Changelog - site updates and improvements

Changelog

A record of updates, editorial additions, and structural improvements across the site. Entries are grouped by area rather than by strict date, reflecting the iterative nature of the work.

  • Refined primary navigation to surface Journey, Making Of, Motion, Notes, and Journal as the main editorial paths
  • Added sticky journey rail on the flagship page for section-level orientation
  • Introduced search overlay accessible from the header on all pages
  • Structured footer navigation to include About, Contact, Notes, Journal, Changelog, Privacy, and Terms
  • Improved mobile navigation with a compact toggle pattern that preserves the full menu structure

Pillar pages

  • Published Making Of as a production essay covering concept framing, pacing, atmosphere, and technical tradeoffs
  • Published Interactive Storytelling covering browser-native narrative tools, layout and pace, and device considerations
  • Published Motion Language covering orientation, transitions, emphasis, timing, and reduced motion
  • Published Scene Transitions covering soft chaptering, entrances, exits, continuity cues, and practical mechanics
  • Published Performance covering weight budgets, render budgets, image discipline, and atmosphere-speed balance

Notes collection

  • Published reference note on WebGL fundamentals and browser rendering context
  • Published reference note on ambient colour and depth in scene composition
  • Published reference note on natural scene breaks and transition boundaries
  • Published reference note on sound design without autoplay
  • Published reference note on frame budget basics and rendering constraints
  • Published reference note on drag, scroll, and tap as narrative interaction tools

Journal essays

  • Published editorial essay on how motion guides attention in browser-native experiences
  • Published editorial essay on keeping immersive pages light without sacrificing atmosphere
  • Published editorial essay on designing browser scenes with restraint
  • Published editorial essay on reduced motion considerations for rich interactive content
  • Published editorial essay on why scene transitions matter for narrative flow
  • Published editorial essay on how layout rhythm affects reading speed and engagement

Performance improvements

  • Reduced total JavaScript to under 5 kilobytes of authored code
  • Implemented lazy loading for all below-fold images
  • Ensured all images declare explicit width and height attributes
  • Compiled CSS through Hugo Pipes with fingerprinting for long cache lifetimes
  • Added appropriate cache headers for static assets and Pagefind resources

Compatibility

  • Configured canonical host handling to consolidate all variants to www
  • Created index.html compatibility route with proper canonical reference
  • Added comprehensive redirect rules for apex and protocol normalization
  • Implemented security headers including CSP, referrer policy, and permissions policy

Accessibility

  • Implemented skip-to-content link on all pages
  • Ensured keyboard-accessible navigation throughout
  • Added reduced motion media query overrides for all animated elements
  • Maintained single H1 per page across all templates
  • Ensured sufficient contrast ratios across the colour palette
  • Integrated Pagefind for client-side static search
  • Search index covers all pillar pages, notes, and journal entries
  • Search UI available from header trigger and dedicated search page
  • No external search provider or third-party dependencies

Ongoing editorial work

  • Continuing to expand the Notes collection with new reference topics
  • Reviewing existing journal entries for accuracy and currency
  • Refining internal linking between pillar pages, notes, and journal entries
  • Monitoring image manifest for completeness and sourcing progress