Trends
For the designers and interested clients out there, below are some recent articles on trends in the web design industry.
In this tutorial, Blake Lundquist walks us through two methods of creating the “moving-highlight” navigation pattern using only plain JavaScript and CSS. The first technique uses the `getBoundingClientRect` method to explicitly animate the border between navigation bar items when they are clicked. The second approach achieves the same functionality using the new View Transition API.
www.smashingmagazine.com
[Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/aria/) is an inevitability when working on web accessibility. That said, it’s everyone’s first time learning about ARIA at some point.
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CSS can be unpredictable — and specificity is often the culprit. Victor Ayomipo breaks down how and why your styles might not behave as expected, and why understanding specificity is better than relying on `!important`.
www.smashingmagazine.com
Meet “Accessible UX Research,” our upcoming book to make your UX research inclusive. Learn how to recruit, plan, and design with disabled participants in mind. Print edition shipping Fall 2025. eBook also available for download in Fall 2025.Pre-order the book.
www.smashingmagazine.com
pathElement: Curve And Arc CommandsOn her quest to teach you how to code vectors by hand, Myriam Frisano’s second installment of a `path` deep dive explores the most complex aspects of SVG’s most powerful element. She’ll help you understand the underlying rules and function of how curves and arcs are constructed. By the end of it, your toolkit is ready to tackle all types of tasks required to draw with code — even if some of the lines twist and turn.
www.smashingmagazine.com
As online scams become more sophisticated, Carrie Webster explores whether good UX can serve as a frontline defense, particularly for non-tech-savvy older users navigating today’s digital world.
www.smashingmagazine.com
July is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for a new collection of desktop wallpapers. Created with love by artists and designers from across the globe, they are bound to bring some good vibes to your screen. Enjoy!
www.smashingmagazine.com
Bridging the gap between user research insights and actual organizational action — with a clear roadmap for impact.
www.smashingmagazine.com
CSS has evolved from a purely presentational language into one with growing logical powers — thanks to features like container queries, relational pseudo-classes, and the `if()` function. Is it still just for styling, or is it becoming something more? Gabriel Shoyombo explores how smart CSS has become over the years, where it is heading, the challenges it addresses, whether it is becoming too complex, and how developers are reacting to this shift.
www.smashingmagazine.com
As always in design, timing matters, and so do timely notifications. Let’s explore how we might improve the notifications UX. More design patterns in our Smart Interface Design Patterns, afriendly video course on UXand design patterns by Vitaly — from complex data tables and nested filters to FAQs and error messages.
www.smashingmagazine.com