Understanding Web Accessibility

Web accessibility encompasses a set of guidelines crafted to ensure that digital experiences are usable for people with a range of disabilities, including vision and hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities, and mobility challenges. These guidelines are compiled by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in collaboration with global government bodies. In several countries, including the US, Canada, and the UK, adherence to these guidelines is not just recommended but required by law.

Accessibility challenges vary widely, from visual and auditory impairments to situational limitations like slow internet access. This broad spectrum underscores the importance of designing digital spaces that are not only usable for people with disabilities but also adaptable to various environmental and situational challenges.

The Importance of Accessibility

At its core, accessibility is about inclusion. It’s about ensuring that everyone, regardless of their physical or situational limitations, has equal access to information and digital products. By prioritising accessibility, designers can create universally usable experiences, thereby reaching a wider audience and fostering a sense of inclusion.

For instance, consider the frustration of a blind student who is unable to access educational materials online due to poor website accessibility. This scenario illustrates not just a missed opportunity for engagement but also a fundamental issue of equity.

Merging Usability with Accessibility

Accent believes in the philosophy that usability and accessibility should converge to enhance user experiences for everyone. This approach extends beyond traditional UX principles to ensure digital products are accessible and enjoyable for a broader audience. Here are three fundamental principles Accent adheres to:

• Applying W3C Standards: Ensuring that designs meet W3C guidelines for accessibility.
• Designing for Assistive Technologies: Making websites navigable and usable through keyboard navigation and other assistive technologies.
• Ensuring Content Accessibility: Guaranteeing that content is accessible and consumable by everyone, including those using assistive technologies.

Eight Best Practices for Accessible Web Design

Accent champions the following best practices from its comprehensive guide on UX design:

1. Execute UX Fundamentals: A solid foundation in UX/UI design principles benefits all users and ensures accessibility is not an afterthought.
2. Enable Keyboard Navigation: Facilitating keyboard navigation enhances the experience for users who prefer or require it.
3. Prioritise Text Clarity: Ensuring text is legible and readable is crucial for users with visual impairments and those using screen readers.
4. Avoid Sole Reliance on Colour: Given the prevalence of colour blindness, it’s important to use additional indicators to convey information.
5. Order HTML Content Properly: Well-structured HTML is essential for screen readers to navigate and interpret web pages effectively.
6. Use Explicit Link Text: Clear and contextual link text aids navigation for screen reader users.
7. Adopt a 40×40 Pixel Target Area: This practice makes touch controls more accessible and reduces the likelihood of errors in navigation.
8. Make Media Content Accessible: Incorporating alternative text, transcripts, and captions ensures that media content is accessible to all users.

Validating your website for accessibility for compliance

Accent recommends using the excellent SortSite application to aid designers and developers in their pursuit of creating accessible digital products. This application allows you to more easily validate and check your website’s compliance with accessibility guidelines.

This tool, along with W3C’s official documentation, checks that your website or web application continues to integrate accessibility into the website beyond its initial launch.

Accent’s commitment to merging UX design with accessibility best practices not only enhances the user experience for individuals with disabilities but also creates a more inclusive digital environment. By adhering to these guidelines and principles, Accent is not just developing websites; it’s crafting gateways to information and services that are open to everyone.