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USWDS: The United States Web Design System

designsystem.digital.gov

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Re: USWDS: The United States Web Design System

#101

Post by a2128 »

systemvoltage wrote: post #32
guilhermeasg wrote: post #7

I haven't used them myself, but the GOV.UK components look and function great. https://govuk-components.netlify.app/

I am not a fan of Gov UK framework. For once, the banner takes up 50% of the space on my mobile browser. All design elements and controls are excessively large and bloated. Negative space is liberally applied everywhere. USWDS strikes a good balance.

You have to remember who this is being designed for - citizens wanting to use government services, who may not necessarily have great eyesight, great computer literacy or even literacy in general.

The last thing you should ever want is for someone to fail to apply for welfare benefits because they were overwhelmed by the website design.

I agree that the cookie banner could be smaller though.

Re: USWDS: The United States Web Design System

#102

Post by micromacrofoot »

Aeolun wrote: post #21
EricE wrote: post #18

Anyone with any part in designing user interfaces seriously needs to commit their section on color to heart: https://designsystem.digital.gov/design-tokens/color/overvie... Especially the contrast/magic number discussion. It's crazy how many user interfaces these days blur design elements to where you can't tell were controls are. The recent trend to eliminate window title bars is particularly infuriating, but button…

The contrast on the example images rated as AA is actually quite horrible though. I can read the header, but the normal sized text is almost indistinguishable.

The current color contrast algorithm used by WCAG is sorely in need of an update, it outright fails for certain color combinations.

Re: USWDS: The United States Web Design System

#103

Post by gunsch »

somehnacct3757 wrote: post #8
Someone1234 wrote: post #5

Developers are an interesting bunch "Why does anyone use Bootstrap anymore?" and then goes and creates basically the exact same components again by hand. Seems like that same trend repeats every couple of years "[Popular library] is now outdated, let me just create an in-house clone or move to identical but trendy [Popular library]." To be clear I very much like the USWDS components, but they are mostly 1:1 with Boot…

I would find real peace of mind in a design system maintained by a government that guarantees compliance with that government's accessibility requirements.

This one's the real answer (or at least a substantial part of it). On VA.gov, the USWDS components (and their composition into a modular forms system) was a large part of making sure that applications met the accessibility needs of the general public.

Source: I was the VA.gov engineering lead for awhile

Re: USWDS: The United States Web Design System

#104

Post by heavyset_go »

datavirtue wrote: post #93
tablespoon wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Especially the contrast/magic number discussion. It's crazy how many user interfaces these days blur design elements to where you can't tell were controls are. The recent trend to eliminate window title bars is particularly infuriating, but buttons that don't look like buttons because they blend into the background are another pet peeve - or have light gray on dark gray. Ugh! Contrast serves a purpose! Modern UX de…

Exactly,I seriously can't wait until our modern UIs are made illegal by a modification to the disabilities act. I'll probably throw a party.

I don't think you'd even need a modification to laws, you'd just need actual enforcement of existing laws when it comes to accessibility and tech.

Re: USWDS: The United States Web Design System

#105

Post by systemvoltage »

a2128 wrote: post #101
systemvoltage wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not a fan of Gov UK framework. For once, the banner takes up 50% of the space on my mobile browser. All design elements and controls are excessively large and bloated. Negative space is liberally applied everywhere. USWDS strikes a good balance.

You have to remember who this is being designed for - citizens wanting to use government services, who may not necessarily have great eyesight, great computer literacy or even literacy in general. The last thing you should ever want is for someone to fail to apply for welfare benefits because they were overwhelmed by the website design. I agree that the cookie banner could be smaller though.

Yes, and USWDS does it without being bloated. Far more usable IMO.

There is room for well designed, compact UI that is also accessible. It is not that strict of a trade-off as you suggest.

Re: USWDS: The United States Web Design System

#107

Post by bobthepanda »

reidjs wrote: post #77
wanda wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, you're not missing anything really, but I'm sure glad that not every website looks like a Bootstrap 3. I think these government ones are more about keeping a consistent style and look across departmental websites, than advertising a product for general use. In fact, I think the government would not take very kindly to hobbyists making official-looking websites serving a non-government agenda. Front-end isn't th…

I wonder if there is some hidden value to fashion trends. There are obvious reasons to wear clothes like you mentioned, to stay warm, protect from elements, carry your wallet, etc. but it also helps you identify in group/out group. Your style conveys your age and generation. Your music preferences. Where you are from. I think web design can convey similar things, sometimes at the cost of utility. For example, a websi…

A lot of fashion trends can also come from advancements in materials or changes in their cost which allow new kinds of experimentation. As an example (not necessarily positive) fast fashion was enabled by ruthlessly cutting costs of production. Polyester was really big in the ‘60s after its commercial release. And so on.

Re: USWDS: The United States Web Design System

#108

Post by 1shooner »

Someone1234 wrote: post #5

Developers are an interesting bunch "Why does anyone use Bootstrap anymore?" and then goes and creates basically the exact same components again by hand. Seems like that same trend repeats every couple of years "[Popular library] is now outdated, let me just create an in-house clone or move to identical but trendy [Popular library]." To be clear I very much like the USWDS components, but they are mostly 1:1 with Boot…

Section 508. Even if Bootstrap might support it for now (and I don't know that it does), there's no guarantee it will continue to.
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