Due to the advancement of modern technology in 2024 granting equal web access to everyone is crucial. Web accessibility exceeds in making website navigation easier for people with hearing disability and sight impairment. It also includes keyboard navigators and screen readers all the while elevating their overall web experience.
Designing web tools and websites that cater to people with disabilities benefits individuals, small and big businesses and the overall society.
Let us not forget, that one of the best factors of the internet is how it is fundamentally designed to cater to people regardless of their region, language, hardware/software setting or ability.
While all the other factors are greatly catered to, differently abled people are at times left behind. When the web can meet the goal of being easily accessible to them it opens up new doors for users with a wide array of hearing, sight, movement and cognitive disabilities.
Let’s delve more into the importance of accessibility in the industry of web design and how you can create inclusive websites for every user as our expert team has been doing for over a decade.
What is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility means the strategy and practices to design, code and develop a website that is easily usable by individuals with disabilities. It includes websites that can be navigated by people with and without disabilities with the same ease and swiftness. The disabilities can include physical, visual, auditory or cognitive. The focus of web accessibility is to provide equal access to information and services for all users regardless of their abilities.
Significance of Web Accessibility
As important as inclusivity is in web accessibility it’s not all together about that. You can also reach a broader audience and provide equal opportunities for every individual. This will ensure customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and improved brand reputation. No doubt, website owners and businesses can partake in multiple benefits by making their websites accessible.
Moreover, it’s key to understand that web accessibility is not only limited to individuals who have permanent disabilities, be it any kind. There are also temporary disabilities to be considered like temporary visual/auditory impairment, and arm/wrist injury, they should also be able to benefit from the accessibility provided by the website.
Also, an accessible website can elevate the user experience to a whole other level by improving navigation and usability.
Furthermore, the web allows people who require various accessibilities to connect and interact by removing communication barriers. They may face difficulty communicating and interacting in their daily lives in the physical world but web accessibility has most definitely made it easier to connect and feel one with the community.
Hence, it’s pivotal for web developers and designers to create a high-functioning top-quality website with accessible tools that will not exclude people from using their services or purchasing their products.
How to Design an Accessible Website?
Designing an accessible website can be challenging but it’s not impossible. Our expert team at DesignMaze have some tips to help you out in creating accessible web designs.
Firstly, use proper heading structure (h1, h2, h3) to give the page a formation that makes it easier for the assistive users to navigate through the page smoothly. As well as being aesthetically pleasing it’s very important to make your site widely accessible.
Secondly, whenever needed provide alternate text to images. Alt text is a clear description of an image. It lets individuals with visual impairments understand the context of the image with the help of screen readers. Keep alt text apt to the image and concise.
Adding on, providing captions and transcripts for multimedia will particularly help individuals with hearing impairments to understand the content even if they are unable to hear the audio. To add to that, use sufficient colour contrast between the text of the page and the colour of the background so the content stays readable for readers with minor and major visual impairments like low vision or even colour blindness.
Lastly, implement keyboard navigation so that all the tools and elements on your website can be accessed using a keyboard. It ensures people with motor disabilities will be able to use the site perfectly without a hassle.
Our Expertise: Embrace Web Accessibility
To conclude, overlooking web accessibility can have many disadvantages to the success and progress of your website, service or product. To highlight your online presence, reach a wider audience and significantly improve the all-inclusive user experience, web accessibility is the key!
Regularly testing for accessibility issues and implementing improvements by following the guidelines and tips available will guarantee an all-rounder-inclusive experience for all users.
Allow us to guide you to provide better online experiences for all individuals with disabilities and impairments, be they temporary or permanent. Prioritize accessibility with us and contact us now to share your ideas to shape the digital landscape with more inclusivity.