Write Alt Text Like You’re Talking To A Friend – Cloud Four
This is good advice:
Write alternative text as if you’re describing the image to a friend.
Link tags: tone
16
Readability Guidelines
Imagine a collaboratively developed, universal content style guide, based on usability evidence.
Five Key Milestones in the Life of a Design System - daverupert.com
Five moments in the lifecycle of a design system. They grow up so fast!
- Formation of the Design System Team
- First Page Shipped
- Consumable Outside the Main Product
- First Non-System Team Consumer
- First Breaking Change
Dave makes the observation that design systems are less like open source software and more like enterprise software—software you didn’t choose to use:
Often, in my experience, for an internal Design System to have widespread adoption it requires a literal executive mandate from the top floor of the building.
Also: apparently design systems have achieved personhood now and we’re capitalising them as proper names. First name Design, last name System.
“Please, call me Design. Mr. System was my father.”
Let a website be a worry stone. — Ethan Marcotte
It was a few years before I realized that worry stones had a name, that they were borrowed from cultures other and older than mine. Heck, it’s been more than a few years since I’ve even held one. But in the last few weeks, before and after launching the redesign, I’ve kept working away at this website, much as I’d distractedly run my fingers over a smooth, flat stone.
᚛ᚈᚑᚋ ᚄᚉᚑᚈᚈ᚜ and ᚛ᚑᚌᚐᚋ᚜ - YouTube
When is a space not a space?
Tom talks about ogham stones and unicode.
Monzo – Tone of Voice
Monzo’s guidelines for tone of voice, including a reference to “the curse of knowledge.”
FriendChip Beacons - With support of Eddystone and Physical Web
I quite like the idea of broadcasting my URL from a friendchip bracelet.
Take a closer look at the patterns in our language. | Clearleft
Ellen goes through the principles behind the tone of voice on the new Clearleft site:
- Our clients are the heroes and heroines, we facilitate their journey.
- Speak as an individual doing whatever it is you love. Expose lovable details.
- Use the imperative, kill the “-ing”.
- Be evocative and paint the picture. Show don’t tell.
- Be a practical friend.
- Be inquisitive. Ask smart questions that need solving.
Uncomfortably Excited – Infrequently Noted
Alex’s response to my post about Web Components, in which he ignores my excitement and dismisses my concerns as “piffle and tosh.”
I gotta say: I think cautious optimism and nervous excitement are healthy attitudes to have about any technology. For Alex to dismiss them so summarily makes me even more worried. Apparently you’re either with Web Components or you’re against them. Heaven forbid that you might voice any doubts or suggest any grey areas.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
Dangerous Minds | Deconstructing ‘Gimme Shelter’: Listen to the isolated tracks of the Rolling Stones in the studio
A track-by-track deconstruction of Gimme Shelter. What a song!
Designing with Social Skills | Darren Hoyt Dot Com
An examination of websites behaving conversationally, including Huffduffer.
ironfeathers.ca » Home
Watch the adventures of Derek and Kathryn Featherstone in the run up to IronMan Lake Placid 2007. Check out the route maps: very slick.
WikiHome - JotSpot Wiki (continuouspartialattention)
There's been a steady increase in talk around continuous partial attention (what with Twitter and all) so I here's the mother lode: Linda Stone waxing lyrical and expanding our vocabularies.
Simply Accessible
Derek's new site is going to be a great resource for practical accessibility techniques.
Web Standards Group - Ten Questions for Derek Featherstone
Some good thoughts on accessibility. I'm really looking forward to seeing Derek again at @media.