JHDD Web Design Report — 2026.09.28

The polyfill for the upcoming CSS random() function, highlighted by CSS-Tricks, demonstrates an ongoing push for expressive and dynamic front-end capabilities.

These recent discussions reveal a clear pattern: the web’s technical capabilities are advancing rapidly, offering new tools for precise layout, dynamic typography, and performant motion, yet the prevailing design methodologies and industry incentives often cling to inherited, less amiable patterns. There exists a tension between sophisticated native browser features that empower true craft and the often-unexamined assumptions that lead to accessibility failures and poor user experiences.

The emergence of features like `CSS random()`, alongside developments such as `Syntax ::highlight()ing` and `named-feature()` detailed in What’s !important #18, signifies a deepening of the browser’s native expressive power. These tools allow frontend craftspeople to achieve nuanced, context-aware designs directly in CSS, reducing reliance on JavaScript for visual dynamism. This shift enables lighter, more performant experiences. For example, `CSS random()` could generate subtle variations in a grid layout or typeface display, fostering visual interest without adding client-side script overhead, which directly contributes to better performance and responsiveness.

The mainstream industry often prioritizes “engagement” metrics, frequently leading to patterns like the intrusive `Taboola` ads and mandatory cookie popovers criticized in “Design for Amiability: Lessons from Vienna.” This approach, while aiming for business outcomes, frequently sacrifices genuine user experience and amiability. This contradicts the conventional wisdom that high engagement, as currently measured, equates to good web design. In reality, these patterns introduce friction and degrade performance, creating “bad websites” even when designed by “good designers,” as observed in an A List Apart proposal. By mid-2027, the industry will see increased pressure from users and regulatory bodies alike to treat fundamental amiability and accessibility as primary performance indicators, moving beyond simplistic engagement rates.

The primary opposing force against this shift comes from deeply entrenched, inherited design thinking, analogous to the 1788 `Abitur` system described in “Designed for a Dead Language.” This system of teaching for a dead language demonstrates how solutions designed for one context persist and become detrimental when applied to radically different problems. On the web, this manifests as reliance on outdated component libraries, JavaScript frameworks over native CSS capabilities, or a default to patterns that prioritize advertiser demands over user needs, simply because these approaches have been the established norm.

A web design professional should conduct an audit of their current component library or design system. Identify any patterns or interactions that could be simplified or made more dynamic using recently stable or emerging native CSS features, such as `random()` or `::highlight()`, rather than replicating them with JavaScript. Prioritize replacing any elements that contribute to user friction or performance degradation with a native, amiable, and performant CSS solution.

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Curated References