The third principle of the IndieWeb: your site should be all three simultaneously. It's a challenging balance, but all three matter.
Individual, expressive design is a feature, not an afterthought. Corporate social media gives everyone the same template. The IndieWeb does not.
Examples of what's possible:
100 more personal website ideas by James G. Browse any Neocities special sauce for examples.
Fun and accessible are not opposites. Your site must work for everyone, including people using assistive technology.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define four core POUR principles:
| Principle | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Perceivable | Information must be presentable in ways users can perceive | Alt text for images, sufficient colour contrast |
| Operable | UI must be navigable by everyone | Keyboard navigation, no seizure-inducing content, enough time to read |
| Understandable | Content and UI must be readable and predictable | Clear language, consistent navigation, form labels |
| Robust | Content must work with current and future assistive tech | Valid HTML, ARIA where needed, screen reader compatibility |
Resources:
Performance is accessibility. If your page doesn't load, nobody reads your work.
512KB Club — a movement for pages under 512 KB total weight (roughly half the recommended maximum).
Practical techniques:
A highly animated, image-rich site can be fun but not small. A plain-text site can be small and accessible but not fun. The goal is thoughtful craft — making deliberate decisions about what to include and why, not maximal restriction.
Good faith mindfulness, not bad faith purity testing.