WordPress Playground began as an experiment to see what a self-hosted WordPress experience might look like without the requirement of having to actually install WordPress. A year later, the experiment has evolved into a full-fledged project. Ganesh Dahal demonstrates how WordPress Playground works and gets deep into how it might be used. https://smashingmagazine.com/2023/11/wordpress-playground-5-minute-install-instant-spin-up/
The CSS clamp() function is often paired with viewport units for “fluid” font sizing that scales the text up and down at different viewport sizes. As common as this technique is, several voices warn that it opens up situations where text can fail WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.4, which specifies that text should scale up to at least 200% when the user’s browser reaches its 500% maximum zoom level. Max Barvian takes a deep look at the issue and offers ideas to help address it.
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Icons are capable of enhancing the content that surrounds them, but they have to be self-explanatory for that to happen. We have icons for things we like (a thumbs up), things we can share (a box topped with an up arrow), and even for protection against malicious online attacks (a shield), but what are the options we have for representing “privacy”? https://smashingmagazine.com/2023/11/search-ideal-privacy-icon/
Take a closer look at how various performance tools audit and report on performance metrics, such as core web vitals. Geoff Graham answers a set of common questions that pop up during performance audits. https://smashingmagazine.com/2023/10/answering-questions-interpreting-page-speed-reports/
November is just around the corner, and with it, a new collection of desktop wallpapers to celebrate the beginning of the month. Designed by creatives from all across the globe, they come in versions with and without a calendar. Let’s make this November colorful! https://smashingmagazine.com/2023/10/desktop-wallpaper-calendars-november-2023/
Passkeys are beginning to make their way into popular apps, from password managers to multi-factor authenticators, but what exactly are they? As this new technology promises to make passwords a thing of the past, Neal Fennimore explains the concepts behind passkeys, demonstrates how they work, and speculates what we might expect from them in the future. https://smashingmagazine.com/2023/10/passkeys-explainer-future-password-less-authentication/
Victoria Johnson began a career in front-end development upon graduating from college. Now, roughly one year later, she reflects back on the decisions she made to crack into the field and find her first full-time job. This is her story, and she’s sharing it to provide those who are just starting out with another beginner’s perspective. https://smashingmagazine.com/2023/10/beginner-web-development-working-career/
Inuit (short for “Interface Usability Instrument”) is a new questionnaire you can use to assess the usability of your user interface. It has been designed to be more diagnostic than existing usability instruments like, e.g., SUS and for use with machine learning, all the while asking fewer questions than other questionnaires. This article explores how and why Inuit has been developed and w
Having access to a free reporting tool like Lighthouse in DevTools is a great start for diagnosing performance issues by identifying bottlenecks on the main thread. Even better are paid tools like SpeedCurve to dig deeper into the data for more targeted insights and to produce visual reports to help make a case for performance improvements for your team and other stak
Removing properties from an object in JavaScript might not be the most exciting job, but there are many ways to achieve it, each revealing a fundamental aspect of how JavaScript works. Juan Diego Rodríguez explores each technique in this article. https://smashingmagazine.com/2023/10/removing-object-properties-javascript/