In this week’s web design and development news roundup, you’ll learn about creating an engaging and useful chatbot, find an upcoming introduction to screen readers webinar, discover how to create a dark/light mode switch in 15 lines of CSS, 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
Language of successful managers:
1 how can I help?
2 what do you think?
3 your work matters
4 I trust you and our team
5 I appreciate your commitment
6 thank you for working hard
7 I was wrong, I am sorry
8 your career path is my priority
9 do you have the tools to succeed?— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 29, 2021
User Experience
- In how to create an engaging and userful chatbot, Marli Meibov explains how teams can design a chatbot that provides a
near-human connection with your end-user.
It’s crucial to stay focused on your business goal and user need. - Your first content strategy priority is making sure your content is useful for your audience. In reconciling your content strategy with your search engine optimization strategy, content should come first.
- We can do better by doing less, says Gerry McGovern in his third post on embracing sustainable digital design.
We need far more circular economy thinkers, who think of end of life as much as the launch of the shiny, new thing.
- There’s still time to sign up for UX Camp DC, a virtual unconference for people interesting in creating great products and services. This year UX Camp DC celebrates its 10th anniversary with a half-day event of workshops and sessions. Registration is required, cost is $45 (USD).
Accessibility
- Excited to learn Digital Inclusion has scheduled free digital accessibility testing demo on February 17, 2021 of their Hugr application. I attended an online demo this week and I can tell you it’s a great tool for your accessibility reports.
- In my takeaways from So, How Do I Know if My WordPress Site is Accessible?, I share my notes from Graham Armfield’s presentation at last week’s WordFest Live online event.
- Mark your calendar! For their first meetup in 2021, A11yTalks hosts Tim Harshbarger who will present an introduction to screen readers on February 3, 2021 at 3:00pm Eastern Time. The event is free and online. No registration required.
- As the entertainment industry moves to streaming and video services, it provides the opportunity for the industry to make sure no one is left out of the joy from entertainment by including video audio description.
WordPress
- The first release candidate for WordPress 5.6.1 is available for download and testing. Final release is scheduled for February 3, 2021.
- The new WP Lookout service allows users to be notified for changes in plugins and themes. Users can use the free service for daily notifications or the premium service for more features.
- When you only need to build a single-page website on WordPress.com, the Blank Canvas theme offers helpful features: no header, navigation menu, or widgets.
- Make sure your WordPress site is safe and secure by taking time to check your site with one of these six free WordPress security scanners.
Many of the issues picked up by these tools are quick and easy fixes, so schedule in regular checks as part of your site security process.
- Along with keeping your site secure, as a site owner you want to make sure user data safety is a priority on your WordPress site. I was glad to see reconsidering Google Analytics was in the recommendations.
CSS and HTML
- Impressive! Check out this panda face created by seven year old Diana Ashktorab with CSS gradient in a single
div.See the Pen
Panda face**CSS Gradient**Single DIV by Diana Ashktorab (@superpowerkid)
on CodePen. - Using custom properties and media queries, you can create a dark/light mode switch with preference detection in only 15 lines of CSS. No JavaScript required.
- This website was created with a single HTML file, using the
anchorsuffix andtargetin CSS to display and hide page content. - With backers like Google, Microsoft, and Coil, I’m looking forward to the success of the Open Web Docs collective project to support high-quality documentation of web platforms.
What I Found Interesting
- Thanks to Copyblogger for these 5 tips on where to start editing your content. First up: know what your goal is for your article.
- Working remotely brings with it a host of challenges, but this collection of resources and tools from Smashing Magazine will help you stay focused and productive. One of my favorite finds: Krisp removes background noise on any communication app.
- Data Privacy Day is an annual worldwide event on January 28th. Mozilla asked five security experts to share their tips and advice on what you should know to preserve your online privacy.
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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.
