Museum Website Changelog
Version 2.9.0.
Welcome to the Combe Martin Museum website changelog.
Here, our website team and visitors can stay updated on the latest improvements, updates, and changes we've made to enhance your online experience.
We're committed to providing a service that is accessible, user-friendly, and up to date.
We publish a changelog to provide transparency about how the Combe Martin Museum website evolves over time. Each entry records what has changed, why it changed, and how it improves accuracy, accessibility, or the overall visitor experience. This helps researchers, contributors, and the public understand how content, structure, and digital services are maintained and updated.
Assistive technologies include tools such as screen readers (like NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, and TalkBack), keyboard‑only navigation setups, switch devices, voice‑control software, braille displays, and screen‑magnification tools. ARIA helps these technologies understand the structure, purpose, and behaviour of webpage elements so people with visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities can navigate and interact with online content more effectively.
We are working to make this official Combe Martin Museum website fully accessible to screen readers and assistive technologies, with structured headings. ARIA landmarks (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) are inclusive design practices that help to support all visitors.
Changelog
This table lists changes made to the website, including version number, date, type of change, a short summary, and further details.
| Version | Release date | Change type | Short summary | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.9.0 current version | Content Expansion & SEO Optimization | Launched Volunteering page, updated site index and JSON-LD schema | Introduced a dedicated Volunteering page to improve community engagement. Updated the Website Index with high-contrast footer links for better legibility. Optimized the site-wide JSON-LD schema with Museum-specific metadata, address information, and structured ItemLists to enhance search engine visibility. | |
| 2.8.2 | UX & Interactive Refinement | Enhanced banner interactivity, mobile readability, and tap targets | Introduced interactive "grow" effects (CSS scale) on hover and active touch states for homepage banners. Significantly increased font sizes for subtext and mobile contact information to improve accessibility. Optimized mobile tap targets and CTA link visibility using high-contrast gold/white palettes. Corrected semantic HTML nesting in heritage highlight sections. | |
| 2.8.1 | Accessibility, Metadata & Footer Refinement | Improved sub-footer structure, added schema, and enhanced dark/light mode support | Refined the sub-footer with a semantic heading, increased text size for readability, and enforced white title text for accessibility. Added machine-readable JSON-LD schema to declare website version, last modified date, publisher identity, charity registration, and accreditation. | |
| 2.8.0 | Design, Accessibility & Consistency | Improved hero section, colour consistency, and title semantics | Updated the homepage hero block with consistent cyan branding, improved responsive typography, corrected Webador title semantics, and strengthened accessibility through ARIA‑safe markup. | |
| 1.0 | First Public Release | Initial launch of upgraded website | First public release of the Combe Martin Museum website, including redesigned navigation, updated content, and improved visitor information. |
Key to Technical Terms
- ARIA
- Accessibility attributes that help screen readers understand the structure and purpose of elements on a webpage.
- Cubic-Bezier (Transitions)
- A mathematical way to define "timing" for animations, allowing elements to grow or move with a more natural, snappy, or organic feel.
- Tap Targets
- The size of interactive elements (like links or buttons) relative to a user's finger on a touchscreen; larger targets prevent accidental clicks.
- Scale (CSS Transform)
- An effect that allows an element to increase in size slightly when interacted with, providing visual feedback to the user.
- Responsive typography
- Text that automatically adjusts size and spacing so it remains readable on all screen sizes.
- Screen readers
- Assistive software that reads webpage content aloud for visitors who are blind or visually impaired.
- JSON-LD Schema
- Machine-readable code that helps search engines understand the specific content of a page, such as location, events, and organization details.