Distinguishing between ARIA and native HTML attributes

As a developer, you want to create more inclusive and accessible digital experiences for your users. Great! It’s possible, however, that you might be feeling a bit confused or overwhelmed by the element attributes that can affect the usability for users of assistive technology. ARIA (or WAI-ARIA, Web Accessibility Initiative-Accessible Rich Internet Applications) defines some… Continue reading Distinguishing between ARIA and native HTML attributes

3 Essential Design Trends, February 2024

Design By Carrie Cousins 2 days ago From atypical typefaces to neutral colors to unusual user patterns, there are plenty of new website design trends to try this month. Spring into a new website design aesthetic with some of the hottest trends of the season. Some of the things we are seeing right now are… Continue reading 3 Essential Design Trends, February 2024

15 Great Tools & Resources for Designers & Agencies in 2024

Posted · Category: Design, Tools It’s 2024 and the number of web design resources and tools on the market seems overwhelming. That’s good news since you need the right tools and resources to come up with competitive designs. The bad news is, rather than sifting through thousands of products to get the ones that best… Continue reading 15 Great Tools & Resources for Designers & Agencies in 2024

Designing genAI-enhanced features

Elevating user experience through intelligent content enhancement and personalization. Futuristic workspace (Created with Dall-E) Chatbots serve as an accessible gateway to the realm of Generative AI features, a fact underscored by the success of ChatGPT. Their simplicity, requiring only basic instructions to engage in natural dialogues, allows them to integrate across various digital platforms seamlessly. Yet,… Continue reading Designing genAI-enhanced features

Test smart: How to validate product on a business-facing level?

It took a long time since my story How to Select Testing Techniques for an Agile Team was published (if you ask me what happened in between, the short answer will be: a war in Ukraine and a career pivot). The mentioned story focused on Agile Testing Quadrants, a method presented by Lisa Crispin and… Continue reading Test smart: How to validate product on a business-facing level?

Rock Solid WordPress Security: Keeping Your Business Safe

Development By Simon Sterne Today WordPress is the web’s favourite CMS (content management system), renowned for its low-entry level and vast array of themes and plugins. WordPress’s open-source nature allows for endless flexibility, catering to diverse needs and technical skills. Unfortunately, 10,950,000 websites are hacked yearly, and 4,708,500 of those belong to small businesses. WordPress’s… Continue reading Rock Solid WordPress Security: Keeping Your Business Safe

Using Figma variables for breakpoints

The hunt to find more use cases for local variables. At this point in 2023, almost all UX UI designers who use Figma should know about one of Figma’s biggest features of this year, local variables. Something I have continued to struggle with since its initial launch this past summer is how to actually apply… Continue reading Using Figma variables for breakpoints

1 Billion Downloads later, axe-core is the source of truth for automated digital accessibility testing

Open-source digital accessibility testing rules library axe-core achieves incredible milestone HERNDON, VA – Dec 5, 2023 –  Today, Deque Systems, the trusted leader in digital accessibility, marked an important landmark in accessibility history with its open-source accessibility rules library, axe-core, surpassing 1 billion downloads. “We’re incredibly proud and fortunate for so many reasons; the community… Continue reading 1 Billion Downloads later, axe-core is the source of truth for automated digital accessibility testing

Name/Role/Value – Whose Role Is It Anyway?

Welcome to the next edition of my Design Strategy blog series. Today, I’m sharing a client story with the hope that y’all will focus on thinking about WHY you should do things differently so that your program can rapidly mature and scale quickly. I will once again skip the “how-to” article formula and dry laundry… Continue reading Name/Role/Value – Whose Role Is It Anyway?

Designing for accessibility beyond compliance

Companies approach accessibility as a checklist of standards — but a client with disabilities showed me how to think beyond compliance. Source: Photo by Marcus Aurelius During my time volunteering at Neil Squire Society, and helping Hunter, a client with disabilities, be more comfortable using a computer, I learned a lot about how to better design from three… Continue reading Designing for accessibility beyond compliance

Enhancing Accessibility with AI and ML

There has been a lot of buzz recently about Artificial Intelligence, with some people speculating that we are approaching the long-awaited AI revolution. This hype has been chiefly generated by recent advanced algorithms powering ChatGPT and other language-related models. While I believe that these models are still a far cry from general AI (AI which… Continue reading Enhancing Accessibility with AI and ML

The usability problem with prompt-driven AI

As the GenAI hype dust settles — it’s time to start thinking about usability and the opportunity it presents to address declining engagement and retention. Source: Pexels GenAI represents a new paradigm in User Interface Design and a radical shift from Command-Based Interaction Models and Graphical User Interfaces which have dominated the last 50 years of computing.… Continue reading The usability problem with prompt-driven AI

Save the date for axe-con 2024. The world’s largest digital accessibility conference is back.

HERNDON, VA –  October 17, 2024 – Deque Systems, the trusted leader in digital accessibility, announced today that the fourth annual axe-con conference will return next year on February 20-22, 2024. With the success of axe-con over the past three years, Deque will continue to host the conference as a free and virtual event. Axe-con… Continue reading Save the date for axe-con 2024. The world’s largest digital accessibility conference is back.

Deque Systems Welcomes and Announces Support for WCAG 2.2

Deque Systems congratulates the W3C Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AGWG) members on the official release of the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2, which were released October 5 at 8:39 am EST. With more employees actively working to develop WCAG 2.2 within the W3C than any other business, we’re thrilled to see the… Continue reading Deque Systems Welcomes and Announces Support for WCAG 2.2

How Serious Is Your Design Practice About Learning?

Today I’m sharing a strategic approach that enables your design practice to learn more from the accessibility-related data you already have. I will again skip the “how to” article formula and dry laundry lists of tactical “do this/don’t do that” mechanics. Instead, I’ll focus on helping you think about WHY you should do things differently… Continue reading How Serious Is Your Design Practice About Learning?

Digital Accessibility As A Self-Evident Right: How US Federal Government Agencies Can Improve Digital Services

The Federal government of the United States was founded on a set of key principles. While there have been amendments and additions to these principles throughout history, it can still be said that three foundational principles are unwavering: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Monumental, persistent efforts are needed to ensure that these core… Continue reading Digital Accessibility As A Self-Evident Right: How US Federal Government Agencies Can Improve Digital Services

3 Essential Design Trends, September 2023

Here’s what’s trending in design this month: 1. Monochrome Color Schemes One-color design patterns can be beautiful and somewhat enchanting. With tints and tones of the same base color, there is a certain elegance that comes with a monochrome color scheme. Designers who have worked with color in this way know that while the end result may look… Continue reading 3 Essential Design Trends, September 2023

AI in education: a savior or a threat?

Are threats to global education driven by AI or human factors? Photo by Andy Kelly on Unsplash As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to gain ground in education, the question arises: is AI the hero we’re looking for, or does it pose a potential threat to the future of learning? It’s a captivating subject, given the paramount importance… Continue reading AI in education: a savior or a threat?

From toy to titan: the activations behind the Barbie effect

The marketing budget for Barbie was $150m, more than the $145m for the movie itself—and it shows. Barbie takes over the streets of Dubai. Credit Eye Studio. Operation Barbie Summer (the internal codename from Warner Bros) is in full swing. Since its release on July 21st, just two weeks ago, the Barbie movie has shattered 11 box… Continue reading From toy to titan: the activations behind the Barbie effect

I sent an email, but nobody read it. So I sent out an invite.

When it comes to group dynamics, there are two key factors that play a crucial role: task-oriented and maintenance-oriented behaviors. As you plan your team’s agenda, consider how these factors influence the dynamics and productivity of the group. midjourney 2023 / prompt: Google calendar full of meetings “Not another meeting…” or “this could have been an email…”… Continue reading I sent an email, but nobody read it. So I sent out an invite.

Accessibility Legislation & Regulation Roundup – A LOT Happened in Just July

A lot is happening in the US legislative and international regulatory space right now around accessibility. Not surprisingly, many of these actions were timed to the US’ ADA anniversary. It can be overwhelming. Here are some of the things my colleagues and I are monitoring for you right now and our take on what they… Continue reading Accessibility Legislation & Regulation Roundup – A LOT Happened in Just July

What it takes to avoid an ADA lawsuit, 33rd-anniversary edition

With the number of digital accessibility lawsuits in 2023 on the rise, it begs the question, “Do I really need to consider the needs of 1 in 4 Americans when it comes to their ability to do business with me?” The increasing litigation says yes. Let’s take a look at how you can minimize your… Continue reading What it takes to avoid an ADA lawsuit, 33rd-anniversary edition

What’s the difference between design values and principles?

Collectively, design values and principles are the guiding beliefs and priorities that shape the design process for any design team, product or designer. But what should they be, and what’s the difference between them? Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash We’re all different, and whether we’re aware of it or not we’re all likely to have our… Continue reading What’s the difference between design values and principles?

WWDC 2023 Accessibility Goodies for Developers

This year, Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) was a big deal! Among the many announcements this year, Apple introduced the new Apple Vision Pro headset which has arguably and understandably stolen the show this year.  Although Vision Pro may be the big talk of the town post-WWDC, there was also a myriad of exciting… Continue reading WWDC 2023 Accessibility Goodies for Developers