Weeknotes #3: the pile-up

The first rule of weeknotes is that you write them every week. 😅

Work and (positive) family stuff has kept me busy lately, but here’s been what’s up over the few couple weeks.

Starting accessibility remediation on an old project

Badass Lady Creatives, a blog and directory I used to run, is a classic example of the accessibility issues that are rampant across the web. I don’t update the site anymore, but judging from emails I get every few weeks, people still visit it. I’m going to try to change the design the least amount as I can in order to scope the project (directory pages will probably need to change a fair amount…), but I will be fixing the issues.

First, I started by logging a bunch of issues found via quick validator scans and known here-be-dragons. I’m starting to fix issues that are present across the site, so I: added a missing landmark; fixed a bunch of heading levels where I was using various h-levels for their styling; and added a visible text label to the menu button. There’s a lot more to do—lots of text contrast issues as an example—so I’m just getting started.

Insert egg jokes here

After taking a couple months’ hiatus from weaving for unknown reasons, I’m very close to finishing my egg tapestry! I’ve churned through those last two eggs over the past couple weeks, and after this I never want to weave loops again. Perhaps it’s the way I’m doing it, but the yarn for the loops feels very slippy and prone to falling out if not locked in immediately and with great care.

Why eggs? Why NOT eggs, my friend?

On the internet

Learned the term “gold master”, admired pigeons with fantastic feather collars, and giggled at this video of tigers drinking, set to Yoshi noises.

Reading

Some of the articles I’ve read lately.

Design and development

• Accessibility for Vestibular Disorders: How My Temporary Disability Changed My Perspective
• Accessibility Events
• Think like an accessible UX researcher part 3: five common mistakes in usability testing and how to avoid them
• Our Commitment to Accessibility in Gatsby
• The “perilous pitfalls” of Accessibility Maturity: organizational considerations in creating accessible experiences
• How we made the country’s most accessible grocery shopping app (without anyone noticing)

Work and productivity

• Why You Never Seem to Have Enough Time
• How to Only Do Things You Actually Want to Do
• 'Would you be willing?': words to turn a conversation around (and those to avoid)

Other interesting articles

• Nothing Fails Like Success
• We’re increasing our carbon fee as we double down on sustainability (disclaimer: I work for Microsoft and applaud any sustainability efforts!)
• TSA Agents Say They’re Not Discriminating Against Black Women, But Their Body Scanners Might Be
• The Instagram Aesthetic Is Over: a striking reminder that authenticity can be its own performance.
• Video Game Difficulty Is An Accessibility Issue