One of the best things I’ve read or heard this year was Peter Bell saying in a LinkedIn live something along the lines of: “Use LLMs to write code to replace themselves” It changed the way that I thought about and architected the systems I was building. It’s a great way to force yourself to think more clearly about what it is that you’re building, what needs an LLM’s judgment, and what can/should be code.

What I don’t understand is how millions of reviews, returns, and similar customer orders has ANYTHING to do with my “recommended shoe size” :) The signal for my recommended shoe SIZE should be purely about the shoes I have purchased, reviewed, returned, etc. Other aspects of the shoe? Sure, maybe let them be influenced by other factors. But definitely NOT size.

ENERGIZED!! That's how I felt after speaking at an internal conference on Thursday. My talk was "Accessibility & Inclusion in the Age of the Builder". Wow, I'd forgotten how much I love presenting at events. Wonderful hosts that placed their trust in me to share my experience and perspectives. Yes, it was virtual. That's not my favourite, but I still love being in the moment and connecting with people as best as we can over the internets. I took a look at what's different now than about 10 years ago (when I spoke at the very same event). How do we ensure we're scaling inclusion and not exclusion? (people is the answer). So many programs are built on people, process, and tools → what's changed? Process and tools. What's stayed the same? People. So much has changed, and so much has stayed the same. And... importantly, how do we chart a path forward, and who should be the authors that shape the direction we head? Also people. There's a pattern there.

Accessibility doesn’t take longer JUST because it’s accessibility. It takes longer because you’re learning new things: New techniques, new processes, new things to consider, new insights from working with people with disabilities, new measures of success.

When you're asked the question "How do we make this accessible?" try responding with a whole bunch of questions before responding with a whole bunch of answers. #accessibility #a11y #UX #design

The best time to get started on accessibility for your project is before it started. The second best time is now.

Accessibility itself IS NOT hard. But, accessibility at scale IS hard. Doing accessibility consistently well IS hard. Accessibility where it hasn't been done before IS hard. Creating a culture that values accessibility IS hard. Don't confuse one with the other.