Lea Verou, PhD
@lea.verou.me
I make things for making things.
@leaverou@front-end.social on Mastodon, @leaverou elsewhere
https://lea.verou.me
@leaverou@front-end.social on Mastodon, @leaverou elsewhere
https://lea.verou.me
Pinned
Lea Verou, PhD
@lea.verou.me
· Oct 16
Honored to be awarded “Pathfinder for Standards” by @openjsf.org at #jsconf 💛
Blurb made me blush ☺️:
“Lea is a rare person who has strong academic credentials, has helped create rigorous industry standards, but always focuses on the needs of real world users […]”
Rest at openjsf.org/blog/javascr...
Blurb made me blush ☺️:
“Lea is a rare person who has strong academic credentials, has helped create rigorous industry standards, but always focuses on the needs of real world users […]”
Rest at openjsf.org/blog/javascr...
🎄 Holiday gift from the #ColorJS team: v0.6.0 is out with a host of fixes and improvements!
We’ve also crossed 100 million installs on npm a few weeks ago!
Release notes:
github.com/color-js/col...
We’ve also crossed 100 million installs on npm a few weeks ago!
Release notes:
github.com/color-js/col...
Release v0.6.0 · color-js/color.js
This has taken a while and three pre-releases, but we wanted to make sure we got everything right.
This is likely to be the last v0.x release, as Color.js is certainly mature enough to go to v1 in ...
github.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:11 PM
🎄 Holiday gift from the #ColorJS team: v0.6.0 is out with a host of fixes and improvements!
We’ve also crossed 100 million installs on npm a few weeks ago!
Release notes:
github.com/color-js/col...
We’ve also crossed 100 million installs on npm a few weeks ago!
Release notes:
github.com/color-js/col...
December 23, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
Jaaaaaaaaaa 💪🎉
Well this is good news for #a11y
Germany rejects Accessibility overlays for EAA compliance and says regulators won’t audit any website that uses an accessibility widget
chrisyoong.com/blog/germany...
Germany rejects Accessibility overlays for EAA compliance and says regulators won’t audit any website that uses an accessibility widget
chrisyoong.com/blog/germany...
Germany rejects Accessibility overlays for EAA compliance
Regulators won’t audit any website that uses an accessibility widget
chrisyoong.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Jaaaaaaaaaa 💪🎉
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
This was a huge amount of work for everybody involved, with @lea.verou.me staying up so late to work on this that she more or less ended up matching my own work hours despite living on the opposite side of the globe…
So I hope you enjoy the results!
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
So I hope you enjoy the results!
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
State of HTML 2025
The 2025 edition of the annual survey about the latest trends in the HTML ecosystem.
2025.stateofhtml.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:06 AM
This was a huge amount of work for everybody involved, with @lea.verou.me staying up so late to work on this that she more or less ended up matching my own work hours despite living on the opposite side of the globe…
So I hope you enjoy the results!
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
So I hope you enjoy the results!
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
It took a while (mainly due to the huge quantity of data collected on some questions!), but the #StateOfHTML 2025 survey results are now live!
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
Big thanks to @lea.verou.me who not only designed the original survey back in 2023, but then came back this year to update it.
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
Big thanks to @lea.verou.me who not only designed the original survey back in 2023, but then came back this year to update it.
State of HTML 2025
The 2025 edition of the annual survey about the latest trends in the HTML ecosystem.
2025.stateofhtml.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:06 AM
It took a while (mainly due to the huge quantity of data collected on some questions!), but the #StateOfHTML 2025 survey results are now live!
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
Big thanks to @lea.verou.me who not only designed the original survey back in 2023, but then came back this year to update it.
2025.stateofhtml.com/en-US/
Big thanks to @lea.verou.me who not only designed the original survey back in 2023, but then came back this year to update it.
Preach! 🎤
I love karaoke and hear this a lot, often as a self-deprecating joke.
I get not joining if you don’t like singing. But it’s so sad to like singing and not join because of this.
Karaoke is about having fun, not skill! Anyone who criticizes a karaoke performance simply doesn’t get karaoke.
I love karaoke and hear this a lot, often as a self-deprecating joke.
I get not joining if you don’t like singing. But it’s so sad to like singing and not join because of this.
Karaoke is about having fun, not skill! Anyone who criticizes a karaoke performance simply doesn’t get karaoke.
whenever i tell friends about robot karaoke they often say they don’t like karaoke because they aren’t good at singing and it’s such a fucking bummer knowing that people i love are loving by the constraint that one can only do a thing for fun if they are “good” at it
December 14, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Preach! 🎤
I love karaoke and hear this a lot, often as a self-deprecating joke.
I get not joining if you don’t like singing. But it’s so sad to like singing and not join because of this.
Karaoke is about having fun, not skill! Anyone who criticizes a karaoke performance simply doesn’t get karaoke.
I love karaoke and hear this a lot, often as a self-deprecating joke.
I get not joining if you don’t like singing. But it’s so sad to like singing and not join because of this.
Karaoke is about having fun, not skill! Anyone who criticizes a karaoke performance simply doesn’t get karaoke.
🔥 Hot take: dashed borders should never be used as a design system default.
Dashed lines tend to indicate that something is removable or not quite there.
Using them as decoration is as confusing as making text blue and underlined as a stylistic choice.
Pictures: dashed borders used correctly
Dashed lines tend to indicate that something is removable or not quite there.
Using them as decoration is as confusing as making text blue and underlined as a stylistic choice.
Pictures: dashed borders used correctly
December 14, 2025 at 8:06 AM
🔥 Hot take: dashed borders should never be used as a design system default.
Dashed lines tend to indicate that something is removable or not quite there.
Using them as decoration is as confusing as making text blue and underlined as a stylistic choice.
Pictures: dashed borders used correctly
Dashed lines tend to indicate that something is removable or not quite there.
Using them as decoration is as confusing as making text blue and underlined as a stylistic choice.
Pictures: dashed borders used correctly
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
Just saw a Parkland survivor post about being on lock down at Brown University.
We've failed generations of kids with our gun fetish
We've failed generations of kids with our gun fetish
December 13, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Just saw a Parkland survivor post about being on lock down at Brown University.
We've failed generations of kids with our gun fetish
We've failed generations of kids with our gun fetish
💡 Life hack: I open browser tabs to get myself to do unpleasant/boring tasks.
E.g.
- I need to contact customer service, I’ll open a tab with the company’s website.
- I need to file taxes, I’ll open the tax filing app
- I need to send an invoice, I’ll open my invoicing app
Who else does this?
E.g.
- I need to contact customer service, I’ll open a tab with the company’s website.
- I need to file taxes, I’ll open the tax filing app
- I need to send an invoice, I’ll open my invoicing app
Who else does this?
December 13, 2025 at 7:56 AM
💡 Life hack: I open browser tabs to get myself to do unpleasant/boring tasks.
E.g.
- I need to contact customer service, I’ll open a tab with the company’s website.
- I need to file taxes, I’ll open the tax filing app
- I need to send an invoice, I’ll open my invoicing app
Who else does this?
E.g.
- I need to contact customer service, I’ll open a tab with the company’s website.
- I need to file taxes, I’ll open the tax filing app
- I need to send an invoice, I’ll open my invoicing app
Who else does this?
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
Happy Baseline newly available day for CSS @scope now that it's in Firefox 146!
December 9, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Happy Baseline newly available day for CSS @scope now that it's in Firefox 146!
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
Trump’s Deportations Are Ripping Mothers from Their Babies
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
Trump’s Deportations Are Ripping Mothers from Their Babies
The president’s immigration policy is “beyond inhumane.”
open.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Trump’s Deportations Are Ripping Mothers from Their Babies
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
”What’s wrong with build tools? Other languages are compiled!”
Yes, but their compiler is official and always there.
The #JS ecosystem has devolved into a state where abstraction, the most fundamental software engineering concept, has been outsourced to third party tooling.
*That’s* the problem.
Yes, but their compiler is official and always there.
The #JS ecosystem has devolved into a state where abstraction, the most fundamental software engineering concept, has been outsourced to third party tooling.
*That’s* the problem.
December 12, 2025 at 1:25 AM
”What’s wrong with build tools? Other languages are compiled!”
Yes, but their compiler is official and always there.
The #JS ecosystem has devolved into a state where abstraction, the most fundamental software engineering concept, has been outsourced to third party tooling.
*That’s* the problem.
Yes, but their compiler is official and always there.
The #JS ecosystem has devolved into a state where abstraction, the most fundamental software engineering concept, has been outsourced to third party tooling.
*That’s* the problem.
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
You need to install the `es6-string-html` extension in VS Code for the `/* html */` syntax highlighting to work.
marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...
marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...
es6-string-html - Visual Studio Marketplace
Extension for Visual Studio Code - Syntax highlighting in es6 multiline strings
marketplace.visualstudio.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:31 PM
You need to install the `es6-string-html` extension in VS Code for the `/* html */` syntax highlighting to work.
marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...
marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...
💡 TIL: You can highlight a JS template tag as another language by prepending it with a comment like /* html */ in at least VS Code and editors wrapping it like Cursor.
How did I find out? Cursor suggested it when I tried to do a more convoluted
const html = String.raw;
const template = html`…
How did I find out? Cursor suggested it when I tried to do a more convoluted
const html = String.raw;
const template = html`…
December 3, 2025 at 7:54 PM
💡 TIL: You can highlight a JS template tag as another language by prepending it with a comment like /* html */ in at least VS Code and editors wrapping it like Cursor.
How did I find out? Cursor suggested it when I tried to do a more convoluted
const html = String.raw;
const template = html`…
How did I find out? Cursor suggested it when I tried to do a more convoluted
const html = String.raw;
const template = html`…
Appception: British Airways’s app using a WebView to embed their website, which recommends installing the app I’m already on 😅
December 1, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Appception: British Airways’s app using a WebView to embed their website, which recommends installing the app I’m already on 😅
I’m often asked for freelance UI/UX designer recommendations, but my list is out of date — most folks I used to refer are now full-time or doing other work.
Time to fix that.
If you’re an independent UI/UX designer doing hands-on client work, drop your website/portfolio! DM/email fine too.
[1/2]
Time to fix that.
If you’re an independent UI/UX designer doing hands-on client work, drop your website/portfolio! DM/email fine too.
[1/2]
November 30, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I’m often asked for freelance UI/UX designer recommendations, but my list is out of date — most folks I used to refer are now full-time or doing other work.
Time to fix that.
If you’re an independent UI/UX designer doing hands-on client work, drop your website/portfolio! DM/email fine too.
[1/2]
Time to fix that.
If you’re an independent UI/UX designer doing hands-on client work, drop your website/portfolio! DM/email fine too.
[1/2]
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
November 30 is #BlueBeanieDay, supporting web standards and accessibility, the building blocks empowering a people-first web.
Remember how good that web felt? It still does.
Join us! Pop on a blue beanie and smile.
Remember how good that web felt? It still does.
Join us! Pop on a blue beanie and smile.
November 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
November 30 is #BlueBeanieDay, supporting web standards and accessibility, the building blocks empowering a people-first web.
Remember how good that web felt? It still does.
Join us! Pop on a blue beanie and smile.
Remember how good that web felt? It still does.
Join us! Pop on a blue beanie and smile.
Just a reminder that what seems obvious now may not seem obvious in two weeks. Be better than past Lea. 🫠
November 24, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Just a reminder that what seems obvious now may not seem obvious in two weeks. Be better than past Lea. 🫠
When looking at results from web development surveys (e.g. #StateofHTML), what are you looking for when looking at the data? What conclusions are you trying to draw?
November 17, 2025 at 2:53 AM
When looking at results from web development surveys (e.g. #StateofHTML), what are you looking for when looking at the data? What conclusions are you trying to draw?
That it should be a fundamental human right to live in whatever country you want, no questions asked.
The existence of borders causes far more suffering than any benefit they provide.
The existence of borders causes far more suffering than any benefit they provide.
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM
That it should be a fundamental human right to live in whatever country you want, no questions asked.
The existence of borders causes far more suffering than any benefit they provide.
The existence of borders causes far more suffering than any benefit they provide.
🔥 Live from TPAC:
Native routing coming to the web platform!
First step was URLPattern.
Next is matching routes in CSS¹
Then naming them and using these high-level names in HTML, CSS, JS.
Exciting stuff.
¹ See CSS WG issue 12594 (not linking to avoid too much noise)
Native routing coming to the web platform!
First step was URLPattern.
Next is matching routes in CSS¹
Then naming them and using these high-level names in HTML, CSS, JS.
Exciting stuff.
¹ See CSS WG issue 12594 (not linking to avoid too much noise)
November 14, 2025 at 2:39 AM
🔥 Live from TPAC:
Native routing coming to the web platform!
First step was URLPattern.
Next is matching routes in CSS¹
Then naming them and using these high-level names in HTML, CSS, JS.
Exciting stuff.
¹ See CSS WG issue 12594 (not linking to avoid too much noise)
Native routing coming to the web platform!
First step was URLPattern.
Next is matching routes in CSS¹
Then naming them and using these high-level names in HTML, CSS, JS.
Exciting stuff.
¹ See CSS WG issue 12594 (not linking to avoid too much noise)
At the CSS WG meeting, we're discussing possibly natively doing fit-text in CSS. Send us your use cases (with screenshots/links)!
Do you ever need to fit multi-line text?
Do you ever need to fit non-text inline elements (e.g. icons)?
Do you adjust font-size, letter-spacing, or both?
Do you ever need to fit multi-line text?
Do you ever need to fit non-text inline elements (e.g. icons)?
Do you adjust font-size, letter-spacing, or both?
November 13, 2025 at 1:20 AM
At the CSS WG meeting, we're discussing possibly natively doing fit-text in CSS. Send us your use cases (with screenshots/links)!
Do you ever need to fit multi-line text?
Do you ever need to fit non-text inline elements (e.g. icons)?
Do you adjust font-size, letter-spacing, or both?
Do you ever need to fit multi-line text?
Do you ever need to fit non-text inline elements (e.g. icons)?
Do you adjust font-size, letter-spacing, or both?
Reposted by Lea Verou, PhD
Have you ever avoided using an a11y feature because of issues involved with IDREFs being global, or encountered bugs due to this?
Please let us know! We have a meeting to discuss this next Wednesday (at TPAC) and would love to hear your stories, especially if they impacted users.
cc @lea.verou.me
Please let us know! We have a meeting to discuss this next Wednesday (at TPAC) and would love to hear your stories, especially if they impacted users.
cc @lea.verou.me
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Have you ever avoided using an a11y feature because of issues involved with IDREFs being global, or encountered bugs due to this?
Please let us know! We have a meeting to discuss this next Wednesday (at TPAC) and would love to hear your stories, especially if they impacted users.
cc @lea.verou.me
Please let us know! We have a meeting to discuss this next Wednesday (at TPAC) and would love to hear your stories, especially if they impacted users.
cc @lea.verou.me
If it were possible to make elements focusable and give them ARIA roles via CSS, what would you use it for?
November 5, 2025 at 3:59 PM
If it were possible to make elements focusable and give them ARIA roles via CSS, what would you use it for?
🔥 Hot take:
I wonder if the Web’s Separation of Concerns should be about the Web platform *supporting* authors in being able to separate concerns in whatever way works for them, rather than forcing a specific type of separation dreamed up in the late 90s. 🤔
(*ducks to avoid objects thrown* 😅)
I wonder if the Web’s Separation of Concerns should be about the Web platform *supporting* authors in being able to separate concerns in whatever way works for them, rather than forcing a specific type of separation dreamed up in the late 90s. 🤔
(*ducks to avoid objects thrown* 😅)
November 4, 2025 at 9:42 PM
🔥 Hot take:
I wonder if the Web’s Separation of Concerns should be about the Web platform *supporting* authors in being able to separate concerns in whatever way works for them, rather than forcing a specific type of separation dreamed up in the late 90s. 🤔
(*ducks to avoid objects thrown* 😅)
I wonder if the Web’s Separation of Concerns should be about the Web platform *supporting* authors in being able to separate concerns in whatever way works for them, rather than forcing a specific type of separation dreamed up in the late 90s. 🤔
(*ducks to avoid objects thrown* 😅)