/Access all areas/ Common issues
08/04/2008 | Filed under Develop > Access all areas
Nomensa’s director of user experience, Alastair Campbell, reviews the past year of accessibility checks and tackles the most common issues
For more than a year, we’ve been reviewing readers’ sites from an accessibility point of view. A few issues are cropping up regularly, so it’s time to look at some preventive medicine. One of the best tools for digging into a site is the Web Developer’s Toolbar for Firefox, and in a few minutes you can check all the common accessibility issues. Here are the main ones:
• Alt text: The Images > Disable Images option shows the alternative text rather than each image. Is the page still understandable? Is each alt text a useful substitute?
• JavaScript: The Disable > All JavaScript option enables you to check if a site is using progressive enhancement, rather than relying on JavaScript. The other main thing to check is that you can access scripted functions with a keyboard.
• Structure: There are a few structural items worth looking for to understand the structure without having to look at the code in detail. I tend to turn off styles: CSS > Disable All Styles. This means that only the browser’s own styles are used, and you can easily see whether headings, lists, quotes and table headings are being used correctly.
• Headings are especially useful for understanding the page and even within-page navigation for some screen-reader users. Check headings in context with Outline > Headings, or independently with Information > View Document Outline, which helps to show missing headings.
• Flexibility: For those with mild or moderate visual impairments who are stuck on Internet Explorer, it’s still worth specifying font sizes in percentages or ems. The easiest way to check this is in IE using its View > Font-size menu.
• In conjunction with fonts, many people benefit from flexible layouts, at least of the content area. Using a window-based (that is, percentage) unit for the main layout tends to be the most robust, and the site should be tested at 800px wide at large font sizes, and at 1,600px wide at regular and large font sizes. The site can be optimised for a medium size (1,024px), but should also be usable at other sizes.
• Too much accessibility: As strange as it sounds, sometimes you can try too hard. Accessibility features such as tabindex and accesskeys have to be used with caution, and only when you’re sure about what you’re doing. Tabindex, for example, can override a keyboard user’s normal progress through the page, where often the default route is best, especially when the site uses CSS for layout. Using Information > Display Tab Index will show if it has been used. Accesskeys can also override the user’s settings, so in this case use Information > Display Access Keys to check that letters aren’t used.
It’s also useful to add consistent skip links, which allow easier within-page navigation of the site. The BBC site is a good example.
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Comments
Mike Lawson / 11/04/2008 / 10:48 / http://www.trcreative.co.uk
Some good tips - been using the Web Developer extension in Firefox for some time now, alongside Firebug!
Couldn't leave without either of them now.
Claire Kay / 17/04/2008 / 22:33 / http://www.evedesignsltd.co.uk
I am amazed how many designers don't do "Accessibility" at even the simplest levels. I specialise in accessibility and find I am asked to assess current sites which fall apart at the seams when style, javascript and images are turned off. I recently was asked by a new client to look at their new site which cost £3,000 (non e-commerce 19 pages) I was horrified at the cost firstly, but even more worried that she had been sold a non compliant site. I have left the client to think about her options.
I wish that colleges wouldn't offer basic web design courses, that don't even point out the DDA regulations.
Ok so you've done a 4 week web design course, it doesn't make you a 'Designer'!
I am continually updating my skills and learning new methods I really do think that it is up to us as designers to ensure we produce compliant websites rather than leaving clients to face prosecution because we couldn't be bothered.
Sujay / 02/05/2008 / 00:01 / http://www.bindok.com
Hey man!! Kudos... Some nice tips to be taken care of :)
Helen Baker / 25/09/2008 / 09:06 / http://www.concisecontent.co.uk
A good article to remind everyone of some basic points to keep in mind. I'm a web copywriter, not a designer, but I've taught myself about basic accessibility requirements like these, on top of simple HTML, etc.
It means I can provide useful advice to my clients regarding textual elements such as alt tags and header elements, and why they're important. I think it's the least I can do and is something that all copywriters who profess to know about writing for the web should be aware of.
I also agree with Claire Kay; before freelancing I worked for a large company with lots of subsidiaries. I would often advise colleagues on their websites and it would amaze me how many agencies would charge a not-inconsiderate sum for a new site that didn't even include minimum requirements, such as alt tags.
Unfortunately, website design and build is still such a mystery to many people not normally involved with them that these agencies are getting away with it.
Frank Levert / 26/09/2008 / 20:28 / http://www.levertmarketing.com/blog/
Developers seem to have more and more things to deal with every day. I recently wrote a similar article on my blog about common issues found with Joomla. It's always nice to get some tips on how to fix things easily.
Andrew / 01/04/2009 / 18:08
Could you make your accessibility articles downloadable please?
crs / 29/04/2009 / 06:03
please provide a printer version for the site. for some articles pdf link are not there. for such situations printer versions will be helpful.
