Article · Technology (286)

Embracing Playful Imperfection With The CSS `random()` Function

Design systems thrive on consistency, so where does randomness fit in? Through playful demos of organic typography, bouncing letters, and splayed cards, Brecht De Ruyte shows how the new CSS `random()` function brings a little imperfection to the web without JavaScript libraries or preprocessor loops that generate hundreds of lines of static CSS.

Smashing Magazine · EN

Accordion Icons: Which Work Best?

A closer look at accordion icons, why split menus are harmful, and why it’s better not to have icons and text labels link to different actions. Plus, why the caret is the safest icon choice. You’ll find more [useful guides](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/category/guides/) and [online workshops](https://smashingconf.com/online-workshops) here on Smashing Magazine, so make sure to browse and explore.

Smashing Magazine · EN

A Spark Of Color In November’s Gray (2026 Wallpapers Edition)

Let’s kick of November with a new collection of desktop wallpapers! Designed by creatives from across the globe, the wallpapers come in a variety of screen resolutions and can be downloaded for free. Enjoy!

Smashing Magazine · EN

The Baseline Features audit is now available in Lighthouse

Learn which web features are used on a page—and their Baseline status—with the new Lighthouse Baseline features audit.

web.dev · EN

New to the web platform in July

Discover some of the interesting features that have landed in stable and beta web browsers during July 2026.

web.dev · EN

July 2026 Baseline monthly digest

Read about various happenings with Baseline during July 2026.

web.dev · EN

New to the web platform in August

Discover some of the interesting features that have landed in stable and beta web browsers during August 2026.

web.dev · EN

Submit your proposals for Interop 2027

It's time to let us know which web platform features should be part of Interop 2027.

web.dev · EN

Find features to support for Interop 2027 with your coding agent

Learn how you can use your coding agent to find Interop 2027 proposals to upvote, or find features to propose.

web.dev · EN

August 2026 Baseline monthly digest

Read about various happenings with Baseline during August 2026.

web.dev · EN

New to the web platform in September

Discover some of the interesting features that have landed in stable and beta web browsers during September 2026.

web.dev · EN

To Ignite a Personalization Practice, Run this Prepersonalization Workshop

Picture this. You’ve joined a squad at your company that’s designing new product features with an emphasis on automation or AI. Or your company has just implemented a personalization engine . Either way, you’re designing with data. Now what? When it comes to designing for personalization , there are many cautionary tales, no overnight successes, and few guides for the perplexed. Between the fantasy of getting it right and the fear of it going wrong—like when we encounter “ persofails ” in the vein of a company repeatedly imploring everyday consumers to buy additional toilet seats —the personal

A List Apart · EN

User Research Is Storytelling

Ever since I was a boy, I’ve been fascinated with movies. I loved the characters and the excitement—but most of all the stories. I wanted to be an actor. And I believed that I’d get to do the things that Indiana Jones did and go on exciting adventures. I even dreamed up ideas for movies that my friends and I could make and star in. But they never went any further. I did, however, end up working in user experience (UX). Now, I realize that there’s an element of theater to UX—I hadn’t really considered it before, but user research is storytelling. And to get the most out of user research, you ne

A List Apart · EN

From Beta to Bedrock: Build Products that Stick.

As a product builder over too many years to mention, I've lost count of the number of times I've seen promising ideas go from zero to hero in a few weeks, only to fizzle out within months. Financial products, which is the field I work in, are no exception. With people’s real hard-earned money on the line, user expectations running high, and a crowded market, it's tempting to throw as many features at the wall as possible and hope something sticks. But this approach is a recipe for disaster. Here's why: The pitfalls of feature-first development When you start building a financial product from t

A List Apart · EN

An Holistic Framework for Shared Design Leadership

Picture this: You’re in a meeting room at your tech company, and two people are having what looks like the same conversation about the same design problem. One is talking about whether the team has the right skills to tackle it. The other is diving deep into whether the solution actually solves the user’s problem. Same room, same problem, completely different lenses. This is the beautiful, sometimes messy reality of having both a Design Manager and a Lead Designer on the same team. And if you’re wondering how to make this work without creating confusion, overlap, or the dreaded “too many cooks

A List Apart · EN

Design Dialects: Breaking the Rules, Not the System

"Language is not merely a set of unrelated sounds, clauses, rules, and meanings; it is a totally coherent system bound to context and behavior." — Kenneth L. Pike The web has accents. So should our design systems. Design Systems as Living Languages Design systems aren't component libraries—they’re living languages. Tokens are phonemes, components are words, patterns are phrases, layouts are sentences. The conversations we build with users become the stories our products tell. But here’s what we've forgotten: the more fluently a language is spoken, the more accents it can support without losing

A List Apart · EN

Design for Amiability: Lessons from Vienna

Today’s web is not always an amiable place. Sites greet you with a popover that demands assent to their cookie policy, and leave you with Taboola ads promising “One Weird Trick!” to cure your ailments. Social media sites are tuned for engagement, and few things are more engaging than a fight. Today it seems that people want to quarrel; I have seen flame wars among birders. These tensions are often at odds with a site’s goals. If we are providing support and advice to customers, we don’t want those customers to wrangle with each other. If we offer news about the latest research, we want readers

A List Apart · EN

Good designers, bad websites: a proposal

I want to discuss accessibility because it is the most important thing for making websites. Other A List Apart articles give you innovation and insight. This article will give you homework. These are just my personal views, but they’re pretty good. I want to start off with a couple of statements, and you will agree: Designers are good people. I have never heard a designer say, “I don’t care if somebody can’t read this text”, “Not my fault if somebody can’t use this device”, or “Who cares if this is confusing?” Some designs exclude people. You have seen people unable to read the text on a websi

A List Apart · EN

Designed for a Dead Language

Every language app in your pocket inherited a teaching method built for Latin. Understanding why that happened is a more useful design lesson than anything the apps themselves will teach you. In 1788, Prussia introduced the Abitur, a standardized national examination required for entry into universities and the civil service. To pass it, students needed to demonstrate measurable, gradable knowledge. The system needed to teach language to large classrooms, produce consistent outcomes, and do it with one teacher and thirty students. The educators responsible for designing this system reached for

A List Apart · EN