From 0fd5478f44d2c66c98730e390423703137fbd005 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "google-labs-jules[bot]"
 <161369871+google-labs-jules[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2026 13:19:06 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=8E=A8=20Palette:=20Add=20semantic=20<kbd?=
 =?UTF-8?q?>=20tags=20to=20keyboard=20shortcut=20instructions?=
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Co-authored-by: EiJackGH <172181576+EiJackGH@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .Jules/palette.md        |  4 ++++
 src/views/mario-game.njk | 16 +++++++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 19 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.Jules/palette.md b/.Jules/palette.md
index 49b0751..c7e189b 100644
--- a/.Jules/palette.md
+++ b/.Jules/palette.md
@@ -19,3 +19,7 @@
 ## 2024-08-06 - Screen Reader Accessible Dynamic Text
 **Learning:** Dynamic text changes, like game scores, are invisible to screen readers unless explicitly marked. Do not place static text (like instructions) inside an `aria-live` region, as it forces screen readers to unnecessarily repeat the static text every time the dynamic content updates. Extract static text into a separate sibling element.
 **Action:** Add `aria-live="polite"` to the container of the dynamic value and extract static text out of it.
+
+## 2025-10-27 - Keyboard Shortcuts Semantics
+**Learning:** Explicitly highlighting keyboard shortcuts using semantic <kbd> tags with physical key styling improves intuitiveness and discoverability for users playing web games or using custom keyboard inputs.
+**Action:** Always wrap key shortcuts in <kbd> and apply text-shadows to ensure high contrast against dynamic backgrounds.
diff --git a/src/views/mario-game.njk b/src/views/mario-game.njk
index c84e3f2..e4236b3 100644
--- a/src/views/mario-game.njk
+++ b/src/views/mario-game.njk
@@ -61,6 +61,20 @@
       font-size: 16px;
       font-family: Arial;
       pointer-events: none;
+      text-shadow: 1px 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8);
+    }
+
+    kbd {
+      background-color: #f7f7f7;
+      border: 1px solid #ccc;
+      border-radius: 4px;
+      box-shadow: 0 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 0 0 2px #fff inset;
+      color: #333;
+      display: inline-block;
+      font-family: monospace;
+      font-size: 14px;
+      padding: 2px 6px;
+      text-shadow: none; /* override the parent shadow for clear text on the key */
     }
   </style>
 </head>
@@ -69,7 +83,7 @@
 
 <div id="game">
   <div id="score-container">Score: <span id="score-value" aria-live="polite">0</span></div>
-  <div id="instructions">Press Space or ↑ to jump!</div>
+  <div id="instructions">Press <kbd>Space</kbd> or <kbd>↑</kbd> to jump!</div>
   <div id="mario"></div>
   <div class="ground"></div>
 </div>