttons trigger actions, while links navigate between pages, and
using them correctly is key for clarity and accessibility. Designers
should use proper HTML elements, maintain consistent styling, and use
clear labels to create a reliable and accessible experience for all
users…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb_QYE2itO4

A11y 101: 1.4.10 Reflow
By Nat Tarnoff.
"…the core of what reflow is about has little to do with screen size.
Let's look at what we really need to know about 1.4.10 Reflow…"
http://tarnoff.info/2025/04/21/a11y-101-1-4-10-reflow/

How to Meet SC 2.5.3 Label in Name
By Akash Shukla.
"For any user interface component that has a visible label - with text
or an image of text - the accessible name must contain the visible
label text…"
https://www.tpgi.com/how-to-meet-sc-2-5-3-label-in-name/

Implementing aria-describedby for Web Accessibility
By Florian Schroiff.
"Unlock the full potential of aria-describedby. Learn advanced
techniques, avoid pitfalls, and master accessibility implementation
for your web projects…"
https://www.a11y-collective.com/blog/aria-describedby/

Testing Methods - Pre-recorded Captions
By Dennis Deacon.
"WCAG 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) is a Level A Success Criterion
requiring captions for prerecorded synchronized media, unless it's
clearly labeled as a text alternative…"
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-pre-recorded-captions/

Tooltip Should Not Start An Accessible Name
By Kelly Ford.
"I've noticed a growing trend to try and make the content from some
popups or tooltips directly keyboard accessible on web pages with
buttons that reveal the content. This is good but what's not so good
is the naming of these buttons. …"
https://theideaplace.net/tooltip-should-not-start-an-accessible-name/

Navigating the 2026 ADA Guidelines (Video)
By Internet2 and Panopto.
"During the session, our expert panel from the University of
Washington, the University of Texas at Austin, Princeton University,
Wake Forest University, and Panopto provided valuable insights on…"
https://internet2.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=e9791e0a-2d74-4aed-8005-b2c1015b0b20

Image Alt Text Guide: How To Write and Add Image Alt Text
By Shopify Staff.
"Whether through a short phrase or long description, alt text conveys
the context of an image when users can't see the image themselves…"
https://www.shopify.com/uk/blog/image-alt-text#

WCAG in Plain English
By AAArdvark.
Making accessibility standards easy to understand, one success
criterion at a time.
https://aaardvarkaccessibility.com/wcag-plain-english/

What It Means to Shift Left on Accessibility and How to Do It Right
By Matt Robison.
"Shifting left on accessibility means building inclusivity into every
phase of a project-from strategy to QA-saving time, reducing risk, and
creating better user experiences…"
https://www.lullabot.com/articles/what-it-means-shift-left-accessibility-and-how-do-it-right


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

To light-dark() or Not To light-dark() (Video)
By Niya Dobazova.
"…This talk will introduce you to the light-dark() function, and the
differences between light-dark() and its predecessors. You will also
learn about the importance of light/dark mode to accessibility and its
environmental impact. Come and see how easy it is to start
implementing it…"
https://2025.stateofthebrowser.com/speaker/niya-dobazova/

Out of Order
By Donnie D'Amato.
"…Trying to manipulate the order of things using CSS can seem
reasonable at first but often has hidden problems that you might not
notice. I'd like to outline some of those problems here…"
https://blog.damato.design/posts/out-of-order/

"Pretty" Is in the Eye of the Beholder
By Geoff Graham.
"…One new feature. Two different approaches. Enjoy your new typographic powers…"
https://css-tricks.com/pretty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/


+03: DRUPAL.

Drupal Called Me
By Dries Buytaert.
"One of the most surprising moments at Drupal Dev Days Leuven? Getting
a phone call from Drupal. Yes, really…"
https://dri.es/drupal-called-me


+04: EVALUATION & TESTING.

Convenience vs. Probability Sampling in UX Research
By Rachel Banawa.
"Convenience sampling is quick and cost-effective for UX research, but
probability sampling is better when you need representative and
generalizable data. "
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/convenience-vs-probability-sampling/


+05: EVENTS.

A Practical Guide to Reporting Accessibility Conformance using the VPAT
April 24, 2025.
Online
https://itic.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WqqPtQhoTg6nw_ejIv5U4A#/registration

April 2025 A11y Book Club Meeting
April 24, 2025.
Online
https://www.a11ybookclub.com/event/april-2025-a11y-book-club-meeting

Digital Collegium 2025 Annual Conference (was HighEdWeb)
September 28-October 1, 2025.
Online and Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A.
https://events.digitalcollegium.org/digicol25

M-Enabling Summit
October 6-8, 2025.
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
https://m-enabling.com/

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Design Conference
October 9-11, 2025.
Los Angelos, California, U.S.A.
https://www.aiga.org/design/aiga-design-conference

World Usability Conference
October 14-16, 2025.
Graz, Austria
https://worldusabilitycongress.com/


+06: HTML.

Keeping It on the < dl > - Another HTML Gem You Never Use
By Christian Heilmann.
"…I wanted to talk about a thing I used that I don't see being used in
the wild enough: Description Lists. Never heard of them? You are not
alone…"
https://christianheilmann.com/2025/04/18/keeping-it-on-the-dl-another-html-gem-you-never-use/

Creating an Accessible Accordion with HTML Description Lists
By Karl Groves.
"…In this tutorial, we will dive deep into building an accessible
accordion using HTML description lists (<dl>)…"
https://afixt.com/creating-an-accessible-accordion-with-html-description-lists/

Test Your Skills: HTML Accessibility
By Chris David Mills.
"The aim of this skill test is to assess whether you've understood our
HTML: A good basis for accessibility article…"
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Test_your_skills/HTML


+07: MISCELLANEOUS.

Fostering An Accessibility Culture
By Devesa Derksen-Staats.
"Building an accessibility culture isn't easy, and there's no clear
playbook. But Dani offers insights from his own journey, where small,
consistent habits made a big difference…"
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2025/04/fostering-accessibility-culture/


+08: NAVIGATION.

What Does It Really Mean For A Site To Be Keyboard Navigable
By Eleanor Hecks.
"Keyboard navigation is a vital aspect of accessible web design, and a
detail-oriented approach is crucial. Prioritizing keyboard navigation
prioritizes the user experience for a diverse audience, extending your
reach while simultaneously fostering a more inclusive web
environment…"
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2025/04/what-mean-site-be-keyboard-navigable/


+09: TYPOGRAPHY.

Web Typography: A Refresher and History
By L. Jeffrey Zeldman.
"A refreshing dip into what we've learned about web typography over
the past 20+ years…"
https://zeldman.com/2025/04/20/web-typography-a-refresher-and-history/


+10: USABILITY.

Design Guidance: Principles, Patterns, Heuristics, and Team Charters
By Rachel Krause.
"Design teams rely on a combination of principles, patterns,
heuristics, and charters to create consistent and usable experiences
in a collaborative way."
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-guidance/

Card View vs. List View
By Megan Chan.
"List view allows for easy sorting and is space efficient, while card
view is visually engaging and creates effective groupings."
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/card-view-vs-list-view


[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.]