This is such a brilliant idea! Why not allow an img element inside video element in order to provide a responsive, accessible poster image?
You know my thoughts on generative tools based on large language models, but this example of personal empowerment is undeniably liberating.
There’s a new meta tag on the block. This time it’s for allowing system-level text sizing to apply to your website.
Laura’s classic book is now a web book that you can read for free online.
LLMs are useful when you need a compromise between fast and good. You will never get a good outcome fast.
I’m afraid we are settling into a status of good enough when using “AI,” which is especially hurtful for accessibility.
I like the idea of adding this to personal websites:
Mastodon shows an “Alt” button in the bottom right of images that have associated alt text. This button, when clicked, shows the alt text the author has written for the image.
I don’t normally link to articles on Medium—I respect you too much—and I do wish this were written on Mike Hall’s own site, but this is just too good not to share.
And don’t dismiss this as a nostalgiac case study from the past:
At no point did the constraints make the product feel compromised. Users on modern devices got a smooth experience and instant feedback, while those on older devices got fast, reliable functionality. Users on feature phones got the same core experience without the bells and whistles.
The constraints forced us to solve problems in ways we wouldn’t have considered otherwise. Without those constraints, we could have just thrown bytes at the problem, but with them every feature had to justify itself. Core functionality had to work everywhere, and without JavaScript crutches proper markup became essential.
This experience changed how I approach design problems. Constraints aren’t a straitjacket, keeping us from doing our best work; they are the foundation that makes innovation possible. When you have to work within severe limitations, you find elegant solutions that scale beyond those limitations.
I heard you like divs…