Generally, accessibility is designing and developing a user interface that any user, including those with disabilities, can consume and interact with. There are a lot of things and elements you can add to your website to make it more accessible to everyone, including the disabled, and improve user experience in the process.

Here are some of the helpful tips to help you build a more accessible website.

Add clear and useful alt tags to images

As insignificant as it may seem, the alt tag is crucial for users who use a screen reader when accessing your website. Without clear alt tags, there is literally no way for blind and low vision users to know the content of the image, infographics, and data visualizations.

Alt tags ensure everyone understands the information conveyed in your pie charts, hero photo, and infographics. Use clear, descriptive, and natural-sounding sound to convey the information clearly. For instance, if you have a photo of your board of directors, add a simple alt describing the content of the image: “group photo of the board of directors”

If the image has useful data such as graphs and pie charts, ensure your alt tag has the same data:

Clear and actionable error messages

There are many factors to consider when creating accessible forms. But, error messaging is always a crucial element for any web design in Central Coast and your users. The error messages should extensively describe the errors that are present and include instructions a=on how to solve them or where to get the solution. For instance, ‘the password is not acceptable’ is not as helpful as ‘the password must contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

When creating error messages, ensure to describe the problem and give users cues on how to fix the problem. Do it clearly and succinctly.

Optimize your content

Forms might not be ideal or cool, but they are key in product design. When you use the right content you can make your website easily accessible for everyone.

When using forms, it is important to indicate which fields are optional so that the screen readers will transmit that information in-line. For a more sleek and clear design, it is important to only use required fields to avoid clutter.

Add helpful information on the forms. E.g., if a password is to be 8 characters and contain special characters, tell your users that. Do not hide it in a tooltip because no one will have the time to open it.

Use unique buttons and link names

Embed links in a clear and specific language that clearly describes where the link leads to and why you need them to go there. If you are not keen on this, it will be difficult for users of screen readers to navigate through your page.

Conclusion

Making your website more accessible should be a major priority for website design in CentralCoast. A more accessible website improves user experience and allows everyone to understand your content. Ensure you provide detailed information to allow the screen reader to effectively guide the disabled.