On September 30, 2022, I had the opportunity to present material and insights about Accessibility at the cmlabs class event organized by cmlabs. In accordance with the material I presented in the cmlabs class session, I will explain and present what accessibility is, how important accessibility is, and guidelines for maintaining accessibility.
When visiting a website, you may have encountered poor navigation, low color contrast, difficult to understand language, incompatible technology, and more.
For some people, this problem is indeed annoying, but it may not be a big problem. However, for some people, specifically those with disabilities, this is certainly a crucial problem. The problems above are just a few of the main topics discussed in this article, namely the problem of accessibility.
Accessibility is a concept
The design and development of products, services, environments, or digital platforms can enable equal access and use for every individual, including those with disabilities.
Accessibility ensures that people with diverse abilities, including those with visual, hearing, physical, or cognitive disabilities, can perceive, explore, and interact with the information being accessed effectively.
Scope of Accessibility Issues
The following are things that are within the scope of issues that must be considered in maintaining website accessibility.
Visual accessibility issues relate to individuals who are visually impaired or blind.Motor accessibility issues relate to individuals who have physical limitations or difficulties in using input devices such as a keyboard or mouse .
Hearing accessibility issues focus on individuals with hearing impairments or deafness.Accessibility issues related to seizures relate to individuals who are susceptible to intense light stimuli that may trigger seizures.
Learning/cognitive Learning or cognitive accessibility relates to individuals who have difficulty processing, understanding, or navigating information.
How Important is Accessibility
Accessibility is an important aspect for everyone in accessing a website, without exception. There are several reasons why accessibility is very important to consider.
The user experience of a website that takes accessibility into account will certainly be better because it involves all users, including those with disabilities or accessibility challenges. By providing good accessibility, all users can access and use the website more easily and comfortably.
This increases inclusivity and makes users feel valued, acknowledged, and interested in what the website has to offer.
Several countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy already have laws and regulations related to accessibility. Through these standardized regulations, someone can file a lawsuit against a website that is less accessible to the authorities for further action.
Think about Sarah; she runs a little bakery in her community. She made the decision to act independently after finding it difficult to draw in new clients in the face of fierce competition. She compiled a list of locals’ WhatsApp numbers (as long as they gave permission), then created enticing messages promoting her most whatsapp number database recent pastries and special deals. Weeks later, she experienced a sharp increase in business as a result of her delicious updates. One pastry at a time, Sarah built deep ties with her community by utilizing personalized messaging in place of generic marketing.
Therefore, maintaining website accessibility c
A website with good accessibility can certainly. Reach more people to visit and interact, thus increasing user retention and the time users spend on the website.
In addition, proper implementation of accessibility can help. Search engines better understand the content on a website and increase. The chances of proper indexing. Ultimately, accessibility can contribute to improved rankings. Visibility in search engines, expanding the user base, and increasing. Organic traffic to a website.
About WCAG
A widely used standard or guideline in ensuring website accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (AG is a set of guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to help web developers and designers build websites that are accessible to everyone.
Based on the date of this writing, the latest version oas an extension of the previous WCAG 2.0. This version adds several new guidelines that better accommodate broader accessibility needs, including for users with cognitive disabilities and mobile device users .
WCAG has three levels of requirements as follows.
This level is the basic level that focuses on
The most basic and important accessibility ai chatbots: revolutionizing lead issues. If a website meets the requirements at level A, then the website provides basic accessibility to users with some types of disabilities.
This level is an intermediate level that is an extension of the previous level. If a website meets the requirements at level AA, then the website can provide wider accessibility to users with various types of disabilities. The average website implements the requirements at this level.
This level is the highest level and contains the most stringent requirements for accessibility. Websites that meet the requirements at level AAA provide excellent and inclusive accessibility.
The level of compliance chosen canada email lead depends on the needs and objectives of the organization, as well as applicable legal requirements.
WCAG provides 12-13 detailed technical guidelines on how to develop accessible web content. These guidelines are based on the following 4 basic principles.
This principle relates to the ability of users
This can be achieved by providing alternatives to non-text content, such as relevant image descriptions or transcriptions for audio or video content. Content should also have sufficient color contrast to be easily read by all users, including those with visual impairments.
2. Operability
This principle focuses on the user’s ability to interact with the website and use its functionality. The website should be operable using a variety of input devices, such as a keyboard or alternative pointing device. Clear and consistent navigation should be provided so that users can easily navigate and move between elements.
This principle relates to the user’s
Understanding of the information and functions presented on the website. Clear and simple language should be used, avoiding the use of ambiguous or difficult to understand terms or phrases. Instructions and error messages should be clear and provide proper guidance to the user.
his principle relates to the ability of
Website to function well across different technologies and devices. Websites should be designed using standard technologies and comply with established syntax rules. This way, the website can be accessed and used well across a variety of devices, including assistive devices or assistive technologies.
How to Improve Website Accessibility
WCAG provides some specific guidelines for each of the four principles above that you can implement immediately.
Alternative text serves to
Provide relevant and adequate information to users who cannot see or hear the content. This is useful for users who rely on assistive technology , such as screen readers .
