Accessibilityshouldbeamajorconcern—andaim—forallbrands.Thisisespeciallythecaseinanerawithhighnationalandinternationalstandardsthatgovernhoweasyitshouldbeforuserswithdisabilitiestoaccessproductsandservices.AccessibilityauditsareessentialforbrandstoadheretolawsliketheAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA)andSection508.Abrandthatfailstocomplycanrunintoseriouslegalrisks.Resultingactionssuchaslawsuitsandmassivefinesmakesureofthevalueofagoodaccessibilityauditreport.Theseauditsare,therefore,criticalforlegalsafetyandpublicimage.
UXiswherethesetwodomainsmeet.
InteractionDesignFoundation,CCBY-SA4.0
Accessibilityauditslookatnumerouselementstomakesurethatdigitalproductsaren'tonlyusablebutenjoyableforallusersaswell.Theseelementsinclude:
Designersshouldensurethattextandbackgroundhaveenoughcontrastforuserswithvisualimpairmentstoseethem.
Web-basedprojectmanagementplatformAsanaletsteamstrackandmanageworkitems.Asanahasarichsetofkeyboardshortcutsthatreducemouseusageandminimizerepetitiveactions.
Asana,FairUse
Designersshouldensurethatcontentisaccessiblethroughscreenreaders.Visuallyimpairedusersusescreenreaderstohearcontentratherthanseeit.
It’svitaltoincludealternativetextforimagesandcaptionsforvideos.Theseaccessiblefeatureshelpuserswithhearingorvisualimpairments.
Designersshouldensurewebsitesandapplicationsadjusttovariousdevicesizesandorientations—thatway,theycanaccommodateuserswithlimitedmobilitywhomaybeusingdifferentdevices.
ToconductawebsiteaccessibilityauditoruseaWCAGaccessibilityauditchecklistisahighlyvitalstepforabrandthatwantstoidentifyissuesthatcouldhindertheuserexperienceforasizabledemographic.TheultimategoalistoapplytheWCAGstandardstocreateamoreinclusivedigitalspaceinanycase—soalluserscanbenefit.
FrankSpillersexplainsvaluableadditionalpointstoconsiderregardingaccessibility:
Accessibilityauditscomeinthreecategories:
CompliancewithstandardssuchastheADAandWCAGisaprimarydriver.Nonetheless,thescopeofaccessibilityauditsextendsbeyondlegalrequirementssuchasADAcomplianceorWCAG2.2.Theseauditsaimtoremovebarriersthatmakenavigation,readingandinteractiondifficultforuserswithdisabilities.They,therefore,enhancetheoveralluserexperience.Anotherpointisthattheyshowthatbrandswhotakeaccessibilityseriouslyunderstandthateveryuser’sexperienceisapriority.
Accessibledesignincludesuserswithmanydisabilities,andabilities.
Whenbrandsapplyaccessibilityaudits,theycan:
Whenabrandimprovestheaccessibilityofitsdigitalassets,itbooststheuserexperienceforallvisitors—notjustthosewithdisabilities.Forinstance,closedcaptionsbenefituserswhoarehardofhearingbutalsouserswhoareinloudenvironmentsanduserswhodon’thaveEnglishastheirfirstlanguage.So,accessibilityauditsserviceusersacrosstheboard,inanycase.
Accessibilityauditsarevitalpracticesforbrandstosticktolegalstandards.Theseauditsgreatlylowertheriskofcostlylitigation.Whenbrandsensuretheycomply,theydon'tjustavoidlegalrepercussions.Theyalsoprotecttheirpublicimageandfinancialstability.
Toconductregularaccessibilityauditsimprovestheoveralluserexperience.Auditsmakedigitalplatformsmorenavigableandenjoyableforpeoplewithdisabilities.Thisinclusivitybooststhebrand’sreputationasitdemonstratesacommitmenttoallusers,nomattertheirabilities.Enhanceduserexperienceleadstoincreasedcustomerloyalty.Plus,itpotentiallyexpandsthecustomerbaseasitmakesthebrandmoreappealingtoadiverseaudience.
Accessibilityauditsopenupnewmarketopportunities.Theymakedigitalcontentaccessibletotheestimatedonebillionpeopleworldwidewithdisabilities.Thisexpansionisn'tjustastrategicbusinessadvantage.Italsoalignswithethicalbusinesspractices,anditpromotesinclusivityandequalaccessforallusers.Brandsthatprioritizeaccessibilitycantapintoanotherwiseunderservedsegment.Theycanincrease,therefore,theirmarketreachandcompetitiveedge.
FrankSpillersexplainshowaccessibledesignsboostSEOandmore:
Todesignforaccessibilityhelpsallusers,includingthosewithtemporaryormorelong-lastingdisabilities.
Microsoft’sinclusivedesigntoolkit,FairUse
WebAIM'sWAVEisahighlyregardedbrowserextension.Itpinpointsaccessibilityissuesonwebpages.Itprovidesvisualfeedbackabouttheaccessibilityofwebcontentbyhighlightingpotentialproblemsdirectlyonthepageitself.Thismakesiteasierfordeveloperstounderstandandfixissues.
WebAIM,FairUse
AxeDevToolscomesintegrateddirectlyintoabrowser'sdevelopertools.Itoffersarobustaccessibilitytestingtoolkit.Thistoolhelpsdevelopersidentifyandfixaccessibilityissuesquickly.Ithelpsmakesurethatdigitalcontentisinlinewithestablishedaccessibilitystandards.
AxeDevTools,FairUse
Stark,FairUse
UserWayprovidescomprehensiveaccessibilityservices—includingauditsthatVPATcertifiedauditorsconduct.TheirservicescovercompliancewithmajorstandardssuchasSection508,WCAGandtheADA.Theyalsoofferremediationconsultingtohelpbusinessesimprovetheirdigitalplatforms.
UserWay,FairUse
AccessiBeoffersdetailedwebauditsandremediationreports—ensuringcompliancewithstandardsliketheAODA.Theirservicesaredesignedtomakewebsitesfullyaccessible,andtoenhanceusabilityforallusers.
AccessiBe,FairUse
EquallyAIprovidesaccessibilityauditsatasetpriceperwebsitetemplate.TheyfocusonvariousWCAGcriteriaincludinglevelsA,AAandAAA.Theyalsooffercustomerserviceinmultiplelanguagesandcatertoadiverseclientbase.
EquallyAI,FairUse
AllyantofferstheirDigitalAccessibilityAuditingandVPATService—makingsurethatthoroughevaluationsofdigitalproductshappen.Theirfocusonincludingpeoplewithdisabilitiesintheirauditsenhancestheaccuracyandrelevanceoftheirassessments.
Allyant,FairUse
Severalfreetoolsareavailableforbusinessesandindividualstoconductpreliminaryaccessibilitychecks:
Thesetoolsprovideanaccessibleentrypointforbrandstostartimprovingtheirdigitalcontent.So,theycanbuildtheirownformofaccessibilityaudittraining.
Whenbrandsuseauditingtoolsandtheservicesofaccessibilityauditcompanies,theycanvastlyimprovetheirdigitalaccessibility.Whentheydothat,theycanmeetbothcompliancerequirementsandethicalstandardstodeliverabetteruserexperienceforeveryone.
Auditscanflagawiderangeofissues,guidingbrandstomakeappropriateadjustments.
RazorSpire,FairUse
Brandsshouldruntheseauditsatvariousstagesofaprojectorcompany'slifecycle.Herearesomekeytimestoconsider:
Toconductanauditsoearlyhelpsmakesurethatteamscanintegrateaccessibilityconsiderationsintotheprojectfromtheoutset.Thiscanhelpavoidcostlyretrofitsatlaterstages.
Beforethelaunchofanewwebsite,applicationorproduct,it'sacriticalpointtoconductanaccessibilityauditsoastoidentifyandrectifyanypotentialaccessibilitybarriers.
Wheneverdesignersmakesignificantupdatesorchangestoadigitalplatform,it’svitaltoensurethattheupdateshaven'tintroducedanynewaccessibilitybarriers.
Accessibilityisanongoingcommitment.Regularlyscheduledaccessibilityauditscanhelpensurethatadigitalplatformstaysinclusiveandcompliantwithaccessibilitystandardsovertime.
AnexampleofanAccessibilityAuditReport.
GlendaSims,FairUse
Herearesomebestpracticesforbrandstonotjustcomplywithlegalrequirementsbutenhancemarketpresence,usersatisfactionandoperationalinsightsaswell:
Startbydefiningthescopeoftheaudit.Pickarepresentativesampleofpagesandfeaturestoreview.Thishelpstomanagetheauditprocessmoreeffectively.Plus,itensuresdesignanddevelopmentteamsdon’toverlookcriticalareasofthewebsite.
UsetoolsliketheWAVEtoolorbrowseroptionstoassessusabilitywhenstylesheetsaredisabled.Anotherpointistouseawebaccessibilitychecklisttosystematicallyaddresselementslikenavigation,mediaandoverallpagestructure.
Makesurethatallcontenttypesareaccessible—andtheseincludeimages,videosandforms.Checkforpropertextdescriptionsandaudiocaptions.Checkthatinteractiveelementsarefullyfunctionalandaccessible,too.
Keepadetailedlogofidentifiedissuesusingaspreadsheetorsimilartool.Recordthelocationoftheissueonthesite,thenatureoftheproblemandsuggestedremediationstrategies.Thisdocumentationisavitalwaytotrackprogressandensureaccountabilityisareality.
Performaccessibilitytestsusingvariousdevices—likemobilesandtablets—andacrossdifferentbrowsers.Thisensuresthatthewebsiteisaccessibleregardlessofthedeviceorbrowserthatthevisitormayuse.
WatchasFrankSpillersexplains10principlestoconsiderforwebaccessibilityandmobiledesign:
Makesurethatuserscannavigatetheentiresiteusingjustakeyboardandthatit’scompatiblewithscreenreadertechnology.That'scrucialforuserswhorelyonthesetechnologiestoaccesstheirwebcontent.
Runaccessibilityauditsatleastonceevery6–12months.It’sespeciallyimportantifabrandcontinuouslyaddsnewcontenttoasite.Thisregularitymakessurethataccessibilityremainsapriorityandthatneworupdatedcontentcomplieswithaccessibilitystandards.
Theexperiencesofpeoplewithdisabilitiescanprovidethemostaccuratedatatoinformnecessarychangesforbrands.
UXStrategistandConsultant,WilliamHudsonexplainsimportantpointsaboutusabilitytesting:
Engageaccessibilityexpertsaswellasuserswithdisabilitiesinthetestingprocess.Expertscanprovideinsightsbasedonindustrystandards.
WilliamHudsonexplainsimportantpointsaboutexpertevaluationinthisvideo:
Automatedtoolscanquicklyspotmanyaccessibilityissues.Still,manualtestingisessentialtouncovermorenuancedproblemsthatautomatedtoolsmightmiss.Acombinationofbothmethodsmakesforacomprehensiveoverviewofaccessibilityissues.
What'smore,theauditprocesstypicallyinvolvesablendofautomatedtoolsandexpertevaluation.Thiscombinationcanensurebrandsthoroughlycoveraccessibilitystandardsandpracticalusabilityforpeoplewithdisabilities.
Afteranaudit,it’simportanttodevelopanaccessibilitystrategy,assignresponsibilitiesandprioritizeissuesforcorrection.Brandsshouldaddressandfixanyissuesthatacomprehensiveauditdoesflag.
Forexample,asimplecorrectiontoAlttextcanhelpSEOaswell.
It’svitaltointegrateaccessibilityauditsearly—andcontinuously—duringwebsitedeployment,redesignormigrations.Itminimizeslabor-intensiveeffortsandpreventspost-launchissues.What'smore,itmakessurethataccessibilityisacornerstoneofabrand’sdesignprocessratherthananafterthought.
Overall,brandsshouldembraceaccessibilityauditsinsteadofusingthemjusttoavoidpenalties.TheseauditsareacornerstoneofUXdesign.Theyserveasabeacontoguidebrandstooptimizetheexperiencestheydelivertoallusers.Designerswhohavetheforesighttocoverallaspectsofaccessibilitybeforeanauditprovetheirvalue.Theyhelpshowcasetheirbrandsasgreataccessibilityauditexamples—andchampions—oftrueuserexperiencedesign.
Digitalcontentandsolutionsshouldhavefundamentalqualities—importanttobearinmindthroughoutthedesignprocess.
TheAgileEngineTeam,FairUse
Themaincomponentsofanaccessibilityauditfocusonevaluatinghowaccessibleadigitalproductistoallusers,includingthosewithdisabilities.Here’sabreakdownofthesecomponents:
Compliancereview:ThisstepincludestochecktheproductagainstestablishedaccessibilitystandardsliketheWebContentAccessibilityGuidelines(WCAG).Designersreviewiftheproductmeetstherequiredsuccesscriteriaatvariouslevels(A,AA,orAAA).
Userinterfaceandnavigationassessment:Thispartoftheauditassesseshoweasyitistonavigatetheproductandaccessitscontent.Itchecksforlogicalflow,clearlabelingandthepresenceofaccessiblecontrols.
Colorandcontrastanalysis:Auditorsexaminethevisualpresentation,andensurethattextcontrastssufficientlyagainstbackgroundcolorstoaiduserswithvisualimpairments.
Contentevaluation:Thisincludestoreviewtheclarityandreadabilityofthecontent,checkfortheuseofsimplelanguageandmakesurethatallmedia(likeimagesandvideos)havetextalternatives.
Assistivetechnologycompatibility:Theaudittestscompatibilitywithvariousassistivetechnologieslikescreenreaders,keyboard-onlynavigationandspeechrecognitionsoftwaretoensuretheproductissomethingthateveryonecanuse.
Feedbackandusertesting:Tocollectfeedbackfromuserswithdisabilitiesandinvolvethemintestingcanprovidepracticalinsightsintotheaccessibilityoftheproduct.
Accessibilityauditsareonecriticalwaytomakesurethatdigitalproductsareusableforeveryone—includingpeoplewithdisabilities.Ideally,multiplepartieswithdistinctskillsshouldconducttheseaudits:
Accessibilityspecialists:Theseareprofessionalswhohavein-depthknowledgeofaccessibilitystandardsliketheWebContentAccessibilityGuidelines(WCAG).Theyunderstandthetechnicalrequirementsandhowtoimplementthem.
Designersanddevelopers:Theteamthatbuilttheproductshouldbeinvolvedtounderstandaccessibilityissuesandmakenecessaryadjustments.Theirinvolvementensuresthatthetechnicalandcreativeaspectsoftheproductactuallymeetaccessibilitystandards.
Userswithdisabilities:Includeactualuserswithvariousdisabilitiesintheauditprocess.It’sessential.Theycanprovidefirsthandfeedbackontheusabilityoftheproductfromtheiruniqueperspectives.
Third-partyconsultants:Sometimes,ithelpstohireexternalconsultantswhospecializeinaccessibility.Theycanofferanunbiasedreviewoftheproductandsuggestimprovementsbasedonbestpracticesandindustrystandards.Togetadiversegroupinvolvedmakesforathoroughaudit,andleadstoamoreaccessibleproduct.
Thiscollaborativeapproachdoesn'tjustenhanceproductusability;italsopromotesinclusivitythroughoutthedesignanddevelopmentprocess.
Youshouldconductaccessibilityauditsregularly—tomakesureyourdigitalproductsremainaccessibletoallusers,includingthosewithdisabilities.Here'sageneralguidelineforthefrequency:
Atmajormilestones:Runanauditwheneveryoureleaseanewversionofaproductoraftersignificantupdates.Thesearecriticaltimestocheckthatnewfeaturesorchangesmeetaccessibilitystandards.
Annually:Evenifyourproducthasminorupdates,ayearlyaudithelpscatchanyissuesthatmighthavebeenmissedorintroducedovertime.ThisregularcheckmaintainscompliancewithevolvingaccessibilitystandardsliketheWebContentAccessibilityGuidelines(WCAG).
Afteryoureceiveuserfeedback:Ifusersreportaccessibilityissues,it’scrucialtodoanauditassoonaspossible.Thisfixestheissues,indeed,butitalsodemonstratesyourcommitmenttoaccessibility.
Whenregulationschange:Iflegalrequirementsaroundaccessibilitychange,runanaudittoensureyourproductcomplieswiththenewregulations.Thiscankeeplegalissuesfromcroppingupandenhanceuserexperience.
Regularauditsarepartofaproactiveapproachtoaccessibility—andtheyensurethatalluserscanefficientlyuseyourproducts.
Duringanaccessibilityaudit,professionalsuseavarietyoftoolstomakesuredigitalproductsmeettheneedsofallusers—includingthosewithdisabilities.Herearesomekeytoolscommonlyemployed:
Screenreaders:ToolslikeJAWS,NVDAorVoiceOverhelpauditorsunderstandhowpeoplewhoareblindorhavelowvisioninteractwithaproduct.Auditorsusethesetocheckwhetherallelementsonthepageareactuallyaccessible.
Colorcontrastanalyzers:Thesetoolsmeasurethecontrastbetweentextandbackgroundcolors.Highcontrastisessentialforuserswithvisualimpairments.WebAIM’sContrastCheckerisapopularchoice.
Accessibilityinspectiontoolbars:BrowserextensionssuchastheAxeAccessibilityToolbarorWAVEprovideaquickwaytoidentifycommonaccessibilityissueswithinwebpages.
Keyboardaccessibilitytests:Professionalsusetheirkeyboard(nomouse)tonavigatetheproduct.Thistestingensuresthatuserswhocan'tuseamousecanaccessallfeatures.
Automatedtestingtools:ProgramslikeAxeorLighthouseautomatethedetectionofpotentialaccessibilityissuesacrosswebpages—providingabroadoverviewofareasthatmightneedcloserexamination.
Thesetoolshelpprofessionalsidentifyandfixaccessibilitybarriers—makingdigitalenvironmentsusableforeveryone.WatchasCEOofExperienceDynamics,FrankSpillersexplains10principlestoconsiderforwebaccessibilityandmobiledesign:
Accessibilityauditstypicallyuncoverseveralcommonissuesthatcangetinthewayoftheusabilityofdigitalproductsforuserswithdisabilities.Herearesomeofthemostfrequentproblemstheseauditsidentify:
Insufficienttextcontrast:Auditorsoftenfindthatthecontrastbetweentextanditsbackgroundistoolow,whichmakesithardforpeoplewithvisualimpairmentstoread.
Missingalttextforimages:Imageswithoutalternativetext(alttext)areacommonissue.Alttextiscrucialasitdescribesimagestouserswhorelyonscreenreaders.
Inaccessiblenavigation:Manyauditsrevealthatwebsitesorappshavenavigationthat'shardtouseorunderstand—especiallyforuserswhonavigateexclusivelyviakeyboardorscreenreaders.
Lackofkeyboardaccessibility:Someinteractiveelementsaren'toperablewithakeyboard,whichcanexcludeuserswhodon'tuseamouse.
Poorformlabeling:Formswithlabelsthatareunclearormissingentirelyareoftenflagged.Properlabelingisessentialforuserstounderstandwhatinformationbelongsineachformfield.
Mediawithoutcaptionsortranscripts:Auditsfrequentlyuncovervideosandaudiotracksthatlackcaptionsortranscripts—makingtheminaccessibletouserswhoaredeaforhardofhearing.
Tospottheseissuesletsdesignersmakethenecessarychangestoimproveaccessibilityandensuretheirproductsservealluserseffectively.
WatchasFrankSpillersexplainshowaccessibilityimpactsusabilityandSEO:
Yes,accessibilityrequirementscanvarysignificantlybycountry.Differentnationshavetheirownlawsandregulationsthatgovernaccessibility—especiallyfordigitalproductsandservices.Forexample:
UnitedStates:TheAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA)andSection508oftheRehabilitationActmandateaccessibilityforpublicandgovernmentdigitalservices.Theselawsensurethatwebsitesareaccessibletopeoplewithdisabilities.
EuropeanUnion:TheEuropeanAccessibilityActrequiresthatkeydigitalproductsandservices,likee-commercewebsitesandmobileapps,beaccessible.MemberstateshavespecificguidelinestostayinlinewiththesebroaderEUregulations.
Canada:TheAccessibilityforOntarianswithDisabilitiesAct(AODA)setsstandardsfordigitalaccessibilityacrossOntario,whichinfluencesnationalstandards.
UnitedKingdom:TheEqualityAct2010requiresthatallUKservices,includingdigital,beaccessible,whichspecificguidelinesliketheUKGovernment’saccessibilityrequirementsenforce.
It’scrucialtounderstandandcomplywiththespecificaccessibilitylawsofeachcountryforbusinessesthatoperateinternationally—toensureinclusivityandlegalcompliance.
Tofailtomeetaccessibilitystandardscanleadtoseveralpenalties,dependingonthecountryandspecificregulations.Herearesomecommonconsequencesbusinessesmightface:
Legalaction:Individualsorgroupsmaysueorganizationsfornotprovidingaccessibledigitalproducts.IncountriesliketheUnitedStates,theselawsuitscanbebasedonviolationsoftheAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA).Suchlegalactionscanresultincostlysettlementsorcourt-orderedmandatestomakewebsitesaccessible.
Fines:Governmentsmayimposefinesonorganizationsthatfailtocomplywithaccessibilitylaws.Forexample,intheEuropeanUnion,undertheEuropeanAccessibilityAct,finescanbesignificant,dependingontheextentofthenon-complianceandthesizeofthecompany.
Reputationaldamage:Beyondlegalorfinancialpenalties,tofailtoensureaccessibilitycanharmacompany'sreputation.Customersandadvocacygroupsmayviewtheorganizationasindifferenttotheneedsofpeoplewithdisabilities—aproblemthatcanleadtonegativepublicityandlossofcustomertrust.It’sgoodtotakeproactivestepstocomplywithaccessibilitystandards,notjusttoavoidthesepenaltiesbutalsotoenhanceuserexperienceandbroadencustomerreach.
Understandmoreaboutaccessibilityandtheneedtodesignwithaccessibilityinmindfromourvideo:
Thedurationofatypicalaccessibilityauditdependsonseveralfactors—includingthecomplexityofthewebsiteorapplicationandthedepthoftheauditrequired.Generally,anaccessibilityauditcantakeanywherefromafewdaystoseveralweeks.Forasmallwebsitewithlimitedfeatures,anauditmightbecompletedinaweekorless.Forlarger,morecomplexwebsitesorapplicationswithmanypagesandfeatures,however,theauditprocesscanextenduptoseveralweeks.Thistimelineletsauditorsthoroughlyreviewthesiteagainstaccessibilitystandards,testwithdifferentassistivetechnologiesandcompiledetailedreportswithrecommendationsforimprovements.
Yes,it'sentirelypossibletodothat.Manyofthetoolsandprocessesforuseinaccessibilityauditsaredigital—allowingauditorstoevaluatewebsitesandapplicationsfromanywhere.Auditorsusevarioussoftwaretoolstocheckcompliancewithaccessibilitystandards—suchasscreenreaders,colorcontrastanalyzersandautomatedtestingprograms.What'smore,tocommunicatewithteammembersandstakeholderscaneasilyhappenviaemail,videocallsandotheronlinecollaborationplatforms.Thisflexibilitymeansthatorganizationscanengageaccessibilityexpertsfromaroundtheworld,andensuretheygetthebestinsightsandrecommendationstoimprovetheirdigitalproducts.
WatchasFrankSpillersexplainsanotheraspecttowatchforwithdesignforaccessibility:designer’sbias:
TheessentialaccessibilitystandardsandguidelinesprimarilyincludetheWebContentAccessibilityGuidelines(WCAG),whichtheWorldWideWebConsortium(W3C)developed.WCAGisthemostwidelyrecognizedsetofguidelines,anditservesasthebasisformanyinternationalandnationallawsonaccessibility.Itoutlineshowtomakewebcontentmoreaccessibletopeoplewithdisabilities.Itcoversarangeofdisabilities,includingvisual,auditory,physical,speech,cognitive,language,learningandneurologicaldisabilities.
WCAGguidelinesareorganizedunderfourprinciples:perceivable,operable,understandableandrobust.Theseguidelineshavethreelevelsofcompliance:A(theminimumlevel),AA(thestandardlevelformostwebsites)andAAA(thehighestlevel).TofollowWCAGhelpsensurethatdigitalcontentisaccessibletoallusers,regardlessoftheirabilities.
Duringanaccessibilityaudit,auditorsevaluateARIA(AccessibleRichInternetApplications)rolestoensurethatwebcontentandapplicationsaremoreaccessibletopeoplewithdisabilities.ARIAroleshelpbyprovidingextracontexttoassistivetechnologies—likescreenreaders—aboutwhateachelementdoesorrepresentsonawebpage.
AuditorstypicallyassessARIAroleswhenthey:
IdentifyARIAroles:AuditorsstartbycheckingthatHTMLelementsonawebpageincludeappropriateARIAroles.Forexample,roleslike“button”,“dialog”,“navigation”and“article”tellassistivetechnologyhowtointeractwithorwhattoexpectfromtheseelements.
TestARIAimplementations:AfterauditorsidentifyARIAroles,theyusescreenreadersandotherassistivetechnologiestotestiftheserolesareimplementedcorrectly.TheyensurethatelementswithARIArolesarefunctioningasintended,providingthecorrectfeedbacktousers.
ValidateARIApropertiesandstates:AuditorsalsocheckforproperuseofARIApropertiesandstateswhichprovidedynamicinformationaboutelements,suchaswhetheradropdownisexpandedoracheckboxisselected.
Reviewconsistency:Finally,auditorsensureconsistencyacrossthesite,andverifythatsimilarelementsusethesameARIArolesandattributes,whichhelpstocreateapredictableuserexperience.
BycarefullyevaluatingARIAroles,auditorscansignificantlyenhancetheusabilityofwebcontentforuserswhorelyonassistivetechnologies.Theycanmakesurethatwebfunctionsareaccessibletoeveryone.
WatchasFrankSpillersexplainsadditionaldimensionsofaccessibilitytoconsiderindesign:
Inanaccessibilityaudit,professionalsprioritizefindingsfromtheimpacteachissuehasontheaccessibilityoftheproductandtheeaseofimplementingfixes.Here’showtheytypicallyapproachthisprioritization:
Severityofimpact:Issuesthatseverelyaffecttheabilityofusers,particularlythosewithdisabilities,tousetheproductaregiventhehighestpriority.Forinstance,ifamajornavigationalcomponentisn'taccessibleviakeyboard,itcouldpreventuserswhorelyonkeyboard-onlynavigationfromusingthesiteeffectively.
Frequencyofoccurrence:Ifanaccessibilityissueoccursfrequentlyacrossawebsiteorapplication,itreceiveshigherprioritization.That'sbecausefixingsuchwidespreadproblemscanimprovetheexperienceforalargernumberofusers.
Easeofresolution:Issuesthatareeasiertofixmightgethigherprioritizationbecausequickwinscansignificantlyimproveaccessibilitywithoutrequiringextensiveresourcesortime.
Legalcompliance:Professionalsalsoconsiderthelegalrequirementsassociatedwithaccessibility.Issuesthatmightleadtonon-compliancewithlawsliketheADA(AmericanswithDisabilitiesAct)receiveprioritizationtomitigatelegalrisks.
Fromcategorizingissuesbasedonthesecriteria,professionalscancreateaneffectiveplantoaddressthemostcriticalproblemsfirst—enhancingoverallaccessibilityinastrategicway.
Accessibilityauditsformobileapplicationsdifferfromthoseforwebsitesprimarilyintheplatforms,toolsandguidelinestheyfocuson.Theseauditsgenerallyvaryin:
Platform-specificguidelines:Mobileauditssticktoplatform-specificguidelinessuchasApple’siOSHumanInterfaceGuidelinesandGoogle’sAndroidAccessibilityGuidelines,inadditiontotheWebContentAccessibilityGuidelines(WCAG)thatoftenreceivebroaderapplicationtowebcontent.Theseguidelinesaddresstheuniquefeaturesandinteractionsofmobiledevices.
Interactiondifferences:Mobiledevicesusetouchinteractions,suchasswipingandtapping,whicharedifferentfromthemouseclicksandkeyboardnavigationtypicallyusedonwebsites.Auditorscheckforaccessibilityinthesetouch-basedinteractionstomakesuretheyareusableforeveryone,includingthosewithmotordisabilities.
Toolutilization:Toolsusedinmobileauditscanincludebothsoftwareandphysicaldevices.Auditorsoftenusetheactualsmartphonesandtabletstotestaccessibilityfeatureslikescreenreaders(VoiceOveroniOS,TalkBackonAndroid)andensurethesefeaturesworkcorrectlyacrossdifferentdevicesandscreensizes.
Testingenvironments:Unlikewebapplications,testingmobileappsoftenrequiressettingupdifferenthardwareconfigurationstosimulatevariousoperatingsystems,screenresolutionsandusersettings.
Thesedifferenceshighlighttheneedforatailoredapproachinmobileaccessibilityauditstoaddressthespecificchallengesandrequirementsofmobileplatformsanduserinteractions.
WatchasFrankSpillersexplainsprinciplestoconsiderforwebaccessibilityandmobiledesign:
Thisconferencepaperevaluatestheeffectivenessofvariousautomatedwebaccessibilityevaluationtoolsandemphasizesthelimitationsofrelyingjustonsuchtoolsforaccessibilityaudits.Itunderscoreshowimportantitistocombineautomatedtestingwithmanualevaluationbyaccessibilityexperts.
Whichtypeofaccessibilityauditcombinesautomatedtoolsandhumanevaluation
Whyisitcrucialforbusinessestoconductaccessibilityaudits
Whatelementdodesignerstypicallyassessduringanaccessibilityaudit
Howdoaccessibilityauditsbenefitbusinessesbeyondlegalcompliance
Youearnedyourgiftwithaperfectscore!Letussendittoyou.
We’veemailedyourgifttoname@email.com.
Here’stheentireUXliteratureonAccessibilityAuditsbytheInteractionDesignFoundation,collatedinoneplace:
Let’sexamineatopicweoftentakeforgrantedtounderstandwhatit’sreallyabout.Doingso,you’llbeabletoproceedwithabroaderappreciationofhowusersengageyourdesigns.
Mobiledevicesareagreatexampleofdealingwithuserswithaccessibilityissues.Whenusingmobilephones,we’reonthego,doingotherthings,withourattentionsplitseveralways.Withthepervasivenessofhandheldsmart-gadgets,weasdesignersneedtoembraceaccessibilityforallandinallcontexts.
Inmanycountries,designingforaccessibilityisn’tjustmorallycorrect;it’salsoalegalobligation.ThroughouttheEU,legislationtopreventdiscriminationagainstdisabledpeopleexists;failingtocomplywiththeselawscouldcostacompanydearly.Complianceischeaper,butitpaysbigdividends,too.
Thegoodnewsisthattherearestandardsforaccessibility,andtheseareeasytounderstand.Betterstill,ifweconsiderthematthestartofthedesignprocess,we’llfindthemeasytoimplement.Accessibilityissimplyafunctionofaccess.Peoplewithavisualimpairment,forexample,maynotbeabletoreadthetextonyourwebsite.However,ifyouhaveproperlyformattedyourtext,they’llbeabletousescreenreadingsoftwaretohearyourwords.
Designingforaccessibilitytakessomeforethought.Examineyouroptionsintheplanningphaseandstayfocusedonaccessibilitythroughoutdevelopment.It’seasytogetcaughtupinthesubstanceofyourworkandforgetaboutthisessentialpoint.Keepitinmind,andtestyourdesignsoftentobecertainthatyoureffortsaresuccessful.
Now,thinkaboutyourselfasauser.HaveyouevernoticeddifficultieswhendrivingandusingyourcellphoneHowdoesitfeelwhenyou’retryingtomultitaskDoyouhaveautomatictransmissiontomakeiteasier
Asuserswithhandheld/mobiledevices,weallfacedifficultieswhenwehavetodivideourattention.Happily,GPSsystemsspeaktous,sowedon’thavetotakeoureyesofftheroad,exceptfortheoddglancetoseehowfaraheadaturnis.GoodGPSsoftwaredesignersarefullyawareofwhatit’slikeformotoristusersanddesigntohelp,nothinderordistract.
Example:Arnoldhasaninterviewat3p.m.inatownhe’sneverbeento,andhehastouseaneighbor-friend’scar.Hisneighborreturnslate.Unfortunately,asnowstormhasstarted,too.Worse,thecarislowongas,soArnoldwillhavetofillupontheway.So,thefactorsthatareimpedingArnoldconstitutehisdisabilitiesasauser,whichare:
Youcanusemanywaystomakeyourwebsiteaccessible.Togetstarted,herearesomesimpletipsthatcanhelpensurethatmanypeoplewithdisabilitiescanaccessyoursiteeasily:
Muchspecialisttechnologyisavailableforyoutousetomakeyourwebsiteamoreaccessibleplace.Someofthemostcommontechnologyislistedbelow.Inanidealworld,wedesignerswouldtrytoaccessthistechnologyandtestoursiteswithittoensuresiteaccessibility.Wemayunderstandthatthisisn’talwayspracticable,butit’simportanttostayconscientious.Savingoneuserfromhavingabadexperienceisworthit.
Designingwithuseraccessibilityinmindmeansenvisioningallusersashavingneedsthatrequireattention.Althoughmanyusershavephysicalandcognitivedisabilities,allwillbedistractedatsomepointwhenaccessingsites.Evenso-called“fullyable-bodied”users,sittinginquietroomswithlargemonitors,willbehamperedifthephonegoesandtheyhavetonavigatewithonehand.
Makingaccessibledesignsmeansplanningandbuildinginviewofthis.Wehaveavarietyoftipsatourdisposal,rangingfromusingheadertagsandalttextonimagestohavingalinkstrategy.Withcarefulconsideration,wecandeterminewhat’snecessarytooptimizeaccessibility,testingourdesignsonrealusersinthefield.
Nobody’sperfect!Yet,bydesigningwitheveryoneinmindinsuchanimperfectworld,we’llbeanotherstepclosertomakingbetterUXs.
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Goodaccessibilityiscrucialtomakingyourwebsiteorappasuccess.Notonlyisdesigningforaccessibilityrequiredbylawinmanycountries—ifyoufailtoconsideraccessibility,youareexcludingmillionsofpeoplefromusingyourproduct.TheUNestimatesthatmorethan1billionpeoplearoundtheworldlivewithsomeformofdisabilityandaspopulationsageoverthecomingyears,thatnumberisexpectedtoriserapidly.Addtothatthe10percentofpeoplewhosufferfromcolorblindness,andyoustarttogetanideaofwhyaccessibilityissoimportant—notjustformoralandlegalreasons,butalsosothatyourproductscanreachtheirfullpotential.Youneedtodesignforaccessibility!
So…whatisaprovenandpain-freewaytowell-executedaccessibilityIfyou’veevertriedtooptimizeyoursiteorappforaccessibility,you’llknowitcanbeacomplexandintimidatingtask…anditcanthereforebeverytemptingtoleaveituntillastor,worsestill,avoiditaltogether.Byunderstandingthataccessibilityisaboutmorethanjustoptimizingyourcode,you’llfindyoucanbuilditintoyourdesignprocess.Thiswillensureyouaretakingadisabilityadvocacyapproach,andkeepingthefocusonyourusersthroughoutthedevelopmentprocess.
Thiscoursewillhelpyouachieveexactlythat—fromhandlingimagestogettingthemostoutofARIAmarkup,you’lllearnhowtoapproachaccessibilityfromallangles.You’llgainpractical,hands-onskillsthat’llenableyoutoassessandoptimizeforcommonaccessibilityissues,aswellasshowyouhowtoplaceanemphasisonthequalityoftheuserexperiencebyavoidingclassicmistakes.What’smore,you’llalsocomeawaywiththeknowledgetoconducteffectiveaccessibilitytestingthroughworkingwithuserswithdisabilities.
Thecourseincludesinterviewswithanaccessibilityspecialistandblinduser,aswellasmultiplereal-worldexamplesofwebsitesandappswhereyoucandemonstrateyourskillsthroughanalysisandaccessibilitytests.Notonlywillthisgiveyouamorepracticalviewofaccessibility,butyou’llalsobeabletooptimizeyourwebsitesandmobileappsinanexpertmanner—avoidingkeymistakesthatarecommonlymadewhendesigningforaccessibility.
YouwillbetaughtbyFrankSpillers,CEOoftheaward-winningUXfirmExperienceDynamics,andwillbeabletoleveragehisexperiencefromtwodecadesofworkingwithaccessibility.Giventhat,youwillbeabletolearnfrom,andavoid,themistakeshe’scomeacross,andapplythebestpracticeshe’sdevelopedovertimeinordertotrulymakeyouraccessibilityeffortsshine.Uponcompletingthecourse,youwillhavetheskillsrequiredtoadheretoaccessibilityguidelineswhilegrowingyourawarenessofaccessibility,andensuringyourorganization’smaturitygrowsalongsideyourown.
With182,523graduates,theInteractionDesignFoundationisthebiggestonlinedesignschoolglobally.Wewerefoundedin2002.
Ourdigitalservicesusenecessarytrackingtechnologies,includingthird-partycookies,forsecurity,functionality,andtoupholduserrights.Optionalcookiesofferenhancedfeatures,andanalytics.
Experiencethefullpotentialofoursitethatremembersyourpreferencesandsupportssecuresign-in.
Governsthestorageofdatanecessaryformaintainingwebsitesecurity,userauthentication,andfraudpreventionmechanisms.
Savesyoursettingsandpreferences,likeyourlocation,foramorepersonalizedexperience.
Weusecookiestoenableourreferralprogram,givingyouandyourfriendsdiscounts.
WeshareuserIDwithBugsnagandNewRelictohelpustrackerrorsandfixissues.
Optimizeyourexperiencebyallowingustomonitorsiteusage.You’llenjoyasmoother,morepersonalizedjourneywithoutcompromisingyourprivacy.
Collectsanonymousdataonhowyounavigateandinteract,helpingusmakeinformedimprovements.
Differentiatesrealvisitorsfromautomatedbots,ensuringaccurateusagedataandimprovingyourwebsiteexperience.
Letsustailoryourdigitaladstomatchyourinterests,makingthemmorerelevantandusefultoyou.
Storesinformationforbetter-targetedadvertising,enhancingyouronlineadexperience.
PermitsstoringdatatopersonalizecontentandadsacrossGoogleservicesbasedonuserbehavior,enhancingoveralluserexperience.
AllowsforcontentandadpersonalizationacrossGoogleservicesbasedonuserbehavior.Thisconsentenhancesuserexperiences.
Enablespersonalizingadsbasedonuserdataandinteractions,allowingformorerelevantadvertisingexperiencesacrossGoogleservices.
Receivemorerelevantadvertisementsbysharingyourinterestsandbehaviorwithourtrustedadvertisingpartners.
EnablesbetteradtargetingandmeasurementonMetaplatforms,makingadsyouseemorerelevant.
AllowsforimprovedadeffectivenessandmeasurementthroughMeta’sConversionsAPI,ensuringprivacy-compliantdatasharing.
Tracksconversions,retargeting,andwebanalyticsforLinkedInadcampaigns,enhancingadrelevanceandperformance.
EnhancesLinkedInadvertisingthroughserver-sideeventtracking,offeringmoreaccuratemeasurementandpersonalization.
Tracksadperformanceanduserengagement,helpingdeliveradsthataremostusefultoyou.
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Downloadourfreeebook“TheBasicsofUserExperienceDesign”tolearnaboutcoreconceptsofUXdesign.
In9chapters,we’llcover:conductinguserinterviews,designthinking,interactiondesign,mobileUXdesign,usability,UXresearch,andmanymore!