Web Design Update: April 29, 2025

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 25, Issue, April 29, 2025.

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

++ISSUE 44 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: EVENTS.
05: HTML.
06: TYPOGRAPHY.
07: USABILITY.

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

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

DO NOT SHARE. (WCAG in Plain English)
By Adrian Roselli.
"The 2.1.1 guidance is wrong for suggesting adding 'tabindex' to
everything, as @yatil pointed out to the author. The 1.4.10 guidance
is misleading, as @scottohara pointed out to the author. As is the
case with most 'simplified' WCAG resources, it must be treated with
caution…"
https://mastodon.social/@aard...@toot.cafe/114359329488899906

To Hover or Not to Hover? Understanding WCAG Requirements for UI
Component States
By Minnesota IT Services.
"We explore what WCAG requires-and doesn't-when your interface
includes a hover state…"
https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-680276

A11y 101: 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast
By Nat Tarnoff.
"We previously discussed contrast under Guideline 1.4.3 Contrast. So
why is there a second AA criteria for contrast…"
https://tarnoff.info/2025/04/28/a11y-101-1-4-11-non-text-contrast/

Be a Digital Ally: Accessibility Snapshots with Thomas Watkins and
Becky Gibson (Video)
By Sharron Rush.
"…Thomas Watkins on 'Data Visualization & Accessibility: A Framework &
Method'…Becky Gibson on 'Understanding Accessible Names'…"
https://knowbility.org/blog/2025/be-a-digital-ally-accessibility-snapshots

I Broke the Disabled Button
By Homer Gaines.
"…This happened many years ago; I was fixing accessibility issues with
a form and testing them using VoiceOver. As I tabbed through the UI, I
eventually made my way to the disabled Submit button at the bottom of
the page. Up to this point, the audit was going great, and the screen
reader was announcing everything as expected. But what I didn't expect
was hearing the disabled button being announced as 'dimmed.'…"
https://rightbadcode.com/i-broke-the-disabled-button

How to Make Your Videos Accessible: A Guide to Inclusive Content Creation
By Michael Beck.
"In today's digital landscape, video content is everywhere. From
marketing campaigns to educational materials, videos have become a
dominant way to communicate ideas, tell stories, and engage with
audiences. But with great influence comes great
responsibility-ensuring that your videos are accessible to all,
including people with disabilities…"
https://afixt.com/how-to-make-your-videos-accessible-a-guide-to-inclusive-content-creation/

Dangerous Accessibility Assumptions That Put Everyone at Risk
By Sheri Byrne-Haber.
"Accessibility isn't an extra feature or a nice-to-have add-on. It's a
foundational requirement for digital equity. Yet, across almost all
industries and sectors, product owners make harmful assumptions that
delay the implementation of accessibility correctly…"
https://buttondown.com/access-ability/archive/dangerous-accessibility-assumptions-that-put/

Testing of Mobile Apps (IAAP EU WAD Event 2024) (Video)
By Jon Gibbins, Paul van Workum, and Harri Puskar.
"This topic still seems to be one of the hardest when it comes to
design and development as well as testing and monitoring. We will
learn from experienced professionals who provide practical tips on how
to achieve mobile app accessibility."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAd-rWMcTTs

Testing Methods: Prerecorded Audio Description or Media Alternative
By Dennis Deacon.
"1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) is a Level
A conformance level Success Criterion. It states that an alternative
for time-based media or an audio description of prerecorded video
content is provided for synchronized media-unless the media serves as
an alternative to text and is clearly labeled as such…"
https://www.dennisdeacon.com/web/accessibility/testing-methods-prerecorded-audio-description-or-media-alternative/

Beyond Compliance: Unlocking Business Growth Through Accessibility
By Scott Vinkle.
"…Let's delve into the tangible business benefits of accessibility and
explore actionable steps to make your business more inclusive…"
https://scottvinkle.me/blogs/work/beyond-compliance-unlocking-business-growth-through-accessibility

Whimsica11y: Bringing the Joy and Whimsy to *Everyone* (Video)
By Sara Joy.
"Accessibility, inclusivity and WCAG guidelines are extremely
important for proper access to vital services online. But we all also
deserve to be amused, surprised and yes, delighted by the web! I'm
looking to stimulate discussion on how we can lift the accessibility
bar off the floor of basic functionality, up towards more fun stuff…"
https://2025.stateofthebrowser.com/speaker/sara-joy/

Tennessee Tourism Rewrites Accessibility with Music-Driven Alt Text
By Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
"The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD) is redefining
accessibility through the power of music, partnering with songwriters
in an industry-first initiative to enhance the online travel
experience for blind and visually impaired visitors. This
groundbreaking program called 'Sound Sites' replaces standard image
descriptions known as alt-text on TNVacation.com with beautifully
crafted song lyrics, allowing travelers using screen readers to
experience Tennessee's landscapes, culture and spirit through poetic,
immersive storytelling…"
https://www.tn.gov/tourism/news/2025/4/11/tennessee-tourism-rewrites-accessibility-with-music-driven-alt-text.html

Tennessee Sound Sites (Video)
By TNVacation.
"Millions of travelers experience Tennessee through breathtaking
images. But for blind and visually impaired visitors - who rely on
screen readers to interpret image descriptions and other parts of the
online world - this experience has often been overlooked. With Sound
Sites, Tennessee is changing that…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlsvsD5Z5kg

Catching Up on Accessibility With AI Chat
By Michael Gower.
"…As AI becomes more deeply integrated into our digital experiences,
we need holistic interaction design. This means creating interfaces
that are not just visually appealing but genuinely usable for
everyone."
https://medium.com/design-ibm/catching-up-on-accessibility-with-ai-chat-1129be33c184

FTC Approves Final Order Requiring accessiBe to pay $1 Million
By Federal Trade Commission.
"The Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order
against accessiBe Inc. and accessiBe Ltd. (accessiBe…"
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/04/ftc-approves-final-order-requiring-accessibe-pay-1-million


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

Polishing Your Typography With Line Height Units
By Jen Simmons.
"…The last few years of CSS have seen a lot of new tools, sometimes
very simple tools, that when used in a smart fashion suddenly make
polishing graphic design details incredibly easy. One such tool is the
lh unit…"
https://webkit.org/blog/16831/line-height-units/


+03: COLOR.

Color Contrast and Readability: The Cornerstones of Accessible Design
By Michael Beck.
"…Let's dive into what makes color contrast so important, the
standards you need to meet, and best practices for ensuring your
design is inclusive and functional for everyone…"
https://afixt.com/color-contrast-and-readability-the-cornerstones-of-accessible-design/


+04: EVENTS.

Championing Accessibility: Technical and Non-Technical Tips
May 8, 2025.
Online and New York, New York, U.S.A.
https://www.meetup.com/a11ynyc/events/306807093/

London Web Standards 2025 - GAAD Event
May 13, 2025.
London, England, Great Britain
https://londonwebstandards.org/events/lwsmay2025-gaad-week/

CSS Café Meets CSS Day: An In-Person Pop-Up Event
June 7, 2025.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
https://www.meetup.com/css-cafe/events/305756748/

San Diego Accessibility and Inclusive Design June Meetup
June 12, 2025.
Online
https://www.meetup.com/a11ysd/events/307069494/

Adobe MAX
October 20-22, 2025.
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
https://adobe.com/max

Closing The Gap
October 21-24, 2025.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
https://www.closingthegap.com/conference/

ASSETS 2025
October 26-29, 2025.
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
https://assets25.sigaccess.org/


+05: HTML.

Unlocking Accessibility: Frontend Developers Discuss Semantic HTML and
Accessible Code
By Kelly Clarkson and Samantha Merrett.
"…What is 'semantic HTML,' and why is it important for
accessibility?…How do you make sure your code is accessible from the
start, without relying too much on extra tools or plugins?…How do you
approach making dynamic content (like modals, carousels, and forms)
and interactive elements (like buttons and forms) accessible for
keyboard and screen reader users?…"
https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2025/04/25/unlocking-accessibility-frontend-developers-discuss-semantic-html-and-accessible-code/

These are **not** the same:
By Eric Eggert.
<img alt="" src="…">
<div role="img" aria-label="" style="background-image: url(…)"></div>
https://mastodon.social/@ya...@yatil.social/114393397626535911

The canvas Element
By Heydon Pickering.
"I'm very much a text first kind of designer. I think about content
before I worry about aesthetics, and I take care of typography before
I attempt any other visual design. The web is primarily for text. Most
videos, images, and audio files should probably be text instead. Sure,
people won't read most of your text, but it's their loss…"
https://heydonworks.com/article/the-canvas-element/

HTML Oddities: Does the Order of Attribute Values Matter?
By Terence Eden.
"HTML elements can have attribute…"
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/04/html-oddities-does-the-order-of-attribute-values-matter/


+06: TYPOGRAPHY.

Hello My Name Is St�Phanie - a Talk on 'Special Characters', Inclusive
Design and User Experience
By Stéphanie Walter.
"…I think it's time we discuss encoding, diversity and user experience
and stop putting the needs of our systems, database, before the needs
of our users…"
https://stephaniewalter.design/blog/hello-my-name-is-stephanie-talk-encoding-special-characters-issues-poor-user-experience/

Typographer vs. Accessibility
By Oliver Schöndorfer.
"…In a fun, engaging session, Oliver takes an often overwhelming and
fuzzy topic for creatives and breaks it down. You will walk away
inspired with practical guidelines on how you can set the text of your
next design project beautifully accessible, to reach and convince more
people…"
https://2025.stateofthebrowser.com/speaker/oliver-schondorfer/


+07: USABILITY.

How to Write Error Messages That Actually Help Users Rather Than Frustrate Them
By Amy Hupe.
"…Here's how to create error messages that help users recover quickly
and continue their path through your products and services…"
https://piccalil.li/blog/how-to-write-error-messages-that-actually-help-users-rather-than-frustrate-them/

Button States: Communicate Interaction
By Kelley Gordon.
"Minor visual changes help users distinguish between 5 different
button states: enabled, disabled, hovered, focused, pressed…"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/button-states-communicate-interaction/

From Amphitheaters to Apps: The Evolution of User Experience
By Paul Boag.
"UX design has evolved from ancient Roman architects to industrial
designers and today's digital interfaces, highlighting our ongoing
effort to enhance human experiences.…"
https://boagworld.com/emails/from-amphitheaters-to-apps/


++ SECTION TWO:

+08: 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.]