Web Accessibility and Usability Standards
Are there standards that we can apply to our web sites so that we have a site that is accessible to a broad range of users and usable by people with a wide range of skills and knowledge?
There are! Depending on where you are located those standards will vary from country to country and even state to state within a country.
Australia has commonwealth and state guidelines. The USA has government standards, as do New Zealand, the UK, the European Community and others. Then there is also the W3C and its standards.
What could be ten key points from standards around the globe that should be applied to your web site design and implementation?
Ten Guidelines on Website Accessibility
We went to the w3c website and looked at their guidelines on website accessibility standards.
Ten points that we thought were very important were
1. Make documents clear and simple so that they may be easily understood
2. Provide clear and consistent navigation mechanisms
3. Make sure that text and graphics are understandable when viewed with no colour, don’t rely on colour!
4. Use mark-up and style sheets and do so properly, misuse can limit accessibility and usability by certain browsers.
5. Clarify natural language usage, when braille and speech synthesizers are used abbreviations and other words may be indecipherable without clarification.
6. Use features that enable activation of page elements by different input or output devices- mouse, keyboard, voice etc
7. Make sure page is accessible even if new technologies are turned off or not supported by certain browsers.
8. Make sure tables have necessary mark-up to be transformed by different browsers or user agents.
9. Make sure that moving, scrolling, blinking and auto-updating may be paused or stopped.
10. Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content!!
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/ 21/03/06
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:45 pm10 rules according to W3C:
1. Ensure that documents are clear and simple.
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:48 pm2. Use clear navigation structure.
3. Design interfaces that are accessible.
4. Give the user the option to disable animate objects.
5. Ensure that the page can be accessed with new technology.
6. Use mark-up to ensure tables do not change in different platforms, browsers, etc.
7. Use mark-up that supports multi-lingual characters.
8. Adhere to strict code and style sheet rules.
9. Content should be understandable without colour.
10. Provide alternative to visual content for auditory displays.
Accessibility and usability in NZ
Maori Language support
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:49 pmAuto page refresh
Avoiding screen flicker
Updated content
Automatic page validation
Text-Only Browser compatibility
Spell and Grammar checks
W3c support – ([WAI-UA-SUPPORT)
Cross platform browser support
Multimedia equivalence
Government of Western Australia guidelines for state government websites
Framework for guidelines. The establishment of an agency website should be a cyclical series of steps supporting continuous improvement.
Definition of service objectives
Analysis of requirements
Planning / specifications
Development
Implementation
management / maintenance
Quality review
Information provision
Ensure relevant and current information
Content guidelines
Highlight keywords and hypertext
Meaningful sub headings
Bulleted lists
One idea per paragraph
Design guidelines
Hierarchical or linear structure
Accessibility
Making it accessible to everyone
Electronic record keeping and archiving
Keeping accurate and accessible records of everything created.
Metadata
Table of contents / index
Privacy
Adequate privacy protection
Adhere to information privacy principles and national privacy principles
Security
Adequate security for delicate information
Legal issues
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:53 pmKeep up with the legal environment and current specifications
Keep records of any permissions acquired
Key Points for Australian Websites:
1.Clear navigation
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:54 pm2.Natural Language
3.Pages that provide an actual online service to the public
4.Identify changes in natural language (captions)
5.Use simplest language appropriate
6.Security checks Threats and Risks (TRA)
7.Web content accessibility
8.Organise so that data can be read without CSS.
9.Ensure that information conveyed in colour can also be conveyed without
10.Provide a text equivalent for all non-text elements i.e. “alt” includes images
10 essentials to web usability according to W3C:
1. Ensure that documents are clear and simple.
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:55 pm2. Use clear navigation structure.
3. Design interfaces that are accessible.
4. Give the user the option to disable animate objects.
5. Ensure that the page can be accessed with new technology.
6. Use mark-up to ensure tables do not change in different platforms, browsers, etc.
7. Use mark-up that supports multi-lingual characters.
8. Adhere to strict code and style sheet rules.
9. Content should be understandable without colour.
10. Provide alternative to visual content for auditory displays.
Oops, it won’t let me edit my comment! But the URL to the information we found about NZ guidelines is:
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:55 pmhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-CORE-TECHS/
Accessibility and usability in NZ
• Maori Language support
• Auto page refresh
• Avoiding screen flicker
• Updated content
• Automatic page validation
• Text-Only Browser compatibility
• Spell and Grammar checks
• W3c support – ([WAI-UA-SUPPORT)
• Cross platform browser support
• Multimedia equivalence
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-CORE-TECHS/
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:56 pmKey Points on Usability and Accessibility for Websites
When using multimedia make sure to use captioning
Create tables that transform gracefully
Provide clear navigation mechanisms
Identify changes in the natural language (ie. Use captions)
Simple and clear paragraphs
Use headings or lists and keep the structure flowing
Use image maps when images are available
Test work for colour blindness, screen size and text resizing
Use a color besides red in error situations
Use meaningful links or link “title” attributes, not just “click here”
Try not to use pop-up’s
Information at http://www.agimo.gov.au
http://www.builderau.com.au/program/web/soa/Web_design_Web_accessibility_design_guidelines/0,39024632,20282058,00.htm
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:57 pmUS Webdesign Standards
1/ Provide support for text-only browsers (must have equivalent information & functionality). This must be updated whenever the primary site is updated.
2/ A text equivalent for every non-text element (attaching alt, or longdesc tags) to graphics, charts etc.
3/ Frames must be properly titled with text that identifies the frame.
4/ Row & column headers should be identified for data tables.
5/ Alternatives to using mouse navigation (such as using a keyboard to navigate the site)
6/ Documents should be organised so they do not require any associated style sheets.
7/ When a page requires a applet, plug-in or application to show certain content, the page must provide a link to that application.
8/ Webpages designed in colour should be available without colour.
9/ If a timed response is require, the user should be alerted & given sufficient time to request more time.
10/ A method to skip any repetitive navigation links.
Posted March 21, 2006, 2:58 pmWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines – EUROPE
1. Provide alternatives to auditory and visual content.
2. Don’t rely on colour alone.
3. Use markup and style sheets properly.
4. Clarify natural language usage
5. Ensure pages with new technologies can be supported by older browsers
6. Ensure objects (moving, blinking etc) can be stopped.
7. Design for device-independence.
8. Use interim solutions.
9. Provide clear navigation procedures.
10. Ensure that documents are clear and simple.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/#gl-movement
Posted March 21, 2006, 3:00 pmviewed: 21/3/06
US Webdesign Standards: http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12#Web
Posted March 21, 2006, 3:16 pmhttp://www.egov.dpc.wa.gov.au
Posted March 21, 2006, 3:16 pm