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
A developer's quest to solve a specific CSS Flexbox layout problem without using media queries, culminating in a JavaScript-based solution.
Critique of the 'Full Stack Developer' role, arguing it leads to poor code quality and undervalues specialized front-end skills like HTML and CSS.
Explores the limitations of JavaScript for styling web elements and introduces CSS as a more declarative and reactive alternative.
A critique of common accessibility and usability failures in web tooltip implementations, with advice on better practices.
Explores how aria-label attributes are ignored by translation services, offering workarounds for accessible multilingual web development.
Explores the mindset shift from writing code to designing systems, focusing on user impact and strategic technology choices.
A critique of the aria-controls attribute, arguing it's poorly supported, confusing, and ineffective for accessibility.
A developer advocates for writing less code to improve performance, reduce maintenance, and create a better user experience, with practical tips.
A summary of survey responses from screen reader users about their strategies for navigating unfamiliar websites, revealing common techniques and assumptions.
A satirical critique of progressive enhancement and universal/isomorphic apps, arguing they are too difficult and offer no personal benefit to developers.
A developer discusses common logical fallacies used in tech arguments, like the 'gospel' and 'Luddite' fallacies, to justify choices or disparage others.
A technical guide on using CSS Flexbox to create responsive, self-adjusting grid layouts that handle dynamic content elegantly.
A web accessibility expert seeks input from screen reader users to understand their real-world navigation strategies and challenges.
A web developer creates a charity music album featuring tracks from web professionals to raise funds for web accessibility organizations.
A UX designer critiques the overemphasis on 'experience' in design, arguing for simplicity and utility, especially for users with real-world constraints.
A blog post collecting reviews and errata for the book 'Apps For All: Coding Accessible Web Applications', a technical guide on web accessibility.
A humorous first-person account of a developer's obsession with CSS classes, selector performance, and the pitfalls of over-engineering styles.
Explores the accessibility challenge of indicating the current page link in web navigation, discussing solutions like hidden spans and ARIA labels.
A CSS technique using outline-offset and transitions to create animated, shrinking focus outlines for buttons, improving accessibility and visual feedback.
Explores solving dynamic grid layout problems using pure CSS logic, like handling orphaned items, without relying on preprocessors or JavaScript.
