December 10, 2015 — You’ve got the basics of CSS down, but you are ready to kick it up a notch and add a bit more pizazz and interactivity to your websites. In this session we’ll explore the fundamentals of CSS transforms, transitions, and animation. What are the basic building blocks that make up these capabilities? What is the difference between a transition and a transform? What does browser support look like? Most importantly, how can you put these tools to use in your next project and where can you find good resources to learn more? We’ll answer these questions and more as we explore the basics of how to add some of the more truly dynamic elements of CSS to our websites.

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December 10, 2015 — We talk a lot about all the things you can do with WordPress. But what about what you should do? Let’s talk about making better software design decisions that communicate intent and enable better user and developer experiences.

December 10, 2015 — The New York Times has been using the forthcoming WP REST API in production for over a year. It was initially developed for use during the 2014 midterm elections, but has become the de facto Breaking News platform at the Times. This talk will explain how the project sprang to life, why the REST API was an obvious choice, how WordPress interacts with it, Backbone, and React to power Live Coverage at the paper of record.

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December 9, 2015 — A practical step-by-step of using the WordPress REST API to power a simple WordPress Theme using a little PHP as possible.

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December 9, 2015 — Good user experience in WordPress themes can make the difference between frustrated or happy users. Yet, it’s often overlooked. A solid user experience can feel just right, creating sound expectations and delight. We still see themes with misleading screenshots and demos. Themes with tons of options and complex setups too. This leaves users with false hopes and countless ways to fail. In this talk, we’ll explore user research, theme setup, theme options and more. By the end, you’ll know what makes up a theme’s user experience, and how to set your users up for success.

December 9, 2015 — For many years, the stack that WordPress sites have been built on has remained rather stagnant. PHP hasn’t released a new major version since 2004. The HTTP/1.1 spec was first released in 1997. Browsers have continued to evolve, yet much of the JavaScript and CSS written fails to take advantage of these evolutions. This is all changing and at a very rapid pace. 2015 marks major updates to multiple underlying technologies for WordPress and the web in general. This talk will explore PHP7, HTTP/2, HTTPS, ECMAScript 2015, and CSS4. We will look at what you need to do to prepare your code and help you get excited about taking advantage of new technologies today. The web is moving forward, if you don’t move with it, you will be left behind.

December 9, 2015 — We’re going to explore a few methods of learning – focusing on the practice of copying. Code, design, & user experience can all be improved when we take a deeper look into successful implementations. We’ll analyze methods and steal a few things along the way, learning how to truly make them our own.

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December 9, 2015 — If you thought responsive design was the long awaited solution for cross-device web design and UX, it’s not. With mobile access overtaking desktop, and the rise of emerging devices, responsive has been and still is a successful transition from fixed to adaptable layout and content management. But what’s next?

We will see how developers, designers and users are approaching the evolution of today’s content and experience, as well as the achievements and limitations of multi-channel design. Also, with Core 4.4 as a milestone, we will see how WordPress prepares its front-end transition with its new theme Twenty Sixteen and the integration of the Rest API.”

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December 8, 2015 — Vagrant, Composer, and Gulp. Oh my. So many tools, how does one sort them all out? This talk will walk you through the tools you can use to create the perfect WordPress development environment, what they’re for, and why they’re important.

December 8, 2015 — Accessibility is so much more than just catering to screen readers. What goes into making a website accessible? Many government contracts require websites to be accessible. A variety of companies and brands want them. It can affect the “magic” of SEO (ranking, search-ability, search engine karma, etc). How can you determine whether or not your website is?

Ultimately, it’s really not that hard, doing even one thing is better than nothing at all, and it’s never too late to start thinking about it. This presentation will discuss both tools and techniques that can help you build accessible websites.

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