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Accessible Design

Accessibility is important. Designing with the audience experience in mind will make your site more user friendly and inclusive for more visitors. When you think about accessibility, think beyond people using assistive technologies such as screen readers. Also think about mobile users and search engine robots. Most WordPress themes have taken accessibility into consideration when designing the theme, so you do not have to much to worry about. Below is a list tips that outline the design choices you are in full control of:

  • Headings
    Headings are important as they allow search engines to index the content and structure of your web pages and they allow your visitors to skim your pages. Headings are defined as H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6. Heading 1 (H1) should be used for the pages main heading, followed by heading 2 (H2), heading 3 (H3) are less important, and so on.
  • Alternative text
    Whenever you add an image, always fill in the Alt text (alternative text) field with a description the object. If you do not fill in the Alt text field, your images will be inaccessible to visitor using screen readers.
  • Use clear language
    You should always use clear language that is easy to understand. You can accomplish this by keeping your sentences short, avoid using dashes (write H1 to H6 rather than H1-H6), use whole words (write January rather than Jan), and finally avoid slang.
  • Writing good links
    Your links should be descriptive so that visitors know what information they will get by clicking on the link. Avoid hyperlinking text that simply reads “click here,” “read more,” or “here.”
  • Contrasting colors
    Using contrasting colors makes reading text easier on the eyes. This is why the default is black text on white background. Use color to draw attention to a specific point or idea. Color, especially in background, can be used to set the mood, but be careful the intensity. The brighter it is, the more attention it may draw and the harder it can be to read. Consider what you want your audience to focus on: your content or your background?

These high level guidelines will help to make sure your site is user friendly. However, there are many more, for example, providing transcripts for audio and ensuring your site is fully functional from a keyboard. Check out the sites listed below to learn more about accessibility:

Finally, if you are keen to know how accessible your web pages are you can run them through Wave’s Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool at: https://wave.webaim.org/

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