In this week’s web design and development news roundup, you’ll learn about the three goals of usability testing, find a new accessibility podcast, discover how to use grid template areas to place items in your design, and more.
If you’re new to my blog, each Friday I publish a post highlighting my favorite user experience, accessibility, WordPress, CSS, and HTML posts I’ve read in the past week.
Hope you find the resources helpful in your work or projects!
Want more resources like these on a daily basis? Follow me @redcrew on Twitter.
Tweet of the Week
Hey cyberpals, I’d like you to do something for me today.
Tell a writer of something you enjoyed—article, book, tweet, whatever—some good things about their work. Or heck, any creator of anything. Comment on their post, send a note, whatever.
(*not* me, this is not about me)
— Erika Hall (@mulegirl) February 12, 2020
User Experience
- Learn more from your usability testing when you start with broad tasks before you direct participants to more focused tasks, says Kara Pernice in maximizing insights in user testing.
- Jim Lewis and Jeff Sauro explain the three primary goals of usability testing and how they evolve from formative and summative testing.
The primary activity in diagnostic problem discovery tests is the discovery, prioritization, and resolution of usability problems.
- Capture attention using color psychology to create designs with visual hierarchy that support your users’ needs and business goals.
- User experience designers love their tools and trying out new tools. However, what you do matters more than what UX tool you use.
Accessibility
- Launched this week, the 13 Letters: The Accessibility Podcast with hosts Will Butler and Cordelia McGee-Tubb plans to interview leading experts in the accessibility field. Looking forward to their episodes!
- Hard to believe, but the February 13th episode of Gray’s Anatomy is the first recurring deaf doctor on a primetime network series. Ever.
- My friend Claire Brotherton spoke about the accessibility of two popular WordPress page builders at last week’s WordCamp Glasgow.
- Learn about the latest practices for developing animation in the free February 18 The Current State of Web Animations webinar with Derek Featherstone and Val Head.
WordPress
- The first beta version of WordPress 5.4 is available for downloading and testing. Release is currently scheduled for March 31, 2020.
- The WordPress community offered support this week when WordCamp Asia 2020 was unexpectedly canceled 10 days before the conference.
- In her complete guide to WordPress widgets post, Rachel McCollin walks you through adding widgets to your site, creating widget areas to put them in, installing plugins to add more widgets and how to code your own widgets.
- I’ve updated my list of common plugins I install on WordPress websites. While some sites don’t need every plugin, it’s a good list to start with.
CSS and HTML
- In the third post of her CSS Grid series, Rachel Andrew steps you through how to use grid template areas to place items.
- Did you know your CSS styles can influence screen readers’ user experience?
When CSS bleeds into content, it can convey important information that might be lost to screenreader users.
- Make your voice be heard. Tell The Web We Want what you would change on the web if you could. What can’t you do natively? Help determine the future of the web by sharing your feedback.
- Ten years ago, the HTML outline algorithm was proposed. It’s 2020 and no browser has implemented it. Steve Faulkner explains a decade of heading backwards.
What I Found Interesting
- Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate! Did you know about Valentine’s Day dark and mysterious origins?
- For those times when the days seem long or you’re frustrated about something.
Be humble. You may be wrong.
Be kind. You may be remembered.
Be forgiving. You may feel lighter.
Be trustworthy. You may see further.
Be generous. Others may reciprocate.
Be curious. You may stay teachable.
Be hard working. You may be luckier.
Be yourself. You will be happier.— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) February 14, 2020
- Thinking you’ve spending too much time on your phone and want to break the habit of always picking it up? How to Break Up with Your Phone author Catherine Price held a live Twitter chat about phone addiction with a slew of actionable steps you can take.
If you like what you’ve read today, share the post with your colleagues and friends.
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Did I miss some resources you found this week? I’d love to see them! Post them in the comments below.
