Michelle Barker is a front-end developer and writer behind CSS { In Real Life }, a blog dedicated to modern CSS and real-world web development. She shares honest, practical insights on evolving CSS features, front-end techniques, and the web community.
227 articles from this blog
Discusses the need for a native CSS property to visually hide content while keeping it accessible to screen readers, referencing common workarounds.
A developer's guide to setting up a clean, minimal coding environment on a MacBook, covering essential tools like VS Code, zsh, Git, and NVM.
Explores the CSS `resize` property, its use in container query demos, practical applications, and current limitations.
A guide to using color scales effectively and accessibly in data visualizations with the D3.js library, including practical examples.
A guide to using browser developer tools, specifically in Firefox and Chrome, to test and ensure color contrast meets web accessibility standards (WCAG).
Interop 2023 is a cross-browser initiative targeting 26 key web features, including CSS :has(), math functions, and font palettes, for improved compatibility.
A guide to automating regular Netlify static site deployments using scheduled GitHub Actions, focusing on updating webmentions.
A developer shares the process and technical decisions behind redesigning their personal blog, focusing on CSS improvements and workflow.
Introduces the .ENV Switcher VS Code extension for easily switching between different development environment configurations.
A developer explores the challenges of using CSS container queries within a Tailwind CSS project, discussing framework pragmatism and polyfill issues.
A front-end developer's 2022 review covering work with Vue and D3.js, writing for tech publications, CSS trends, and integrating climate action into tech.
A tech writer discusses the importance of giving and receiving corrections kindly within the web development community.
A guide to CSS border-radius shorthand, longhand, and logical properties for responsive, writing-mode-aware designs.
A developer shares her migration from Twitter to Mastodon, discussing the platform's differences and the emerging front-end community there.
A collection of resources and tools for web developers to understand and reduce the environmental impact of websites, focusing on sustainability practices.
A developer shares two free tools, n:point and Mockeroo, for quickly mocking and generating API endpoints and data for prototyping and testing.
Explains how to create halftone patterns using CSS, covering gradients, masks, and filters for a retro printing effect.
Exploring the link between web performance, sustainability, and the ethical dilemmas developers face when building for high-carbon industries.
Explains how to use CSS @supports for feature detection, including checking property support and new selectors like :has() and :focus-visible.
A talk on modern CSS layout techniques, emphasizing flexibility and new features like Container Queries and :has().
