xhtml | css | DesignThe republic of Jens Wedin (with me as the president)

2007 is coming to an end and it has really been a great year, so many great articles and blog posts about XHTML, CSS, design, accessibility, usability and other things related to the web. So if you haven’t read the articles in this list you really should, they are the top of tops, the cream de la cream.

Here are my top 51 list of best articles 2007 in no specific order.

• Too much accessibility
• Learn JavaScript before tasting the library kool-aid
• Performance On A Shoe String
• Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies
• So You Want to Create a Font. Part 1, Part 2
• CSS @ Ten: The Next Big Thing
• Tracking Christmas Cheer with Google Charts
• Improving the usability of within-page links
• 10 Ways To Get Design Approval
• JavaScript interaction must be input device independent
• BlueprintCSS 101
• Findings From the Web Design Survey
• AssistiveWare videos on computer accessibility
• Setting Type on the Web to a Baseline Grid
• E-shop accessibility: from theory to reality
• WAI-ARIA Live Regions
• Using WAI-ARIA Roles and States with the YUI Menu Control
• Internet Explorer 8 and Acid2: A Milestone
• Paper Prototyping
• jQuery for JavaScript programmers
• 10 colour contrast checking tools to improve the accessibility of your design
• Hijax
• Quiet Structure
• Better Writing Through Design
• Minification: A Christmas Diet
• Frameworks for Designers
• A Preview of HTML 5
• Evangelizing Outside the Box: Web Standards and Large Companies
• Improving Ajax applications for JAWS users
• Educate Your Stakeholders!
• Challenges of Interface Design for Mobile Devices
• Killing Some Bad Layout Conventions

This is lovely (as always). Google has released an API for the charts they use in Google Video and Finance. Just an URL and you get an image back. Beautiful!

Here’s an example

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p3&chd=s:hW&chs=250×100&chl=Good|Bad

Makes this image

Time to celebrate!

The site I work with at a daily basis got voted for best government site 2007. The award is held by IDG and Internet World sweden. Their criterias was :

1. Using the net in a new creative way
2. Quality of content
3. Structure and navigation
4. Design
5. Visual communication

I still think there is lot to do with our site but a pad on the shoulder is always nice. There is of course many at The swedish tax agency who should be proud of this prize. This is no way a one-man-show so congrats to us

Here’s a quick translation of the nomination

-"There is good grounds why the interest of using the net to send the declaration form has literally exploded. It is also as easy to change your adress when moving or adjusting your taxes. The swedish tax agency is working long-term and systematic to build new e-services. Today The Swedish tax agency is a big, stable and a good examle for other authorities.  A lot  have happened the last year. The site has gotten a new design, it is legible and well structured. A lot of work is not on the surface – the backend systems are both many and complex. That is way The swedish tax agency is impressive."

• The IDG article (Swedish)
•  The swedish tax agency (Swedish)