Web Site Accessibility

Improving web page accessibility

When it comes to creating a new web page, there are many things to consider. Top of the list with most people are:

- the purpose of the page
- the page content
- the page title, sub-headings and structure
- any imagery associated with the page
- linking to the page from elsewhere

Usually, any considerations with regard to the accessibility of the page do not appear on the list, or are somewhere way down the 'nice to have' list.

Yet it is more important than ever to take into account accessibility considerations when creating a new web page. Not only does this mean you can reach the largest possible audience with your page and will not turn anyone away, but also because it tends to also mean that you will have clear, good quality content that helps people work their way through your site and find what they want.

So what sort of elements should you take into consideration when it comes to accessibility?

One of the best ways to make your site accessible is to stick to standards, whether absolute or accepted.

Research shows that most people still expect links to be underlined on web pages, so underline your links. Most expect to see navigation options either at the top of the page horizontally, or vertically at the left edge of the page. So again placing your web links here can make your site more accessible to many.

Some web users have difficulty either with their sight or manual dexterity, so be sure to cater for their needs, too.

Alt Text Is Important

Remember to include alt or alternative text for all your images, that is not stuffed with keywords, but rather describes accurately what that image is. The idea is that the viewer who cannot read the page directly is at no disadvantage informationally through using a speech reader to view the page.

Also ensure that a user can tab through the page content rather than using the mouse. This usually means you should stick to text links where possible or if absolutely necessary, image links. Try to avoid javascript or Flash dependent navigation.

Not only can this be very hard to navigate through anything other than the standard methods, but it can also be slower loading, cause issues with some browsers, and may render a site compltely inaccessible for those who have either javascript or Flash switched off, or even have it stripped out by a corporate firewall perhaps.

Keep things simple, clean and clear. This does not mean as some think boring. Good quality, elegant design is in fact usually more appreciated by the end user than some whizzy Flash graphic which - whilst it might satisfy the designer - is more often than not irrelevant to the user who has come to your site looking for specific information, rather than to watch said graphic.

Try not to use italic text if possible, as the response of each font to italic text is a little unpredictable and also italic text tends to be harder to read. Use bold text to highlight certain words but don't go overboard and use it arbitrarily else its value will be diminished.

One obvious element when it comes to making your site accessible is to structure your content well, and to have an intuitive navigation and hierarchy. Having a menu list with a hundred links on it does not make a very usable or accessible site, as someone wanting to find more information has to wade through all the links.

For more information, you may be interested in receiving a site review.

Author: Dan

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Last Updated: Aug 29th 2006

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