In today’s digital world, where websites are becoming increasingly essential for businesses and individuals alike, it’s important that we design them to be accessible to everyone. By following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we can create websites that are inclusive, user-friendly, and compliant with legal requirements.
The key principles of the WCAGs are based on four fundamental principles:
- Perceivable: Users must be able to perceive information. This means providing alternatives for content like images (using alt text descriptions) and video captions.
- Operable: Users can operate website features. Ensure your site is navigable using just a keyboard, with clear focus indicators for interactive elements.
- Understandable: Content should be clear and readable. Use plain language, logical structure with headings, and avoid jargon.
- Robust: Content is compatible with assistive technologies. This means your website should be coded in a way that works with screen readers and other tools people with disabilities use.
How can we make your website accessible?
- Colour Contrast: We use higher contrast colours in the backgrounds, buttons and text to improve the readability of paragraphs and headings. We also use various tools to test this for accessibility like colour contrast checkers. A good contrast ratio ensures that content is easily distinguishable, especially for users with low vision or colour blindness.
- Alt Text: We always provide alternative text for images, even if they seem self-explanatory. This means that anyone using a screen reader can help to understand the page’s content. It also serves as a backup in case the image fails to load.
- Heading Structure: We use the heading tags (H1, H2, etc) to create a clear hierarchy for written content. This also helps screen reader users understand the structure of your page and navigate it more efficiently. It can also improve SEO by providing search engines with relevant keywords and context.
- Form Usability: When creating contact forms, we ensure that form labels are clear and associated with their respective form fields. We generally avoid using placeholder text as labels, as it can disappear when the user starts typing.
- Audio/Video Accessibility: Similar to alt tags, for audio and video content, we can provide captions or transcripts to make it accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing. This also benefits users with slow internet connections or those who prefer to read rather than listen.
There are lots of different levels of accessibility when it comes to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, if you need something specific for your business, get in touch with us!
