[net-gold] [webdev] Web Design Update: February 5, 2010
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Net-Gold <Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Sean Grigsby <myarchives1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Net-Gold @ Nabble" <ml-node+3172864-337556105@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, MediaMentor <mediamentor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Digital Divide Diversity MLS <mls-digitaldivide@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2010 05:28:39 -0500 (EST)
.
Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:31:33 -0600
From: Laura Carlson <lcarlson@xxxxxxxxx>
To: webdev <webdev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [webdev] Web Design Update: February 5, 2010
+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 8, Issue 32, February 5, 2010.
An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and
development.
++ISSUE 32 CONTENTS.
SECTION ONE: New references.
What's new at the Web Design Reference site?
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/
New links in these categories:
01: ACCESSIBILITY.
02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
03: EVALUATION & TESTING.
04: EVENTS.
05: FLASH.
06: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE.
07: NAVIGATION.
08: STANDARDS, GUIDELINES & PATTERNS.
09: TOOLS.
10: USABILITY.
11: XML.
SECTION TWO:
12: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?
[Contents ends.]
++ SECTION ONE: New references.
+01: ACCESSIBILITY.
Simple Steps Towards Building an Accessible Site (part 2)
By Henny Swan.
"Not all types of content can be accessed by all of people, hardware or
software so alternative formats are needed..."
http://tinyurl.com/yko7wwt
How Should Web Browsers Render Alternative Text?
By Vlad Alexander.
"...If there is agreement that textual alternative content for an image is an
equivalent replacement for the visual content of an image, then the textual
alternative content alone should replace visual content when it is not
rendered."
http://rebuildingtheweb.com/en/how-should-browsers-render-alt-text/
Who is Required to Close-Caption?
By closedcaptioning.
"...There is currently a movement to pass legislation that will define and
regulate accessibility for developing technology. H.R. 3101 was introduced in
June 2009 by Edward Markey (D-MA). Called the 'Twenty-First Century
Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009,' this legislation will, if
enacted, amend the nation's Communications Act. With more than 240 national,
state, and community-based organizations supporting the legislation, and with
telecommunications becoming more essential to our daily lives all the time, it
looks like it won't be long before captions will be required across all forms
of visual media."
http://tinyurl.com/yfqqhc8
Common Accessibility Mistakes
By Mark Aplet.
"So here is my general list of accessibility mistakes and a few ways to improve
the overall accessibility of your site for everyone and not just disabled
users..."
http://www.visual28.com/articles/common-accessibility-mistakes
My Web My Way
By British Broadcasting Corporation.
"This site provides accessibility help, enabling computer users to make the
most of the internet whatever their ability or disability."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/accessibility_beta/
+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
Multiple Backgrounds and CSS Gradients
By Jonathan Snook.
"CSS3 features are making their way into the various browsers and while many
are holding off on implementing them, there are those who are venturing ahead
and likely running into a world of interesting quirks across the various
platforms..."
http://snook.ca/archives/html_and_css/multiple-bg-css-gradients
The CSS Background Property
By Virginia DeBolt.
"Several CSS properties are involved in understanding how to use background
images. As you probably know, a background image can be added to any element
on a page of HTML using a CSS rule for background-image which points to a URL
for the image you are using. The CSS syntax looks like this.."
http://www.webteacher.ws/2010/02/04/the-css-background-property/
Adding Focus to Form Fields
By Virginia DeBolt.
"You can highlight the form field a user is in. It's a small visual cue as to
where the cursor is in the form. Here's a simple example..."
http://www.webteacher.ws/2010/02/02/adding-focus-to-form-fields/
+03: EVALUATION & TESTING.
Analytics - The Usability Lab of the New Decade
By Peter Morville.
"...if you're not embracing analytics, do so, now. Google Analytics is free.
Use it. But don't go crazy. Identify a few key measures. Allow a little while
for the data to be dependable. Develop some hypotheses as to what's happening,
and make some small changes to test those hypotheses. Lather, rinse, and
repeat. You'll grow more confident, and as you do, you'll get more
sophisticated. Always remember that analytics are not 'the answer' - but they
are an input into a continually improving and iterating development process."
http://tinyurl.com/ygd77l8
+04: EVENTS.
European Joint Conferences on Theory and Practice of Software (ETAPS)
March 20-28, 2010.
Paphos, Cyprus
http://www.etaps10.cs.ucy.ac.cy/
CSS3 Online Conference
Online
March 22, 2010.
http://carsonified.com/online-conferences/css3/
Information Architecture Summit
April 9-11, 2010.
Phoenix, Arizona , U.S.A.
http://2010.iasummit.org/
Web APP Masters Tour
April 27-28, 2010.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
http://www.uie.com/events/web_app_masters/
+05: FLASH.
Flash, iPad, Standards
By Jeffrey Zeldman.
"Lack of Flash in the iPad (and before that, in the iPhone) is a win for
accessible, standards-based design..."
http://www.zeldman.com/2010/02/01/flash-ipad-standards/
Ahem
By Jeffrey Zeldman.
"The first part of my post of 1 February was not an attack on Flash. It
described a way of working with Flash that also supports users who don't have
access to Flash. I've followed and advocated that approach for 10 years. It has
nothing to do with Apple's recent decisions and everything to do with making
content available to people and search engines..."
http://www.zeldman.com/2010/02/03/ahem/
Lack of Flash Support by the iPad - Bad News or Good?
By Brian Kelly.
"A post I wrote in November 2008 entitled 'Why Did SMIL and SVG Fail?' has been
referenced by the Stevie 5 is Alive blog. The post on the lack of Flash support
for the iPad device says 'Apple: Thank You for Leaving Flash Out..."
http://tinyurl.com/yz77ew2
+06: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE.
Attending to Performance
By Thom Haller.
"As information architects, we have the opportunity to learn when our
constituents are thwarted by information structure. If possible, we should
observe actual performers doing actual work in actual work contexts. We should
understand what performers need to know, what is better referenced and what is
best supported. We should understand the pressures, activities,
accountabilities, interruptions, relationships and consequences of good and
flawed performance. And we should measure."
http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Feb-10/FebMar10_Haller.html
+07: NAVIGATION.
Search Patterns
By Peter Morville and Jeffery Callender.
""Search is among the most disruptive innovations of our time. It influences
what we buy and where we go. It shapes how we learn and what we believe. This
provocative and inspiring book explores design patterns that apply across the
categories of web, e-commerce, enterprise, desktop, mobile, social, and real
time search and discovery. Using colorful illustrations and examples, the
authors bring modern information retrieval to life, covering such diverse
topics as relevance ranking, faceted navigation, multi-touch, and mixed
reality. Search Patterns challenges us to invent the future of discovery while
serving as a practical guide to help us make search applications better
today..."
http://www.searchpatterns.org/
+08: STANDARDS, GUIDELINES & PATTERNS.
HTML5 Change Proposal: Replace img Guidance for Conformance Checkers
Editor Laura Carlson.
"This change proposal modifies the HTML5 Specification so that automatic
validators can programmatically detect the presence or absence of text
alternatives on the img element..."
http://esw.w3.org/topic/HTML/ChangeProposals/ImgElement20090126
Hello, summary and figcaption Elements
By Bruce Lawson.
"This weekend saw the minting of not one but two new elements. The summary
element (not the summary attribute on the table element) goes inside the
details element.."
http://html5doctor.com/summary-figcaption-element/
Bet Against HTML and You Lose
By Joe Clark.
"The more your online content diverges from a traditional Web page, the less
likely a format that isn't HTML is going to work. The less your content
resembles a Web site, the greater the need to use HTML, at least if you intend
to distribute it online. Any format that is not HTML in some guise has a short
life expectancy..."
http://blog.fawny.org/2010/01/29/backtherighthorse/
+09: TOOLS.
WAVE Dreamweaver Extension
By WebAIM.
WebAIM has released a beta version of a WAVE Dreamweaver Extension.
http://wave.webaim.org/dwextension
+10: USABILITY.
The Last Road Block for Your Customers - Web Forms
By Gary Barber.
"You have built the perfect web site, the colours invoke the right emotional
response, the visual imagery leads customers to the relevant information while
allowing the audience to personally relate to the site. The content is ideal
for the web, not to much but enough to convince people of the service. The
major call to actions are in the right locations, and easy to find. Everything
is set, the web site is ready to take on the world..."
http://tinyurl.com/ybokbyd
When Do You Have Too Much Information?
By Gerry McGovern.
"There is no greater skill a web professional needs to develop than the ability
to create quality links. Many websites do not need more publishing. Rather,
they need more linking of content in appropriate task journeys. Linking is a
complex skill because it requires you to see the task through your customer's
eyes."
http://tinyurl.com/y89akcl
Content Is King
By Paul Boag.
"Just because content is king doesn't mean, however, that the designer's job is
any less important. How seriously would people take the King if his suit was
poorly made? It has to look good..."
http://boagworld.com/site-content/content-is-king
The Battle Between Usability and User-Experience
By Thomas Baekdal.
"The main reasons why it is so hard to create usable products is that there is
a conflict between a high-usability level and great user-experience. You might
think this as strange, but there is a important difference between the two..."
http://tinyurl.com/rcg5l
+11: XML.
W3C Launches RDFa Working Group
By W3C.
"W3C launched today the RDFa Working Group, whose mission is to support the use
of RDFa, a format for embedding structured data in Web documents..."
http://www.w3.org/News/2010.html#entry-8711
SVG or Canvas? Choosing Between the Two
By Mihai Sucan.
"In this article Mihai Sucan explores the differences between SVG and Canvas
and presents a few examples to help you decide which one is best for the
functionality you are trying to implement."
http://tinyurl.com/yb8cohx
[Section one ends.]
++ SECTION TWO:
+13: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?
Accessibility Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/accessibility
Association Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/associations
Book Listings.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/books
Cascading Style Sheets Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/css
Color Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/color
Dreamweaver Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/dreamweaver
Evaluation & Testing Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/testing
Event Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/events
Flash Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/flash
Information Architecture Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/architecture
JavaScript Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/javascript
Miscellaneous Web Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/misc
Navigation Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/navigation
PHP Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/php
Sites & Blogs Listing.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/sites
Standards, Guidelines & Pattern Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/standards
Tool Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/tools
Typography Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/type
Usability Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/usability
XML Information.
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/xml
[Section two ends.]
++END NOTES.
+ SUBSCRIPTION INFO.
WEB DESIGN UPDATE is available by subscription. For information on how to
subscribe and unsubscribe please visit:
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdevlist
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:lcarlson@xxxxxxxxx
[Issue ends.]
Other related posts:
- » [net-gold] [webdev] Web Design Update: February 5, 2010 - David P. Dillard
