Post by Steve on Aug 4, 2017 8:55:03 GMT -8
I wish I could still be involved with web design.
One upon a time, when Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) were implemented as a design method, web pages were immediately made better for more reasons than were right-away obvious to most readers. Page layouts were more like magazine pages, text could flow around a graphic, headlines and captions were easier to add,…the pages just looked better.
But one very cool new trick was possible: a button on the page could let a reader select a better text size if they wanted. Typically 12pt is considered a decent text size for a book. Even 10pt was considered a good size. That came to web pages, and a button to bump it up was a good idea when a viewer had less than 20/20 vision. Along with that, a few sites, mostly sites aimed at designers, had a button to change the entire design of the page! Same info, just with a different layout. Again, this was more for designers to see the power of a “simple” CSS sheet. CSS sheets are like blueprints for the pages. Make a single change to a rule on the CSS sheet and every page of the site is instantly updated.) Well, a single button could let a reader change the colors used on the page. It was not widely used, but it was an interesting option to offer.
Well, not every advance in browser function is actually a step forward. Now to change text size you can just tap the + key, no more buttons on the page. That, coupled with the ability to zoom the screen image (mine zooms small text up to 1/4” or more) and the CSS text button is replaced. But what about the style/color options? Gone!
That is why I wish I could still be involved. My vision is really pretty bad now. One eye is useless, the other about 20/80. Because of a cataract, while light blinds me, I work on my Mac with inverted screen colors and every new page usually requires using my key combo to invert the new page’s colors. Designers being cute.
Mostly this works okay. But many pages are done with colors that just don’t work for people with low vision or color blindness. I so wish for a button to make the page black and white! Leave the elegant colors for the masses. let the 25 percent of the population with vision problems have a chance to make the pages more comfortable to read.
A simple CSS sheet, a Javascript button to switch to it, Bingo! Easier to read, a happier customer.
One upon a time, when Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) were implemented as a design method, web pages were immediately made better for more reasons than were right-away obvious to most readers. Page layouts were more like magazine pages, text could flow around a graphic, headlines and captions were easier to add,…the pages just looked better.
But one very cool new trick was possible: a button on the page could let a reader select a better text size if they wanted. Typically 12pt is considered a decent text size for a book. Even 10pt was considered a good size. That came to web pages, and a button to bump it up was a good idea when a viewer had less than 20/20 vision. Along with that, a few sites, mostly sites aimed at designers, had a button to change the entire design of the page! Same info, just with a different layout. Again, this was more for designers to see the power of a “simple” CSS sheet. CSS sheets are like blueprints for the pages. Make a single change to a rule on the CSS sheet and every page of the site is instantly updated.) Well, a single button could let a reader change the colors used on the page. It was not widely used, but it was an interesting option to offer.
Well, not every advance in browser function is actually a step forward. Now to change text size you can just tap the + key, no more buttons on the page. That, coupled with the ability to zoom the screen image (mine zooms small text up to 1/4” or more) and the CSS text button is replaced. But what about the style/color options? Gone!
That is why I wish I could still be involved. My vision is really pretty bad now. One eye is useless, the other about 20/80. Because of a cataract, while light blinds me, I work on my Mac with inverted screen colors and every new page usually requires using my key combo to invert the new page’s colors. Designers being cute.
Mostly this works okay. But many pages are done with colors that just don’t work for people with low vision or color blindness. I so wish for a button to make the page black and white! Leave the elegant colors for the masses. let the 25 percent of the population with vision problems have a chance to make the pages more comfortable to read.
A simple CSS sheet, a Javascript button to switch to it, Bingo! Easier to read, a happier customer.