5 Questions for Laura Carlson
by @laura_carlson@mastodon.social and @j9t@mas.to (@frontenddogma@mas.to) on , tagged interviews, accessibility, web, history (share this post, e.g., on Mastodon or on Bluesky)
Laura Carlson is an information technology professional at the University of Minnesota Duluth, working in Information Technology Systems and Services with a focus on web design, development, training, and accessibility. She is the creator of the Web Design Update and an Invited Expert with the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group at the World Wide Web Consortium.
Jens: Hi Laura—nice to meet you here! Can you share a little bit about yourself? What are you working on these days?
Laura: I work in Information Technology Systems and Services at the University of Minnesota Duluth, focusing on web design, development, and training. Accessibility has been a central part of my work for many years, along with usability and web standards.
I also serve in a digital accessibility coordination role at the University, helping to guide strategy, support colleagues, and align efforts across teams.
These days, I continue to maintain and publish the Web Design Update and contribute to accessibility work as a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Invited Expert with the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group. I also contribute to the development of WCAG 3 through work in a W3C subgroup focused on image and media alternatives.
Jens: What has you excited about accessibility?
Laura: Accessibility continues to be my primary focus. What is most encouraging is the growing awareness and commitment across the field.
This is also reflected in efforts like the University’s Title II initiative. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public institutions to provide equal access, including digital content, supporting equitable access to digital information
and services. The deadline recently changed but the responsibility did not.
I’m also encouraged by the shift toward building a culture where accessibility is understood and practiced, rather than treated as a separate task. It works best when it is shared across roles instead of being treated as a specialized responsibility.
There is still more work to do, but steady progress is being made. Accessibility is also being considered earlier in the design and development process.
Jens: After almost 25 years, the Web Design Update is an institution to follow updates in web design and development. What’s the story behind it?
Laura: The Web Design Update began in July 2002. It has been a long and rewarding effort. At the time, I was already collecting and sharing resources as part of my work and research. I had been sending updates to colleagues, and when our web development listserv was revived, I began sharing those updates more broadly.
Early on, I started collecting links simply to keep track of what I was learning. Over time, that personal collection grew into something I could share with others, which eventually became the Web Design Update.
From there, it gradually developed into a weekly newsletter. As I continued to track new articles and developments, it became a way to share that work with a broader audience. It has remained a plain-text email digest, focused on useful and reliable information. The newsletter now reaches ~2700 subscribers and has been published weekly since 2002 (over 1,200 issues), with a complete public archive.
Few books, courses, or publications integrate accessibility from the start. When it is considered, it is often treated as an afterthought that may never be fully addressed. The Web Design Update takes a more inclusive approach. Accessibility is treated as essential and integrated wherever possible across related topics.
In a Web with an increasing volume of content, including AI-generated material, careful selection has become more important. In that sense, the newsletter functions as a form of curation, taking care to identify and share information that is worth readers’ time.
Jens: Can you share some of the key moments in your work with the Web Design Update—what has been working well? What challenges did you run into?
Laura: Consistency has been one of the most important factors in the newsletter’s longevity. Publishing regularly over many years has helped build trust with readers. Keeping the format simple and focusing on content have also contributed to its effectiveness.
A strong interest in accessibility has also helped shape the newsletter. That focus has resonated with readers and continues to guide its direction.
At the same time, there are ongoing challenges. Reviewing a large and growing amount of content takes continuous effort. The expansion of the Web, along with the rapid growth of AI-generated content, has made it more difficult to sift through content and find what is most useful. Managing subscriptions can also be challenging, as the current system relies on Google Groups. It works smoothly for people with Google accounts, but others must be handled manually.
Jens: With your unique perspective at our field(s), what excites and what concerns you?
Laura: What continues to excite me is the Web’s potential to support learning and the sharing of knowledge. That has always been one of its greatest strengths, and it remains a strong motivation in my work.
At the same time, the increasing volume of content raises concerns about quality and reliability. It is becoming harder to identify trustworthy sources, which makes careful selection and evaluation more important.
Accessibility remains both an area of progress and an area of concern. While awareness has improved, it is not applied consistently. Continuing to close that gap is important for ensuring equitable access to information and services.
Jens: Thank you!
Laura: You’re welcome!