Torre, Author at Hooked On Code

Elements Heard, Not Seen

Voice interfaces like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and others are products we understand as users, but can feel impenetrable when we’re asked to design for them. When the only context our users have in front of them is a smart speaker without a screen, where do we even begin? In a world where navigation becomes negotiation—where scrolling becomes speaking—voice interaction design demands that we treat our canvas as time, not space. Preston will show how to connect the dots between familiar elements we’ve long known and alien affordances we’re just beginning to understand.

Accessibility and Progressive Enhancement: A Framework for a More inclusive Web

What do progressive enhancement and accessibility have in common? They both put the user first. When combined, they create a more inclusive foundation and are a powerful framework that can change the way you approach designing and building for the Web. While Progressive Enhancement advocates for separating HTML, CSS, and JavaScript layers, it can also be used to connect these layers in a way that ensures a more accessible and inclusive end result.

In this talk, Sara will share how she strategically combines accessibility and progressive enhancement to create more inclusive products. From writing HTML enhanced with ARIA to using CSS to enforce accessibility requirements, and making sure JavaScript behavior meets user expectations, she will share design considerations and code techniques for creating more robust and resilient accessible digital experiences.

The Craft of Feedback

Poor or unstructured feedback can be destructive not only to our work, but also to the long-term morale of the team. Sometimes even when the content of feedback is good, the delivery can be so rough that it makes it hard to work with. But if we apply the right principles, feedback can be a force for change that allows projects to succeed, and even pushes you and your teammates to grow. Erin will dive deeply into the foundation of feedback from a cognitive perspective, synthesizing lessons and principles you can apply in your day-to-day work. Whether you’re a designer or a developer, a team lead or an IC, you’ll come away with powerfully transformative ideas for giving and getting feedback.

Zero Waste Web Design

There’s a growing movement of people embracing a “zero waste” lifestyle, seeking to minimize trash in every aspect of their lives. While it might sound like a life full of sacrifice in the name of saving the planet, proponents say it actually saves them time and money and enriches their lives.

What might happen if we took this modern minimalist approach of “zero waste” and applied it to web design and development? Tom Greenwood shows us how, by adopting a zero waste approach to our work as web professionals, we can create a web that is more enriching for users and that delivers better results for our business…and the planet.

Styling the Intrinsic Web with Cascade Layers and Container Queries

Over the last decade, Responsive Web Design and Object Oriented CSS have grown from exciting new trends into the foundations of modern, component-driven web design. But our medium is not done evolving. In 2018, Jen Simmons coined this the era of “Intrinsic Web Design” — with powerful new tools that allow us to build entire layouts based on the intrinsic needs of each component.

This evolution of the responsive web is becoming more clear with several new features in CSS. We’ll look at a number of these developments, with a special focus on Cascade Layers (giving you control over your own cascade), and Container Queries (allowing components to respond to their immediate context). Not only do these features build on what we love most about responsive components, but they’re designed to address some of the biggest challenges in CSS today.

Workplace Culture: How to Welcome New Team Members the HOC Way

Practical Ethics for the Modern Web Designer

Performance Is Accessibility

I Brake for Users: Content Strategy for Slower Experiences

Working Together in Diverse Teams

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Recent Posts

Elements Heard, Not Seen

Accessibility and Progressive Enhancement: A Framework for a More inclusive Web

The Craft of Feedback

Zero Waste Web Design

Styling the Intrinsic Web with Cascade Layers and Container Queries

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