Tim Damen
Frontend Chapter Lead & Accessibility lead at ABN AMRO
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Driven by the mission to make people's lives easier, Tim Damen actively advocates for and builds a web that serves everyone equally. Tim is a frontend developer, web accessibility specialist, and engineering manager from Amsterdam, the Netherlands 🇳🇱. With over a decade of experience, primarily at major financial institutions, Tim has spoken at various conferences and meetups. He also hosts "focustrap," a podcast about digital accessibility.
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Diving into the Toplayer: Where Dialogs, Popovers, and Modals Live
The web platform is evolving, introducing powerful new primitives that change how we build interfaces. Among these innovations is the toplayer—an important yet often misunderstood rendering concept. This talk explores the toplayer rendering mechanism, learning how it enables UI patterns and examining its role in accessibility, performance, and developer experience.
The toplayer isn't just another technical specification—it represents a shift in how browsers handle elements that need to break out of the normal document flow. From dialog elements to the new popover API, custom tooltips to modal interfaces, the toplayer has quietly become essential for creating modern web experiences. By understanding how the toplayer works, developers can build more robust, accessible, and maintainable components while avoiding common pitfalls that lead to inconsistent user experiences.
In this session, we'll dive into the toplayer to understand how browsers handle stacking contexts, painting order, and focus management within the toplayer. Through practical examples and live coding demonstrations, attendees will gain both theoretical understanding and practical skills they can apply to their own projects.
Stuck in a Focustrap: Mastering Keyboard Accessibility
In today's web landscape, we often overlook the aspect of user experience: keyboard accessibility. While we design visually appealing interfaces and smooth mouse interactions, keyboard navigation remains an afterthought for many developers. "Stuck in a Focustrap" explores this essential but frequently neglected side of web accessibility, offering practical techniques and thoughtful approaches to creating inclusive digital experiences.
This session dives into the world of focus management—a skill that separates accessible websites from inaccessible ones. We'll learn how keyboard users navigate web content, the challenges they face, and how thoughtful implementation of focus states, traps, and navigation patterns can improve their experience. From modal dialogs to complex interactive components, we'll uncover the technical approaches and user-centered thinking required to ensure everyone can use your web applications effectively, regardless of how they interact with technology.
The Importance of Soft Skills as a Developer in the age of AI-driven development
Title: The Importance of Soft Skills as a Developer in the World of AI Coding
Short Presentation Summary: Explore the important role of soft skills in the developing landscape of AI and coding. This talk will highlight how communication, leadership, and teamwork are becoming increasingly important for developers in the age of AI-driven development.
Talk/Workshop Description:
Key Message: Bridging the gap between technical expertise and soft skills in the AI-driven development world.
Table of Contents (Not Final):
Introduction to AI in Development
The rise of AI coding tools
Changing landscape for developers
Essential Soft Skills for Developers
Case studies
Communication
leadership
Collaboration
Teamwork
Why Soft Skills Matter More Than Ever
Navigating complex projects
Enhancing team productivity
Developing Soft Skills
Training and resources
Real-world applications
Balancing Technical and Soft Skills
Tim Damen
Frontend Chapter Lead & Accessibility lead at ABN AMRO
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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