Designing for an accessible web is critical so that all users, whether they have disabilities or not, can easily navigate the sites. The matter of accessibility in the modern context has become one of the principles that positively impacts both people with disabilities and the rest of the users.
This article will discuss the steps related to the design of websites that are accessible for people with disabilities and the measures that must be taken to create websites in accordance with the norms. As a leading web design company, we believe that web designers can assist in making the World Wide Web more accessible for everyone, ensuring that individuals with disabilities can equally access the necessary information and benefits.
Tips To Ensure Accessibility in Web Design
Use Alt Text for Images
More often than not, the simplest yet highly efficient thing you can do to enhance your site’s accessibility is to include alt text to images. The term most popularly undergoing the name of ‘Alt text,’ is a brief description content that concerns an image and causes a screen reader to describe what the picture conveys to a visually impaired individual. The purpose of alt text mainly revolves around describing the picture; therefore, use the minimum of words while being accurate on the main features of the image. Never try to cram keywords down the viewer’s throat as this may bear a negative impact on the user.
Ensure Keyboard Navigability
Another group of users with disabilities expect to control the sites with a keyboard rather than a mouse. The website has to be fully keyboard accessible since assistive technology users often type all their browser navigation. These features include enabling the user to go through links, buttons, as well as form fields in a sequential order using the tab key. Test that every accessible object is ‘clickable’ by a keyboard and every widget fully functional with a keyboard. Further, it will be helpful to have focus indicators that allow the users to distinguish where they are positioned in the page when they are browsing.
Provide Text Transcripts for Audio Content
Sometimes the user may be a deaf or hard of hearing person this makes it mandatory to provide text transcript for the audio content. Podcasts, interviews, and anything that falls under the audio section of your site is classified as this. For instance, transcripts should be clear and precise; all students or others who may need a typed record of what took place in a class should be able to retrieve it quickly and easily. In case the audio piece forms a video, it is relevant to use captions, too.
Use Accessible Color Schemes
The color contrast is an essential factor to consider when it comes to improving the overall web accessibility. Text’s contrast with the selected background should be reasonable to read the text, which leads to the selection of appropriate colors. According to the WCAG guidelines concerning web content, a contrast between the text and the background should be at least between 4:1 and 5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. It is possible to check on your color schemes using tools such as the WebAIM contrast checker. 4) Also, do not rely on color alone, as a tool to pass information.
Design with Screen Readers in Mind
The most important aid of users with visual impairments are the screen readers and making web design with these applications in mind will improve accessibility greatly. Organize your content using HTML5 tags such as `<header>`, `<nav>`, `<main>`, and `<footer>`. These tags make the content understandable by the screen-reader and by the tool when it scans for the page content’s structure through the landmarks and roles based on the WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications) when you need more information. Make sure headings and labels used for the buttons and links that are present in the application are meaningful to users.
Implement Flexible Font Sizes
People should be able to set font sizes according to their preference without straining the layout of your site. Avoid using pixel units and go for relative units such as em or rem. This is possible due to adaptability to different sizes, it allows your text to grow depending on the size preferred by the user. Also, find out how your site behaves if it is zoomed in up to 200% to avoid making a site that is difficult to use and nearly impossible to read.
To summarize, it is essential to state that the majority of web design should be conducted with the principles of web accessibility in mind. If you have a website, then you should find it fairly easy to use the following suggestions to improve usability and access for the disabled. EZ Rankings is a #1 website development company in India that fully comprehends the role of accessibility. Each of our specialists will help you to create an accessible and conveniently built website. If you’re also looking to optimize your website for accessibility, EZ Rankings is here to help.