β¨ I used to keep this info as a Google Doc to share with my most trusted coworkers and friends, but I thought the info would be better served in the open.
βοΈ These lists and the contents within reflect my opinions. Iβm aiming for quality over quantity β only resources I would recommend. Suggestions, issues, and PRs are welcome π, but just because a resource exists doesnβt necessarily mean Iβd recommend it.
Vox Media Accessibility Guidelines Checklist β best practices for designers, engineers, PMs, QA, and editorial staff (with sources to read more; great to send to coworkers on different teams)
Guidelines
18F Accessibility Guide β hub of accessibility resources and principles by government office 18F
Empathy Prompts β open source list of considerations & challenges to help build empathy
Inclusive Design Principles β seven clear principles to follow to put people first, by leading experts The Paciello Group
Microsoft Inclusive Design Principles β Microsoft's guidelines for designing accessible and inclusive experiences, including a detailed manual (.pdf) with awesome visualizations, and activity cards for considerations & challenges while brainstorming
π WCAG 2.0 β the W3Cβs βWeb Content Accessibility Guidelinesβ web standards specification
πΊπΈ ADA β Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities
πΊπΈ Section 508 β amendment to the Workforce Rehabilitation Act federally mandating all tech developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to persons with disabilities
π¨π¦ AODA β Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, enacted for the province to become βaccessible for people with disabilities by 2025β
Testing tools and development references
Accessible-email.org β browser-based semantic analysis to report a11y and usability issues errors in marketing emails
Sprint by Jake Knapp & more, 2016 β a balanced book of details, examples, checklists, and scripts to perform your own famed Google Ventures design sprint
Just Enough Research by Erika Hall, 2013 β breaks down the huge topic of design research in a digestible, approachable, organized, and humorous way
Publishers and distributors
A Book Apart β top of the class brief books for people who make websites
Chronicle Books β innovative and design-y adult and childrenβs books, based in San Francisco
Draw Down β large catalog of small-press books and zines on graphic design, culture, criticism, art, and more
Gestalten β high-quality books on graphic design, art, and culture
MIT Press β hundreds of new books published yearly from leading researchers on technology, art, and science
Rosenfeld Media β user experience books, training, workshops, seminars, and experts
Smashing Magazine β affordable, practical books from digital design practitioners
Browser features
Google Chrome extensions and bookmarklets
Tachyons X-ray β debug & align objects to an 8 or 16px grid
Type Sample β identify and sample webfonts β 3 samples for free, or unlimited samples for $5/year subscription. available as a bookmarklet or Chrome extension
WhatFont? β inspect a webfontβs name, family, weight, size, style, color, line height, and source (if hosted via Google Fonts or Typekit)
Device Mode β test responsiveness by using popular viewport sizes or creating your own presets
Full-page screenshot β itβs inside the Device Mode β no additional browser extension required!
Network performance β analyze resource requests and emulate mobile experiences
Brushes
Kyle T. Webster β best Photoshop brushes for drawing and adding small texture (though they are not of much use without a pressure-sensitive tablet)
RetroSupply β Photoshop and Illustrator brushes for multiple uses, including adding large (2000px) texture. recommended packs: Standard Issue Brush & Texture Bundle, Standard Issue Subtle Brush Kit, VectorFuzz
Google Material design colors β choose from all the hues in Googleβs material design palette, see a tint and shade of each, and test against white & black text for accessibility
Spectrum β Google Chrome extension to instantly test web pages for different types of color vision deficiency
Fonts
Directories and marketplaces
Google Fonts β hundreds of free webfonts hosted via Google or self-hosted, downloadable via GitHub repo with individual licenses
MyFonts β thousands of fonts from all kinds of foundries, includes some trial fonts & free families. (good for searching and testing, but itβs better to buy through the foundries themselves!)
TypeKit β included with Adobe CC subscription, some fonts & families are only available for desktop or web use. larger selection available for individual purchase through Typekit Marketplace
Type Network β incredibly high-quality fonts by select independent foundries
YouWorkForThem β thousands of fonts in the βoriginal creative marketplaceβ
The Noun Project β [free & paid] β available for use with Creative Commons attribution or available to purchase without attribution for fair prices; best quality selection in one place
SymbolSet β [paid] β super high-quality icon fonts categorized by topic and style
Vector Emoji β [free] β iOS emoji faces recreated in vector as layered PSDs or Sketch files
Inspiration and criticism websites
Brand identity
BP & O β killer packaging and brand design gallery
CreativeMarket β huge marketplace for design assets of varying qualities (including fonts and stock photos), great for when you need to recreate a specific style or work in a particular niche
RetroSupply β well-made and well-priced assets that skew toward retro/vintage
YouWorkForThem β cool textures and imagery from the original online creative marketplace
Stock photography
Death to the Stock Photo β [free & paid] β new sets emailed weekly, premium plans available for more photos and unlimited access
Gratisography β [free] β photos by one photographer requiring no attribution, most are weird but some are chill to save in a folder for later since theyβre free
Magdeline β [free] β similar to unsplash, some are licensed in public domain, some require Creative Commons attribution
Masterfile β [paid] β stock photos, a little higher quality than iStock. registered account includes unwatermarked hi-res comps
Unsplash β [free] β the first of the hip and gorgeous free with no strings attached stock photo sites
Women of Color in Tech β [free] β photos of women in color in tech settings since every other stock photo site fails at this hardcore
User testing and interactive feedback tools
Lookback β users record their screen, face, voice, and touches while using your site/app/prototype/wireframe
UsabilityHub β for quick 5-minute qualitative, navigation-based, or hot-spot based remote tests for static images or a series of images
UserTesting β finds participants for you, runs a usability test, and records and stores videos of real people speaking their thoughts as they use your site/app/prototype/wireframe
