Accessibility concerns more people than you think: and is now legislation for online shops, not a good intention.
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: the international guideline for websites that are usable for people with disabilities. Consider operation without a mouse, sufficient colour contrast and texts that a screen reader can read. There are three levels, A, AA and AAA, with AA being the standard in practice.
IN COMMON LANGUAGE
What it is specifically about
The guideline sounds technical, but most of its points are very practical. Can someone who can't use a mouse fill out your form using just the keyboard? Is gray text on a gray background still readable? Does a screen reader know what's in an image?
The target group is larger than usually thought. In addition to blind and partially sighted people, this includes people with colour blindness, motor disabilities, dyslexia and simply anyone who is getting older.
And it also helps those who do not have a disability: good contrast is easier to read in the sun, and a site that can be operated with the keyboard is usually also better structured for search engines.
WHY IT MATTERS
For whom it is mandatory
Governments and public institutions have been bound for some time. Since the European Accessibility Directive, it also applies to commercial parties with a webshop or digital services to consumers.
If you sell to consumers online, assume this applies to you. Have the precise scope legally assessed: we build accessible, but we are not lawyers.
- Sufficient colour contrast — the most common and easiest to solve point.
- Fully operable with keyboard — without a mouse through the entire site and all forms.
- Alt texts for images — descriptive, not stuffed with keywords.
- Logical heading structure — helps screen readers and search engines at the same time.
- Form labels — each field should have an associated label.
- Visible focus — you need to be able to see where you are while tabbing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More about WCAG
Does this also apply to my company?
For governments for some time now, and since the European Accessibility Directive also for many commercial parties with a webshop or digital service aimed at consumers. Whether it applies exactly to you depends on your activities and size: have that tested legally instead of guessing.
Will it make my site ugly?
No. Accessibility places demands on contrast, structure and usability, not on taste. In practice, it forces a calmer, clearer design, which makes it easier to read for everyone.
Can I test how my site is doing?
Partly. Automated tests will find contrast and texture errors, but usability with a screen reader or keyboard alone should be tested. We take this check with us upon delivery.
CONTINUE READING
Of course, continue reading about this subject.
Accessible build?
We check your site for contrast, keyboard controls and structure, and tell you what needs to be done.