The Drunken UX Podcast

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Aaron Hill and Michael Fienen discuss web development, user experience, accessibility, and more - all while having a (hopefully) nice drink and trying to help listeners build a better web for the future.

Michael Fienen and Aaron Hill


    • Nov 21, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 53m AVG DURATION
    • 165 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Drunken UX Podcast

    #121: Accommodating Neurodivergent Hires in Tech

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2022 50:55


    This week, Aaron sits down for a solo talk with the audience about his challenges being neuredivergent in the field of web development, and how that affects his work, along with what you can do...

    #120: Getting Started with Google Tag Manager

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2022 57:12


    Michael’s solo this week, and taking the opportunity to dive into a subject he’s very passionate about: The value of Google Tag Manager. GTM is a tool that can simplify a lot of things in...

    #119: Tips For Effective Footer UX

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2022 59:58


    Too often, footers get the short end of the UX design stick. It’s the afterthought, the thing at the bottom of the page, the place where useless items go to die. But it doesn’t have...

    #118: Skills For Your First Front End Job

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2022 53:12


    In the field of web development, there’s so much to know, it can be daunting for those trying to break into their career at a company. In this episode, Michael and Aaron explore which skills...

    #117: R.I.P. IE, WordPress 6 Features, and CSS Tips

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 72:50


    Need some bite sized conversations today? Let Michael and Aaron help with some discussion on the end of Internet Explorer, looking at WordPress 6 features, and some great CSS tips! It’s a great blend of...

    #116: Coding Pop Quiz Part 3 (Back to JS)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2022 59:46


    In this episode, Michael and Aaron finish up taking their tests by comparing notes on some additional JavaScript challenges. Are two heads better than one? What sneaky tricks will derail them? Jump in and answer...

    #115: Coding Pop Quiz Part 2 (Ruby)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2022 59:22


    Turnabout is only fair play when it comes to testing our knowledge. Last week, Aaron was faced with some difficult JavaScript questions. This week, Michael takes on the hot seat with a whole batch of...

    #114: Coding Pop Quiz Part 1 (JavaScript)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2022 59:40


    Finals have arrived here at Drunken UX, and it’s time to take the test. Aaron is in the hot seat as we look at questions related to tricky JavaScript behavior. It’s a great way to...

    Build Process #9: Ben Reynolds

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2022 38:10


    Aaron talks with friend and former coworker Ben Reynolds, a fellow Ruby on Rails dev and Rust enthusiast. They talk about Ben’s background in music, working for a call center, and his atypical journey into...

    #113: Using Shannon-Weaver in Web Strategy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2022 58:17


    With Aaron out of town, Michael takes the microphone solo to dive into why the Shannon-Weaver Model makes a great foundation to launch your design strategy. By putting people at the center of your process,...

    #112: Web Locks, “Programming” in HTML, and Wes Bos’s JavaScript Reference

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2022 59:27


    Aaron and Michael sit down for a web round up of topics. First,Safari 15.4 solifies the Web Locks API as a standard you can now use cross-browser, we debate whether or not HTML is “programming,”...

    #111: What Did the DOJ Just Say About Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 59:57


    The US Department of Justice just released guidelines to take a firmer, clearer stance on your responsibility to comply with ADA requirements when it comes to accessibility requirements in web development. But… what does that...

    #110: Raising the Curtain on JavaScript Performance

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2022 59:47


    Despite the growing abundance of bandwidth and computing power available from desktops to cell phones, putting attention on the performance of the code you write is still a worthwhile skill to cultivate that will help...

    Build Process #8: Lydia Winters

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 33:09


    Build Process returns for 2022 with an interview with front end developer Lydia Winters from Limelight Marketing. Lydia is a relatively new developer with a passion for design who’s working on her master’s degree in...

    #109: Get Accessibility Moving with prefers-reduced-motion

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 59:17


    Movement on web pages can cause users an assortment of issues for a wide array of reasons. Slowly, we’re adding controls to operating systems and browser so that users can define their preferences for issues...

    #108: Using DevTools Like a Boss

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2022 59:45


    As a web developer, no tool may ever prove to be quite as useful as DevTools is. It’s complex, powerful, and reveals a wealth of information about pages you’re working on. The problem is, learning...

    #107: Building Michael’s First Ruby Application

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2022 60:00


    In this special episode, Aaron takes the driver seat to teach Michael a new skill: creating an application using Ruby on Rails. They start from scratch, and walk through the basic steps and scaffolding to...

    #106: Understanding Everything About the Box Model

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2022 60:00


    The Box Model is a fundamental component of everything we do in building a layout for a website. Yet, you may not know all the idiosyncrasies or particulars that underpin how it affects rendering of...

    #105: The Beginner’s Guide to CSS BEM

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2022 59:59


    Successfully implementing a design for a large site in CSS can be a challenge in the best of circumstances. It can be downright hard if you need to spread the work across multiple developers of...

    #104: Season 4 Naughty or Nice List Finale

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2021 59:59


    After 25 more episodes, we’ve arrived at the end of season 4! Michael and Aaron are doing their best Santa impersonation this week and are breaking out their lists of who’s been naughty, and who’s...

    #103: Reviewing The State of UX in 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2021 59:01


    UX Collective recently published their report looking ahead to The State of UX in 2022. We’ve pulled up their notes and go over their predictions and observations, tossing in some of our own to sweeten...

    #102: What is GraphQL All About? w/ special guest Justin Bahl

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2021 59:51


    APIs can be confusing. Conventions like RESTful services have been a staple of the industry, but they suffer from a lack of tools that can better solve modern development challenges. Jason Bahl joins us this...

    #101: Design Advice for Developers

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2021 59:57


    If you’re a developer that’s ever been pressed to complete a project on your own, or with a small team, you’ll know the anxiety that comes with making design decisions for a project that doesn’t...

    #100: Past, Present, and Future of 100 Episodes

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2021 59:55


    It’s Milestone Monday! After nearly four years, we’re celebrating one hundred episodes! With that, we felt like it was time to update you on projects, and make some announcements, like our Patreon! We also look...

    #99: How Kind Design Will Shape the Web

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2021 59:41


    The time has come for us to unleash upon the world the concept of Kind Design. Over the last four seasons, we’ve reinforced a consistent message of crafting considerate solutions for your users, solutions that...

    #98: How Atlas Content Modeler Carries WordPress on its Back w/ special guest Kellen Mace

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2021 59:13


    Building a site using a headless WordPress approach is a strategy with growing appeal in all kinds of organizations. While we have the tools available to do it, the approach right now can feel daunting,...

    #97: Demystifying Web Vitals and PageSpeed w/ special guest Erik Runyon

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2021 59:57


    Web Vitals are increasingly important to how your website ranks in search results, and you can learn a lot about how users perceive your site by studying them. Gone are the days where simply having...

    #96: Content Strategy Advice for Devs and Designers w/ special guest Sarah Maxell Crosby

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2021 59:57


    It doesn’t matter if all your work takes place in code or Figma, what you produce depends on content, and content depends on you. There are lots of small ways success is influenced over time...

    #95: Advice for Your First WordPress Theme w/ Michelle Schulp

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2021 59:54


    A lot goes into creating a robust WordPress theme. So much, that it can be daunting when you decide to tackle your theme project. But, while theme development can be an expansive topic to learn,...

    #94: Tech Debt, Sliders, and Funky Browser Features

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2021 59:58


    Today we have fun with three bite-sized topics to get you through your day. First, we look at how we define different types of technical debt. Then we look into Michael’s second least favorite topic...

    #93: Accessibility Overlays and Calculating CSS Specificity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2021 59:48


    We’re tackling two topics this week to spice things up a little bit. We open by looking at the controversy that was stirred up after AccessiBe responded to comments on Twitter about the challenges their...

    #92: What Should We Do About Link Rot?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2021 59:56


    People are good at creating content. Like, really good. We create… a lot of it. What we’re less good at is maintaining that content over time. One symptom of that problem is the slow decay...

    #91: Running Tests Using Cypress.io w/ Jessica Sachs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2021 59:49


    Slow down to speed up. It’s an important mantra that, at times, might feel daunting to put into practice. But learning how to use tools to test your web development can lead to better, more...

    #90: What’s Behind Inclusive Design from UX@UW

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2021 59:46


    Recently, Michael and Aaron were invited to speak to students taking part in the UX@UW user experience hackathon. The presentation, on how usability and accessibility create the foundation for inclusive design, was recorded and is...

    #89: Building Static Sites Using Eleventy w/ Stephanie Eckles

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2021 59:45


    Looking for an easy entry point to create your first static site? Eleventy might be the right tool for that project. With a low barrier to entry and a lot of support out of the...

    #88: Understanding the Value of UX Research w/ Varun Murugesan

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2021 59:40


    Do you make data driven decisions? Most web developers build websites with a combination of instinct, and relying on conventions established by other researchers. But truly proprietary, 1st party research on your sites and tools...

    #87: Musings on CMS Diversity, Intrinsic Typography, and CSS Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2021 54:25


    We made the questionable move to give Michael the reigns solo this week, but luckily, he came up with a selection of topics to go over that’ll ensure a little something for everyone. He dives...

    #86: We’re Stuck On Sticky Headers

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2021 59:59


    Most UI choices you can make have differing amounts of good and bad considerations to weigh. Does the advantage tradeoff outweigh the disadvantages? The technique of sticking header navigation to the top of the browser...

    #85: Better Development Through Effective Code Reviews

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2021 59:55


    This week we’re chatting about the importance of a far too often overlooked step in the development process: code review. It’s easy to write off the review process, especially if you don’t work in a...

    #84: Answering WebDev Questions from Reddit

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2021 59:58


    It’s Q&A Day in the Drunken UX studio, and this week we’re taking a trip over to r/WebDev to see what people are needing help with. We picked a few of our favorite questions to...

    #83: Get Your JavaScript Ready for ES2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2021 59:55


    We’re just about four months away from the release of ES2021, the latest annual update to the ECMAScript standard, and it will bring with it quite a few quality of life improvements for JavaScript. This...

    #82: Strategies for Avoiding and Coping with Burnout

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2021 59:52


    Even the best of us find moments where our work no longer brings us joy or excites us. It’s when that work starts to feel like an anchor around our neck that we need to...

    #81: Getting Your <head> On Straight

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2021 59:57


    If there’s one part of a website that suffers from the consequences of cargo cult coding more than others, it may well be the of a site template. Over time, we simply get used...

    #80: Reviewing Results of the 2020 Design Tools Survey

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2021 59:57


    With so many tools vying for your attention and money, it can be tough to know what the best options are when you’re prototyping a new UI or collecting test data from users. Taylor Palmer...

    #79: Why Babel Belongs In Your Build /w Kurtis Rainbolt-Greene

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2021 59:22


    Let’s start out 2021 with a bang, and dive into how Babel fits into your build process and tool chain. To help us out in the discussion, we’re joined by software engineer Kurtis Rainbolt-Greene to...

    #78: Season 3 Finale

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2020 59:56


    Season 3 is ready to be in our rearview mirror, and with it, a pretty weird 2020. To play out the season 3 finale, we take some time to reflect on remote working, successes we’ve...

    #77: Accessibility Among Us, CSS Math, and prefers-reduced-data

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2020 59:55


    Stocking stuffer topics are the order of the week as we approach Christmas! We’ve got three different subjects to dive into ahead of the season finale as we look at issues of color accessibility in...

    #76: UX F**k, Marry, Kill w/ special guest Tim Broadwater

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2020 59:14


    Author Tim Broadwater stops in this week to go over his book, UX: FMK, with us. In it, Tim share helpful anecdotes on issues related to the user experience field to help new UXers in...

    #75: Back to Basics and Flaws in Fundamentals

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2020 58:47


    When learning web development, it’s easy to fall into habits that “work,” but aren’t optimal. We frequently learn by example, but the context those examples come in can impact if the nuance of the solutions...

    #74: Roundtable Review of Web Work in 2020

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2020 59:54


    This week we’re joined by HighEdWeb veterans Paul Gilzow, Nikki Massaro Kauffman, and Matt Ryan to take a look back at 2020. In this special roundtable episode, we see where they found success, what challenges...

    #73: Playing Politics with User Experience

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2020 59:55


    We’re less than a month out from the next big election here in the US, so what better time than now to take a look at our candidates’ websites and review some of the things...

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