Why was Web Profiler spun out of the Devel module? Will there be differences between the D9 and D10 versions? What new features will the Web Profiler module have in Drupal 10? Listen to a fascinating chat between our Michael Meyers, Fabian Franz, and Luca Lusso, Lead Developer at SparkFabrik, as they take a dive into one of Luca's latest module contributions. Luca is a maintainer of both modules, Web Profiler, Devel along with 32 others. In this Tag1 Team Talk Luca demonstrates how Web Profiler is currently working in the latest D10 beta, as well as what new features, like the inclusion of Google's Core Web Vitals, that he's polishing up for the Drupal 10 version of Web Profiler, expected in December. You'll also take away a sense of the human developer behind all these contributions as Luca talks about what brought him to the Drupal community and what help he is looking for to support the latest version. Check out this and more in the Tag1 Team Talk: Performance Tuning with Luca Lusso using Web Profiler. ## Related content: - Web Profiler page on Drupal.org - [Devel module page...

Making web content accessible to everyone has been a major topic of discussion since the dawn of the Internet. World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee himself was explicit on this issue, stating that “the power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”

Despite the urging of Berners-Lee and other early web pioneers, real accessibility remains elusive, three decades after the invention of the internet. According to a 2021 finding, 90% of websites are inaccessible to people with visual, hearing, and cognitive disabilities or anyone reliant on assistive technology (AbilityNet), and a staggering 98.1% of home pages had detectable WCAG 2.0 failures (WebAIM), which are considered the minimum standard of accessibility.

Much progress, however, has been made on this front since the first Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were published in 1999. Today, some government jurisdictions have made it law that their websites must be accessible. But making web content accessible to all takes concerted and consistent effort, and until all organizations and companies prioritize it, the Internet will remain a very ableist place.

Why Prioritize Accessibility?

In many countries including Canada and the United States, it’s now the law to provide accessible content. Certain anti-discrimination laws have enabled people to sue companies for not providing accessible digital content. Compliance with the law, however, should not be the only motivating factor for creating accessible digital content.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 1.1 billion people (about 15 percent of humanity) are disabled. In Canada alone, over 5.3 million people live with some form of disability. In the U.S., 1 out of 4 adults has a disability. Of these, over 81% report using some kind of assistive technology or specialized equipment to help them move, communicate, learn, or carry out daily activities. With such a large part of our population living with disabilities, going above and beyond the legal requirements for web accessibility is the right thing to do, period. 

At a time when many of those who live in developed countries turn to the web for everything from vetting a new restaurant on Yelp to buying sunglasses, it’s imperative that our most basic social services — finding and accessing affordable housing, applying and managing food stipends, checking medical bills — are just as easy to use.

Nicole Neditch, an assistant to the City Administrator in the City of Oakland, said it perfectly in a conversation with Exygy. 

“We're all doing this work because we think that everybody should have government access and that we want everybody to be able to get the access that they need from the government.”

When we start with the shared vision of creating digital services that meet the needs of all users, we often end with a final product that is more intuitive and easy to use for everyone. When we prioritize accessibility, everybody wins. 

On-Demand Webinar: Demystifying Inclusive Design: What We Have Learned About Designing More Equitable and Inclusive Products.

The Legacy Platform Challenge

As two companies that specialize in developing web platforms for government services, Exygy and Evolving Web are both committed to removing as many barriers to accessing critical services and information as possible. This starts with a fundamental commitment to human-centered design. 

Upgrading legacy government technology systems to comply with the latest accessibility guidelines is easier said than done. While Drupal – the content management system of choice for many government agencies – provides advanced accessibility features to help users create inclusive websites from scratch, these features can be difficult to understand and cumbersome to implement in existing systems.

In a typical scenario, a team of engineers and designers will join a project with a long history of third-party tools that predates their involvement. It is unlikely that these tools were sufficiently tested for accessibility when implemented, which makes parsing through their accessibility functions difficult and time-consuming. 

A big part of the challenge is the scope of many public sector web entities. For example, when Exygy and Evolving Web partnered with San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), we were tasked with upgrading over 100 different websites grouped into four disparate categories and target audiences – all with legacy systems containing accessibility issues.

In this instance, our design sprints allowed us to break up and compartmentalize the workflow into manageable pieces. Relying heavily on the pain points and goals gathered from interviews with users and SFUSD stakeholders, as well as user testing, we merged dozens of web properties into one cohesive, accessible (WCAG 2.1 compliant) digital experience built with Drupal.

SFUSD's website before the Drupal-based redesign

In this case, we worked directly with a visually impaired teacher to get direct feedback about the accessibility of our site. In our meeting with them, we found that their NVDA Screen Reader, assistive technology that relies on audio and Link List shortcuts, did not successfully navigate the site, making for a stressful, time-consuming experience for parents, faculty, and students using screen readers.

With this user’s invaluable insights, we were able to rework how the site menus were designed and tagged. By centering on the experience of users with diverse disabilities, we can better understand and serve people with disabilities in our work, leading to an improved experience for users of all abilities.

SFUSD's redesigned homepage

On-demand Webinar: How to Use Assistive Technology to Improve Web Accessibility

Prioritizing Accessibility in Design

Evolving Web often builds an accessibility audit into the website redesign process. One recent example of this was the redesign of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) website. An organization created by the Government of Canada that invests in research facilities and equipment in universities, colleges, research hospitals and other research institutions, the CFI prioritizes public engagement with regards to research and innovation, and as such needed to prioritize accessibility in its new website.

An accessibility audit of the CFI development site using axe (a Chrome extension) and SortSite revealed some issues with the dev site. The site’s animated hero banner lacked a pause button – an accessibility requirement – and there were some issues with images lacking alternative text for screen readers. While some of these issues were dealt with in the code of rebuilding the website, the site contained a lot of legacy content which had to be migrated to the new website, much of which did not meet accessibility standards.

Bringing the new site up to par accessibility-wise included making edits to the site’s library of PDF files, and adding alt text via Acrobat so as to denote heading hierarchy so that this content can be navigated the same way as regular web pages. There were also issues related to tables imported from the old site, where the content was entered in WYSIWYG format that needed to be edited for correct formatting. Missing headings were also filled in as needed.

In addition to the aforementioned edits, the homepage banner was improved with a gradient coming from the bottom and the top to assure the text was maximally readable, while text background colors throughout the site were optimized for visibility. The result was a site that not only met WCAG 2.1 AA requirements but frequently met AAA standards as well. 

Read our Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) case study

Partnership in Action 

The San Francisco County Transit Authority (SFCTA) was another challenging project where Exygy and Evolving Web collaborated to improve the site from an accessibility standpoint. The SFCTA's previous website was built using a legacy CMS that was cumbersome and unintuitive for non-technical content authors.

As the site aged, it became increasingly difficult for authors and administrators to organize its vast array of content in a way that was easy for the public and stakeholders to discover and receive updates.

However, through strong collaborative partnerships, we balanced SFCTA’s multiple stakeholders, seamlessly integrated user experience and content, and prioritized inclusive design principles – all on a Drupal-based platform.

SCFTA Before

SCFTA After

A Three-Step Approach to Achieving Accessibility

At this point, you are most likely curious about how compliant your website is to WCAG 2.1 benchmarks. Perhaps you work for an organization that operates a legacy platform built before these benchmarks became industry standards. If so, you probably have your work cut out for you in terms of making your site accessible to all.

That said, there’s no need to panic. By following these three straightforward steps you can modernize your site and ensure that everybody can access your content.

Step 1: Perform a site audit. 

If you want to quickly find out how accessible your site is, download the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool and test your site. Evolving Web uses SiteImprove and SortSite for its web audits. It is also vital to include people with disabilities in your site audit as they have the most acute ability to assess its accessibility. Exygy, for example, partners with Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired to get direct and reputable feedback regarding the accessibility of their site.

Step 2: Get help. 

Most organizations don’t have the expertise and capacity to do all this internally. This is where a team like Exygy or Evolving Web or your local accessibility expert comes in for advice tailored to your specific situation. You can reach out to us directly at hello@exygy.com or info@evolvingweb.com to begin the conversation.

Step 3: Seek out training. 

In an ideal world, usability testing would involve people with a range of disabilities who use assistive technology. In practice, however, this can be difficult to arrange. In any case, it is important for team members to receive accessibility training that will enable them to test their site for accessibility benchmarks. Evolving Web provides comprehensive accessibility training, including instruction on assistive technology and manual keyboard testing as well as hands-on tutorials with axe and SortSite. 

A Worthwhile Commitment 

Faced with demanding timelines and limited budgets, accessibility often ends up being seen as a “nice-to-have” feature rather than a must. And while awareness of web accessibility is increasing, most (predominantly able-bodied) internal team members lack experience working with assistive technology, making accessibility testing a challenge. 

The biggest hurdle, however, is the time commitment involved. From learning new perspectives on how people interact with the world to understanding the complex digital histories of pre-existing platforms, it takes immense time to make websites accessible for all.

However, with the above-mentioned steps, any organization can bring its websites up to WCAG 2.1 standards. Accessibility upgrades may be time-consuming, but given the vast number of people who rely on such upgrades to access information online, it is a worthwhile endeavor for every organization, and if nothing else, simply the right thing to do.

Many thanks to our partners at Exygy, Anna Gibbins and Ethan Elisara, for their contributions to this blog post.

Time for a recap, 4 months after ECA release 1.0.0 back in July 2022. Hundreds of site using ECA already, extremely positive feedback from the community, new features in the making and honoured with the special "Biggest Contribution Value" award by the German/Austrian SplashAwards 2022. We couldn't have hoped for a better start of the project.

What is Drupal? As the world goes digital, marketers and entrepreneurs are searching for ways to increase their online presence.  One of the best ways to go about this is to have a website that stands out from the crowd. After all, it is the first thing that visitors notice about your brand before doing business with you. 

Even though you can never run out of options whenever you want to build and maintain websites, not many options outdo Drupal.  Open-source software made available under the GNU Public License, Drupal will come in handy when looking forward to building and maintaining your website globally.

There is a huge chance you have used Drupal before without your knowledge. That is because many top businesses, Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and government organizations leverage Drupal.  But before you join the bandwagon and give it a try, it is in your best interest that you know what Drupal is and why you should give it a try. 

What is Drupal?

First things first, what is Drupal? In a nutshell, Drupal is a free and Open Source Content Management System (CMS) that allows users to create and manage content over one or multiple websites. 

Being open-source software, anyone can download Drupal, work on it, and share it with others hassle-free.  Furthermore, it boasts numerous inherent benefits including, accountability, security, and flexibility. No wonder it is among the most popular CMS’ currently available at your disposal.

You might wonder what makes Drupal superior compared to other content management systems out there. In a nutshell, many users find Drupal easy to use when creating a more customized website, unlike other free CMS systems like WordPress.  Better, Drupal tends to be versatile, giving you the freedom you need to build and maintain your website.

What makes Drupal worth leveraging as opposed to other CMS' is that almost anyone can contribute to the site with no HTML experience. Things are not any different for editors, writers, and website administrators without any coding experience.  That is possible thanks to the What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) feature that enables writing, editing, and adding content without the hassle. 

Why would I choose Drupal as my CMS?

Drupal is popular for accommodating unlimited content types. Some of the most popular ones include media and text available in highly customizable forms. To ensure users have a remarkable digital experience, Drupal retrieves, filters, and presents the content in powerful, but simple-to-use tools. 

Furthermore, Drupal contains intuitive content creation tools and powerful in-place editing tools that ensure you get things done without the hassle. To give you the tip of the iceberg, Drupal is full of features and highly customizable, unlike other CMS systems out there.  To really get Drupal, you should be aware of what is Drupal used for before you finally give it a try.  

What is Drupal used for?

Examples of Drupal in use are scattered around the web and can be found in all countries, languages, and industries. Drupal powers over 1.7 million websites. Off the top 10,000 most visited websites, about 11% are built on Drupal. 

Who uses Drupal?

Drupal sites are used in all sectors, from Fortune 500 companies to NGOs, governments, educational institutions, and more. Here's a list of Drupal users by industry:

• Entertainment: Sega, Warner Music Group
• Financial services: Fannie Mae, Nasdaq
• Food and beverage: DAVIDsTEA, Hennessy, Perrier, Sodexo
• Government: The City of London, Government of Australia, Government of India, Government of South Africa, U.S. Internal Revenue Service
• High tech and telecom: AMD, IBM, Panasonic, Verizon, Vodafone
• Higher education: Princeton University, University of Oxford, University of Toronto
• Manufacturing: Fuji Film, Lamborghini
• Media and publishing: Economist.com, India Today, NBCUniversal
• Nonprofits and NGOs: Doctors Without Borders, Musée d'Orsay, Oxfam, UNESCO
• Pharmaceutical and chemicals: Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Novartis, Pfizer, Solvay
• Travel and hospitality: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Japan Airlines
• Retail: Arc’teryx, Canada Goose, J.Crew, JD.com, Vera Bradley

Top Advantages of Drupal over Other Content Management Systems

Before we dive deeper into what Drupal does, it is essential that you know about the advantages it boasts over other Content Management Systems. After all, this is the only way you stand a good chance of reaping maximum benefits from the system.  With that in mind, below are some of the most notable benefits Drupal brings to your business or organization.

Drupal pros and cons

Drupal Pros

• Open source
• Easy integration with other platforms and ecosystems
• User satisfaction can be greater versus other CMS after investment in training and platform customization
• Great security track record
• Scalable to millions of visitors, pages, translations, etc.
• Strong in accessibility, SEO
• Lower costs compared to other enterprise-grade systems like Sitecore, Adobe Experience Manager

Drupal Cons

• Steep learning curve, not easy-to-use out of the box. Both for developers and end-users.
• Higher costs compared to cloud-based solutions like Wix, Squarespace
• Drupal comes with a lot of features you may not need, for some projects a framework like Symfony or Laravel is better suited. (Drupal itself is built on Symfony)

Top Drupal Benefits

Flexible Integration  

One of the biggest selling points of Drupal is the ability to help users create and manage a host of content types.  Some of the most popular content types include statistics, podcasts, blogs, videos, and many more. For this reason, you will have an easy ride when looking forward to creating content-rich websites for different markets such as commerce and media. 

Security 

CMS security is something that you can't risk skimping on at any given time. Drupal does not disappoint in this regard as it offers unshakable security to all users. Drupal is highly secure and provides regular patches.  That explains why it works wonders for enterprise clients.

However, you need to implement and maintain it properly to serve you as the most secure CMS. The good news is that Drupal happens to have the best security team you can count on, not forgetting advanced hosting providers.  For this reason, it is common to come across large organizations that leverage Drupal as the main CMS for powering their web applications or websites. 

Scalability 

Scalability is undeniably one of the tremendous strengths of Drupal over other Content Management Systems out there. As long as you have an idea of what does Drupal do, you will have an easy time growing the number of your web pages without the need to change anything.  Better, it serves you perfectly whenever you want to alternate between periods of high traffic spikes. 
Current Version Features 

Drupal 9 provides a host of features that make it way easier to use than was the case with its predecessors.  For instance, users can now take advantage of the new field locations and new fields.  If this is not enough, it relies on the CKeditor to make posting content similar to editing a document on Word.  Other popular features that will make you fall in love with Drupal 9 include the Quick Edit feature, helpful Tour button, and additional four key modules. 

Ways Marketers Can Leverage Drupal

Drupal 10 has undeniably turned into a marketer’s dream thanks to the new features and core enhancements it offers. And this doesn’t come as a surprise as it allows marketers the chance to personalize content based on their target audience, device type, and language.  Keep in mind content is king when looking forward to improving SEO, driving organic traffic to your website, and creating leads.

If you have done your homework on what is Drupal used for, you probably know that it draws on the innovations of thousands of marketers, designers, and developers.  With that in mind, below are some of the ways marketers can leverage Drupal to their advantage.

Mobile Responsiveness  

The responsiveness of your website or web applications on mobile devices speaks volumes about whether or not you’ll attain your digital marketing goals.  Not only does it impact Google rankings, but it also helps drive immense traffic to your website. That does not come as a surprise since more and more people now use smartphones for almost everything in their personal lives. 

Fortunately, this is something that won’t give you sleepless nights since Drupal takes mobile seriously.  You might be wondering what does Drupal do when it comes to mobile responsiveness.  In a nutshell, Drupal comes with built-in themes that are mobile responsive together with web services built into the core. Thanks to these new features, users can access content from any device of choice. 

Creative Freedom 

The competition will always be there regardless of the industry you choose.  To win over a huge share of the market and drive business growth, you must make an effort to stand out from the crowd.  And this not only implies how you do business, but it also refers to the way you run your marketing campaigns.

With Drupal, you won't worry about giving your competition a run for their money.  That is because it seamlessly incorporates the existing marketing and sales technologies of your venture.  That’s possible since the cutting-edge Drupal modules give your marketing team creative freedom to handle tasks at their desired pace and convenience. 

As long as you have a good understanding of Drupal’s architecture, you can launch your website with ease when compared to other CMS’ out there.  That’s what your marketing team needs to lay the foundation of a strong digital marketing strategy. Before you know it, your business is a force to be reckoned with in the industry.

Makes Your Website Faster 

The vast majority of businesses lose visitors to their websites due to speed. Keep in mind many web users expect your website to load in 2 seconds. If your website takes longer than this to load, be rest assured you will lose conversions from visitors to your website. In short, faster pages make money for your business. 

That’s where Drupal proves beneficial to marketers as it makes websites faster. Of course, this is without the need to bring in a lot of technical expertise.  If you only know what is Drupal but have no idea about its working mechanism, then it might prove difficult to understand this. 

To help clear some of the doubts in your mind, Drupal makes use of Cache Tags to make caching way more efficient. Furthermore, it allows for context-based caching thanks to its Cache Content API feature.  For this reason, your website will load faster while making sure visitors only make do with the latest version of your site. 

Costs of Drupal

Now that you know what does Drupal do and the numerous benefits it will bring to your organization, it is time to give it a try.  But before you make the switch, it is also essential that you find out the average cost of the structure. After all, you don’t want to take a toll on your business finances just because you want to use Drupal.

The good news is that you don’t have to break the bank to take advantage of Drupal. Either way, it depends on the type and size of the business you're running.  For large enterprise sites, you will have to spend way more when compared to medium-sized websites.  Remember, the average cost structure of a Drupal build include strategy, design, and implementation. 

The Bottom Line 

There you have it; some of the things that touch on what is Drupal used for.  Keep in mind there is more to Drupal than meets the eye. That's why you should never make the mistake of creating a Drupal website without having the slightest idea of what it entails. Most business leaders and marketers who do that end up regretting their decision in the long run. 

But what if you’re struggling to build pages on your Drupal Site? In this case, there is nothing to worry about since you’re not alone. Most marketers have no idea on whether to wait for a developer to help them out or try to build with Drupal single-handedly. Luckily, you don’t have to assign that webpage to a busy designer since some service providers allow users to unleash their creativity instantly.

Before you build whatever you want, ensure you know what is Drupal and how it can help change your company or organization for the better. That way, you can build sites faster and easier without leaving any room for mistakes. So, what are you waiting for before you finally leverage Drupal!

Further reading

Want to learn more about Drupal and dive deeper into specific use cases? Here are links that will help you become an expert on this subject.

• 6 websites about learning Drupal
• What is low-code Drupal development?
• 20 Accessibility tips for Drupal
• Drupal 10: Top 10 New Features and Improvements