Iain Bean is a web developer from the UK who writes a personal blog focused on design systems, accessibility and typography. He specializes in building websites and interfaces that are inclusive, well structured and visually refined. On his blog, Iain shares practical tutorials and thoughtful essays that explore topics such as evaluating npm packages for accessibility, improving typography on the web and creating consistent design systems. His writing reflects a strong attention to detail and a commitment to improving the quality and usability of digital experiences.
11 Articles from this blog
The creator reflects on five years of running component.gallery, a design system showcase, sharing stats, visitor insights, and future plans.
A guide on how to evaluate the accessibility (a11y) of npm packages before using them in a web project.
A guide detailing five practical steps to optimize web font loading for improved website performance and reduced layout shifts.
Argues for using system fonts like Arial and Times New Roman to improve website speed, reduce data usage, and lower environmental impact.
Article explains why to avoid adverbs like 'simply' in technical writing to improve clarity and avoid alienating readers.
A guide to creating flexible, reusable components in Eleventy using Nunjucks macros, comparing them to React function components.
A developer's guide to practical tools and techniques for testing and improving web accessibility, debunking common misconceptions.
Explores Google Analytics proxying, a technique to bypass ad-blockers for more accurate tracking, and discusses its ethical implications.
Article critiques Google Analytics' privacy and performance costs, and explores ethical, self-hosted alternatives for website tracking.
Analysis of why Gatsby.js sites have fewer accessibility errors than average, exploring developer 'guide rails' and automated testing.
The author argues against using heavy JavaScript frameworks like Gatsby for blogs, advocating for simpler static site generators like Eleventy for better performance.
