Designing Accessibility and Inclusivity in Your Website
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Loading... - Bakula Jahan
- 08 Aug 2022
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If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that a pandemic is far easier to get through with the internet. Working from home, e-commerce, online gaming, and cinematic experiences have become the norm, which is why they should be available to everyone.
Most of us expect seamless customer care and support whenever a website goes down for a couple of hours. But imagine a situation in which you have no access to your favorite websites. This is the reality for many people. In this article, we will be exploring how UX design can be inclusive and accessible to everyone.
Links, Buttons, and Layout
Whether you’re a UX designer who has just been commissioned by a threat intelligence platform or a company that provides a business VoIP solution, the web design process is still similar. You begin with an idea. This evolves into a wireframe, a more detailed wireframe, and finally, a web page. Links, buttons, and layouts are all crucial elements of design. So they need to be inclusive and customizable.
You need to give people options. A small button or fashionable cursive text may be crucial for the “aesthetic,” but it can often cause certain users to struggle. Ensure that your text can be made larger and that your call-to-action buttons are clear. Also, if you’re linking anchor text, make sure you include a description of where this link will lead. This means instead of linking “click here,” link a phrase or keyword.
A lot of website layouts include animation or pop-ups. As interesting as they may be to some, they can be distracting or even anxiety-inducing for others, leading to a bad review from your site’s visitors. We’re not saying don’t include them, just ensure that there is a straightforward way to close the window and stop the content from playing. WCAG states that if the content plays for more than three seconds, there should be an option to switch it off.
Contrast and Color
The contrast and use of colors are vital for brand image. It makes customers pick you out of a crowd or stop their car on the highway to visit your store. It’s also crucial online. But, color blindness or deficiency is common. Research shows that around 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women suffer from this condition. Such conditions can affect the appearance of red, green, orange, and many other colors.
The web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) require any website builder to ensure that the contrast ratio is 4.5: 1 for standard text and 3: 1 for larger text, at a minimum.
UX designers should avoid using color to communicate a point or command. For example, red for ‘no’ and green for ‘yes’ can cause many visually impaired people stress and confusion. You should also stay away from colors that are very different in contrast, as this can trigger people on the autism spectrum.
Navigation
Website navigation can include everything from the drop-down menu style to the way content is organized. You need to be aware that not everyone is capable of using the mouse and keyboard together. This is why your website should provide users with additional navigation methods to improve the customer experience.
Support keyboard navigation is a technique often adopted by people with motor neuron conditions, muscle disorders, and the visually impaired. It enables them to navigate the screen using just the keyboard. It is vital for you, as a UX designer, to allow this type of navigation. If you’re unsure that your website is capable of this, try navigating it using just the keyboard yourself. If it’s difficult, make adjustments accordingly. Read More...
