Heydon Pickering is a web-focused technical writer and designer specializing in inclusive language, accessible interfaces, design systems, and frontend documentation, with global speaking experience and award recognition.
73 articles from this blog
Explains the HTML <aside> element, its role as a sectioning element and landmark, and its relationship to ARIA's complementary role.
Explores the HTML5 <article> element, its purpose for document structure, and its importance for web accessibility and semantics.
A nostalgic look at the HTML <area> element and image maps, comparing them to Tamagotchis and discussing early 2000s web design practices.
Explains the HTML <address> element's semantic meaning and demonstrates how to correctly mark up contact information using Microdata and schema.org.
An article explaining the HTML <abbr> element, its purpose for marking abbreviations, and a discussion on semantic HTML.
An in-depth exploration of the HTML anchor element (<a>), explaining its purpose, the href attribute, and the technical semantics of hyperlinks.
Explores using modern CSS features like custom properties and :has() for testing HTML integrity and highlighting markup anti-patterns.
A satirical and critical look at Single-Page Applications (SPAs), explaining their concept while humorously highlighting performance and complexity trade-offs.
Explores the concept of utility-first CSS, contrasting it with traditional CSS methodologies and discussing its role and limitations in web styling.
A web developer explores using CSS custom properties to offload JavaScript logic for scroll-driven animations, making them more performant and maintainable.
Explains why accessibility overlays are problematic software that fails to make websites accessible and can even hinder disabled users.
Applying functional programming concepts to writing and maintaining documentation, especially for design systems, to improve reusability and consistency.
A front-end developer humorously recounts a coding documentation change that caused chaos among UX designers, framed as a fictional horror story.
A tutorial on integrating design tokens into an Eleventy static site, allowing token values to be shared across CSS, JSON, and templates.
A guide on migrating a website from WordPress to the Eleventy static site generator using a custom Node.js script.
Explores implementing a 'random link' feature for web comics on static sites using Eleventy and build-time JavaScript, avoiding server-side logic.
Explores how burnout in web development is a form of Marxian alienation, caused by a conflict between ethical work and profit-driven demands.
A critique of blindly following Google's Material Design guidelines, arguing for user-centered design over authority-based decisions.
A satirical dialogue highlighting developer resistance and misconceptions about implementing web accessibility standards.
A technical guide to creating responsive Flexbox layouts that switch between horizontal and vertical columns using flex-basis, without media queries.
