Alena Nikolaeva
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alenanik.github.io
Alena Nikolaeva
@alenanik.github.io
1.3K followers 290 following 510 posts
product designer @seqera.io, software engineer • prev. @github.com Copilot • giving a 🦆 about accessibility, responsible and inclusive web
https://bento.me/alenanik
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alenanik.github.io
Las Olympus son increíbles, tengo una que parece un plasticorrio barato (no quiere decir que era barata 😆) de los finales de los 90, y las fotos salen increíbles para lo torpe que soy yo!
Modern Spanish buildings (beige, creme and red) and clear blue sky
September 7, 2025 at 9:28 AM
alenanik.github.io
“First thing I learned was to really listen. Hear the words people use and reflect them in the UI. […] excellent design doesn’t have to be fancy. Sometimes excellence is a few well-placed words.”
Book by Erin Weigel “Design for impact”
August 26, 2025 at 6:58 AM
alenanik.github.io
Back to school (last of my summer books)
Two books on the table: O'REILLY Practical Programming for Biological Data Covers Python 3 and Bioinformatics programming
August 19, 2025 at 11:25 AM
alenanik.github.io
Reading “The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want” by Alex Hanna and Emily M. Bender and hoping that my baby’s first word will not be AI because of it. So far liking it!
A hand holding an open book and little baby feet are seen under the book
July 6, 2025 at 7:10 PM
alenanik.github.io
New notifications are absolutely unreadable (imagine in bright day light with a baby in one hand) meaning that its needed to be adjusted in settings 🤷🏼‍♀️

Why not to make it work out of the box?
iPhone in the hand featuring new Liquid Glass effect (messages white text is barely visible)
June 10, 2025 at 1:19 PM
alenanik.github.io
The descriptions of images of text are so rare in the emails, I celebrate every single one #accessibility
A description of the image of text in the email: square graphic with a red gradient border and peach background. At the top, text, Diversability Leadership Collective. Below, text, “Navigating Business Finances.” Below, Aneisha Velazquez’s headshot with her name. Below, text, “Wednesday, May 28 | 2:00pm ET (11:00am PT). Join us for a free week of membership. Sliding scale options available.” At the bottom on a white bar, “Sign up here”: http://diversability.mn.co.” On the sides, text, “Open to the public.”
April 28, 2025 at 7:01 PM
alenanik.github.io
Just received March pictures from the film lab and they turned out so nostalgic ✨
Leaves of a tree with the sunshine behind it and blue sky Oranges trees and orange blossoms with the sunshine and the blue sky A street on a sunny day: people are waiting to cross the street near the shop “Mario Puerto” The sea (a bit far away), beach, plants and flowers (yellow, green and brown) closer to the viewer
April 17, 2025 at 9:28 AM
alenanik.github.io
AI responding to emails on companies behalf just makes us all go thought a useless extra step.

I will always request human to confirm, and the human will read my original email anyways. 🙄
Hola! Lamento mucho escuchar que tus tuppers llegaron dañados. Voy a pasar tu solicitud al equipo correspondiente para que puedan ayudarte con el reembolso. Gracias por tu paciencia y comprensión. 😊 Saludos, Esta respuesta fue creada por Inteligencia Artificial. Si necesitas más ayuda un humano te contactará. This response was created by AI. If you need more help a human will contact you.
April 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
alenanik.github.io
Un día hago la charla de todo lo que encuentro, porque una web de reclamación sobre accesibilidad con 16 errores críticos de accesibilidad da para hablar
La web de la administración pública. Contenido: INICIO PROCEDIMIENTOS MIS EXPEDIENTES MIS NOTIFICACIONES AYUDA Reclamación sobre accesibilidad de los sitios web y aplicaciones para dispositivos móviles Formulario para enviar sus reciamaciones sobre accesiblidad de los sitios web y apicaciones para dispositivos moviles Un error está abierto y muestra un link vacío con el contraste que falla.
March 18, 2025 at 11:57 AM
alenanik.github.io
Year 2025: not able to see hotel rooms to book because the web is not responsive 😤
Website that looks broken on the mobile device: home, hotel, restaurant, events, room and suites, booking. No images are shown of the rooms or hotel.
March 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM
alenanik.github.io
Health insurance website:

The calendar “picker” is not accessible via keyboard, colour contrast is failing, buttons are empty and… (wait for it) the form is time sensitive. 😳 At this point just let it be the regular text input!
February 5, 2025 at 8:53 AM
alenanik.github.io
It’s too good 😂
A four-panel comic with anthropomorphized square characters representing a UI Designer, a UX Designer, and a PM. In the first panel, the UI Designer says to the UX Designer, 'When we do it your way, it will be ugly!' In the second panel, the UX Designer responds, 'When we do it your way, it will be confusing!' In the third panel, a PM stands between them and pleads, 'Please work together, we are a team!' In the fourth panel, the PM adds, 'I'm sure we find a way to make it ugly and confusing.' The characters have simple faces with dot eyes and line mouths. The background is blue, and the comic is marked with the website 'jonaskamber.com'.
January 26, 2025 at 12:52 PM
alenanik.github.io
Que ilusión volver a la sala de @bilbostack.com a disfrutar de las charlas en vez de hablar yo 😂 Buen rollito y comida de Bilbao ❤️
Un slide “a JavaScript le quedan 2 años “ en el escenario El slide de la charla con texto “"El 50% de las profesionales de la tecnología abandonan el sector antes de cumplir 35 años"
January 25, 2025 at 11:18 AM
alenanik.github.io
I saw so many of them recently! You can barely see them 😄
A few green parrot birds on the green grass, it’s hard to spot them because the colour of the grass is exactly the color of the parrots
January 11, 2025 at 4:50 PM
alenanik.github.io
Interesting design choice: Spotify feature that doesn’t allow to read the show’s reviews before listening at least one episode. Wondering if it can an issue for users (with hearing impairments?) who might prefer to rely on reviews before committing to listen
Listen to the show first! Only listeners to this show can rate it. Check out a few episodes then come back and give your feedback.
January 8, 2025 at 10:17 PM
alenanik.github.io
Zero config cute terminal that uses JetBrains Mono 🩷

ghostty.org
An image of a ghost made with symbols, letters and numbers in white and border in blue making a funny face
January 2, 2025 at 9:33 AM
alenanik.github.io
An example of how problematic images that include instructions without alternative text are problematic for blind users when they need to do a return or exchange of gifts 🎁 during holiday season:
3 steps of instructions illustrated with images. The inspector (Chrome dev tools) is open with the following code snippet highlighted: <img style=“border-box; color: 9000800;*> cing style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" src="/hc/article attachment” width=“226” height=“344”>
December 31, 2024 at 10:49 AM
alenanik.github.io
One of my favorite generative arts accounts is by Saskia Freeke. She uploads a geometric shape a day, everyday and it’s really inspiring ✨

www.instagram.com/sasj_nl/
A grid of 9 images of geometric shapes with bright colours and diverse colour palettes. The majority of the shapes are triangle, square and stars
December 23, 2024 at 8:45 AM
alenanik.github.io
Noticed that Prague has this really awesome app to buy public transport tickets, and it has the list of accessibility facilities and their statuses. Clicking on “out of order” will show you the reason and the platform where it’s broken. ❤️
The list of accessibility facilities: out of order, partially operational, fully operational
December 12, 2024 at 12:04 PM
alenanik.github.io
I saw a coffee tree and the cherry for the first time today in the tiniest cafe in Prague, it made my day!
Coffee tree leaves in warm ambient light of the coffeeshop Coffee cherry (2 cherries) and the tree in the same warm light of the coffee shop.
December 8, 2024 at 6:55 PM
alenanik.github.io
It’s like a childhood friend saying goodbye 💔
In Vision Customers, As we enter the final month of In Vision service, we'd like to remind you that all in Vision services will shut down on December 31, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET (see the full announcement here). On this date, all content in your InVision account will be permanently and irreversibly deleted. We will send two final reminders in the middle, and at the end of December.
December 4, 2024 at 9:07 AM
alenanik.github.io
Bilbostack shared cute pics from last year. I don’t complain 🥰 (thanks @vgaltes.com) See ya this year!
Alena wearing a black jacket and a ponytail is standing in front of her slides (yellow background) giving a talk Computer (MacBook) with GitHub, Tinybird, Xata and a few other companies logos
December 2, 2024 at 8:58 AM
alenanik.github.io
Lovely that Google has articles on how to setup screen reader to navigate Google docs, Sheets, Slides and other products from different clients. A lot to learn from it!

support.google.com/accounts/ans...
Get help reading text on a screen If you need help reading text on a screen, you can turn on accessibility settings for a few Google products in your Google Account. Tabs: Computer,AndroidiPhone & iPad. Turn screen reader on or off The screen reader setting applies only to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Drawings on a browser, like Chrome. When you use these products, a screen reader can read text on your screen aloud. For this setting to work, you need to have a screen reader, like NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, or ChromeVox. 1. Open your Google Account . You might need to sign in. 2. On the left, click Personal info. 3. Under "General preferences for the web," click Accessibility. 4. Turn Screen reader on or off. You might need to follow extra steps to set up your screen reader for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Drawings.
November 29, 2024 at 10:30 AM
alenanik.github.io
My favorite hobby is to look for accessibility features in products and find creepy tracking toggles instead.
Setting toggles: Privacy settings Information collection Allow information collection for analytics Location Features Allow use of location for Duolingo features
November 25, 2024 at 8:54 PM
alenanik.github.io
May have done exactly that
Sandwich in foils in my hand, the background is a forest in a sunny day Purple flowers on the leaves that looks like jungle, but it’s an actual forest in the Mediterranean
November 23, 2024 at 3:44 PM