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WordPress 5.7 Released

WordPress 5.7 was released this week, bringing with it a refined block editor UI, lazy-loading iframes, streamlined migration from HTTP to HTTPS, standardized colors in the WordPress Admin, and a new Robots API and media search engine visibility setting.

FunFact: WordPress 5.7 is named for Esperanza Spalding, a modern musical prodigy. This is only the second time a WordPress namesake has been a living jazz musician.

Nine 10uppers helped make this release possible, including myself, who was recognized as a Noteworthy Contributor. Thank you for helping make WordPress: Helen Hou-Sandí, Fabian Kaegy, Felipe Elia, John Watkins, Lukas Pawlik, Pete Nelson, Ramon Ahnert, and Stephanie Walters.

WordPress 5.6 Released, Led by 10up’s Helen Hou-Sandi

10up Contributors For WordPress 5.6 Simone

WordPress 5.6, released on Tuesday, features expanded auto-update capabilities, further updates to jQuery, the initial groundwork for PHP 8 support, and REST API authentication with Application Passwords to help third-party apps connect with sites securely and help site owners see what connected apps are doing.

It also delivers new block patterns available in all default themes and a brand-new default theme built for the block editor. Twenty Twenty-One prioritizes accessibility, conforming to the WordPress accessibility-ready guidelines and addressing several specialized standards from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AAA.

This release, with an all-women and non-binary release squad, was led by 10up’s own Director of Open Source Initiatives Helen Hou-Sandì as Core Tech Lead. Nine other 10uppers helped make this release possible, including myself, who along with Helen, was recognized as a Noteworthy Contributor. Thank you for helping make WordPress: Asvin Balloo, Darin Kotter, Evan Mullins, Fabian Kaegy, Felipe Elia, Helen Hou-Sandí, Jeffrey Paul, Junaid Bhura, Ryan Welcher, and Tung Du!

10up’s New Design Shopping Exercise Featured On Smashing Magazine

Design Shopping Exercise

Working with large stakeholder groups can present challenges when working to reach a unified consensus on the design vision for a project. To encourage collaboration and ensure everyone feels confident and comfortable sharing ideas and opinions without judgment, 10up uses an exercise called Design Shopping.

In my recent article Design Shopping: Get A Faster Client Buy-In Through A Guided Design Showcase, published by Smashing Magazine, I explain our Design Shopping workflow and how it was used to gain client buy-in and facilitate swift design decisions when redesigning the California DMV website.

Design Shopping helps stakeholder groups quickly align around a shared design vocabulary and foundational design principles in a deliberate, meaningful way by removing the pressure of being right or wrong. When done right, this exercise turns big picture possibilities into a tangible design direction.

If you’d like your next design and UX project driven by a creative team that prioritizes collaboration, clear communication, and caring client services, get in touch.

The Role Of Open Source: A New make|Shift Documentary Short Film

Ben Ilfeld, Jake Goldman, Phil Crumm

Earlier this year, the feature length make|SHIFT documentary explored the history of modern advertising and the role open-source technology played in its evolution. The film highlights the brands, makers, and agencies — including 10up — who harness new technology, test new business models, and question the status quo in an age that gives consumers the power to determine how, when, and where they connect with brands.

A new make|SHIFT short film, clocking in at just under four minutes, highlights the critical role open source plays in creating the complex experiences consumers demand and features insights from myself, 10up’s President and founder Jake Goldman, and our CEO John Eckman.

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John Eckman

This Thursday I’m participating in the CoRise Summit — a free global startup summit to CoLearn, Collaborate, and CoRise with the community. As a panelist in a session on Building Remote Teams and Company Culture (August 27 at 12:30 PM ET), I’m looking forward to sharing some of our insights on building and managing a distributed team.

I’m also happy to be a contributor to Remote Teams Work. It’s a new book out this month that provides strategic and practical guidance on establishing and running a successful remote team, including tools and methodologies, hiring and salaries, and creating a remote culture.

As more and more companies adjust to remote work and the value of distributed teams, hopefully they can benefit from the best practices we’ve seen and experienced.

WordPress 5.5 Released, Block For Apple Maps Included In Block Library

Block for Apple Maps in the Block Directory

WordPress 5.5 was released last week, featuring automatic updates for plugins and themes, lazy-loading images, extensible XML sitemaps, improvements to the block editor, and as always, supplemental under the hood security, performance, and developer improvements. As always, many 10uppers contributed to this release.

This latest release introduces a number of improvements to the block content editor. Highlights include inline image editing that lets you crop, rotate, and zoom photos within image blocks; device previews that show how content will appear to visitors with different screen sizes; and a Block Directory that lets you find, install, and insert third-party blocks in the editor, without ever leaving the page.

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