Web Perspectives

Accessibility, Drupal w/ Mike Gifford

What is web accessibility for the web and why does it matter? Mike Gifford, invited expert for the WCAG guidelines at the W3C goes through the 3 things developers should do right now to improve the accessibility of their web apps and websites. Also, is Drupal still alive, and how do its new AI features make it a contender for your next CMS? Find out in this 90-minute episode! Links: 1. Funka: It Should Be the Other Way Round [https://stiftelsenfunka.org/about-us/columns/it-should-be-the-other-way-round/] 2. W3C WCAG 2.2 Overview [https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/new-in-22/] 3. Drupal Umami Project [https://www.drupal.org/project/umami] 4. Getting Started with Drupal CMS [https://new.drupal.org/docs/drupal-cms/get-started/install-drupal-cms] 5. DDEV Local Development Environment [https://ddev.com/] 6. Boye & Company: CMSConnect Conference [https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24] 7. 10 Most Popular CMS Platforms in Canada [https://www.getsomethinggreat.com/post/the-10-most-popular-cms-platforms-in-canada] 8. Drupito: A Drupal Resource [https://drupito.com/] 9. WebAIM Screen Reader Survey 10 [https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey10/] 10. Mozilla Hacks: Local Alt Text Generation [https://hacks.mozilla.org/2024/05/experimenting-with-local-alt-text-generation-in-firefox-nightly/] 11. Accessibility Insights Tool [https://accessibilityinsights.io/] 12. UNLighthouse Accessibility Insights [https://next.unlighthouse.dev/] 13. Web Almanac Accessibility Chapter 2024 [https://almanac.httparchive.org/en/2024] 14. CivicActions Accessibility [https://accessibility.civicactions.com/] 15. OpenACR Editor [https://gsa.github.io/openacr-editor/] 16. Section508 ACreditor [https://acreditor.section508.gov/] 17. Mike Gifford LinkedIn Profile [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgifford] 18. CivicActions [https://civicactions.com/] 19. Digital Services Coalition [https://digitalservicescoalition.org/] 20. Tag1 Consulting: Drupal’s Sustainability Project [https://www.tag1consulting.com/blog/exploring-drupals-sustainability-project-ganders-ability-help-and-how-you-can-too] 21. Apolitical: Centring Digital Accessibility in Public Services [https://apolitical.co/events/understanding-digital-accessibility-its-significance-implementation-and-benefits]

The AI Disinformation Era w/ Khurram Virani

AI Chatbots have taken over like ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, and DeepSeek, but what does that mean for education? Are coding bootcamps a thing of the past? Khurram Virani, founder of Lighthouse Labs, Canada's leading coding bootcamp, discusses the pitfalls of relying on AI and the #1 problem developers face today when using AI: disinformation. AI Chatbots like ChatGPT give us answers very confidently, and believing them at face-value can make or break our success as new developers. Perhaps, then, we can leverage a system to make sense of all the information, but what does that system look like? Links: 1. Khurram Virani, LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kvirani/] 2. roadmap.sh [https://roadmap.sh/] - Learning pathways for technologists. 3. continue.dev [https://www.continue.dev/] - Plugin for VS code and Jetbrains IDEs 4. cursor.com [https://cursor.com] - AI IDE 5. lighthouselabs.ca [https://www.lighthouselabs.ca/] - Lighthouse Labs, Canada's #1 Coding Bootcamp 6. teachable.com [https://teachable.com] 7. thinkific.com [https://free-courses.lighthouselabs.ca/courses/javascript] - Lighthouse Labs Free JavaScript Crash Course

UX Design w/ Carrie Mah

What is UX and why is it important for developers to learn? Carrie Mah, Staff UX Designer and founder of Carrie M Designs, details the #1 mistake developers make when working with UX designers and how to get started in UX Design as a web developer. Timestamps: * 00:02:58 - Her journey into UX design, starting from a computer science education and exploring various roles in software development. * 00:05:04 - The importance of understanding user problems and business goals when creating user interfaces. * 00:06:02 - How developers can get involved in UX design and collaborate with design teams. * 00:07:50 - The value of joining online communities and using free resources to learn UX/UI fundamentals. * 00:09:36 - The importance of sketching ideas and focusing on the architecture of an app before jumping into design tools. * 00:11:02 - The basics of visual design, including typography and spacing, and leveraging existing libraries and guidelines. * 00:11:54 - Using AI tools as assistants for brainstorming and content organization, not as a replacement for the design process. * 00:12:27 - The concept of low-fidelity prototyping and its importance in the design process. * 00:14:14 - The need for good requirements and user research to solve the right problems. * 00:15:55 - The importance of integrating developers in the design process and making sure that the final design is technically feasible. * 00:17:48 - Balancing the need to test ideas quickly with having a strategy. * 00:23:05 - Common UX mistakes to avoid, such as reinventing the wheel and using the wrong components. * 00:32:05 - The need for discoverability and accessibility of key features in user interfaces. * 00:42:38 - The iterative nature of design and development and the importance of testing and user feedback. * 00:44:17 - Steps for developers to get involved in UX design, starting with learning fundamentals, reaching out to people, applying skills, and building a portfolio. * 00:46:22 - The expanding role of UX design, requiring skills in content, business, and communication. Links: * Carrie's Website: carriemah.com [https://carriemah.com/] * Carrie's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carriemah/ [http://linkedin.com/in/carriemah/] * Carrie's Instagram: instagram.com/carriemah.play [https://www.instagram.com/carriemah.play] * calgaryux.com: calgaryux.com [https://calgaryux.com/] * wearedesignx LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/wearedesignx/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearedesignx/] * designbuddies LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/designbuddies/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/designbuddies/] * adplist LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/adplist/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/adplist/] * smashingmagazine.com: smashingmagazine.com/ [https://www.smashingmagazine.com/] * Stanford d.school: dschool.stanford.edu/resources/getting-started-with-design-thinking [https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources/getting-started-with-design-thinking] * lawsofux.com: lawsofux.com [https://lawsofux.com/]

Magical Developers w/ Zell Liew

Author, writer, and front-end developer Zell Liew's self-taught journey. Featured on numerous web development magazines including Smashing Magazine, A List Apart, and CSS Tricks, Zell uncovers the single key accident that led him down his front-end web development journey to make 6 figures passively in his sleep. Topics covered: * Does it still make sense to pursue web development in 2025? * Are CSS Grid systems outdated? * CSS framework or no? Bootstrap or Tailwind? * Tailwind: the good, the bad, and the ugly * The #1 tip for new front-end developers * How to know if web development is for you Timestamps: * 1:00: Zell's background and how he got started in web development. * 7:00: Zell's first web development project: Building a clone of TutsPlus in 5 hours! * 10:00: Zell's first freelance client: Charging $50 and learning valuable lessons. * 16:00: The impact of self-development and confronting childhood trauma. * 22:00: Writing his first book on the Suzie Grid system and the turning point it represented. * 35:00: The transition from teaching "how to" to understanding "how you do it" and the importance of values. * 43:00: Zell's frustration with existing tools leads him to create Splendid Labs. * 57:00: Splendid Labs: A deep dive into its features, philosophy, and unique approach to documentation. * 72:00: A comparison of Astro, Eleventy, and other static site generators. * 82:00: The challenges of building JavaScript libraries for Astro and Zell's choice to use Svelte. * 99:00: A moving story about a teacher's kindness and its profound impact on Zell's life. * 109:00: Battling the "entrepreneur enemy" and finding balance between different aspects of himself. * 118:00: The importance of understanding your "why" and aligning your actions with your values. * 124:00: Zell shares a powerful quote from the Tao Te Ching about inner stability and cultivating the self. * 130:00: Practical advice for navigating the ever-changing world of web development and finding your place. * 139:00: Where to find Zell online: Websites, courses, and social media. Links * Zell's Website: https://zellwk.com [https://zellwk.com] * Magical Dev School: https://magicaldevschool.com [https://magicaldevschool.com] * Splendid Labz: https://splendidlabz.com [https://splendidlabz.com/] * Live Your Mark: https://liveyourmark.com [https://liveyourmark.com] * TutsPlus: https://tutsplus.com [https://tutsplus.com] * Learn JavaScript: https://learnjavascript.today [https://learnjavascript.today] * Learn Async Javascript: https://learnasyncjavascript.com [https://learnasyncjs.com]

Online Courses, Web & React Fundamentals w/ Tony Alicea

Udemy vs. eDX vs. Pluralsight -- who wins? Tony Alicea, instructor for over 10 years on Udemy and Pluralsight, breaks down when to use online learning platforms vs. actually writing code. What's the quickest way to learn web development? What do the best learners do? Show notes https://tonyalicea.dev [https://tonyalicea.dev] https://thesmythgroup.com [https://thesmythgroup.com] Course coupons https://understandingreact.com/?coupon_code=WPP [https://understandingreact.com/?coupon_code=WPP] https://teamdynamics.dev/?coupon_code=WPP [https://teamdynamics.dev/?coupon_code=WPP]