Accessibility Posts

Accessibility isn’t just a “set it and forget it” part of building a website, especially if you’re continuously making updates. It takes ongoing effort to maintain compliance and keep accessibility a regular part of the conversation. That’s where an accessibility statement comes in.

An accessibility statement is a public-facing page on your website that outlines the accessibility features your site offers, your efforts to ensure compliance, and how users can contact you for assistance or feedback.

This page shouldn’t be full of legal jargon, but instead offer straightforward information about your commitment to providing an accessible website experience for all users.

Want to create an effective accessibility statement? In this post, we’ll cover what details to include, best practices to follow, and tips on keeping information up to date.

Did you know prioritizing SEO and accessibility together can lead to a better-performing website? Many elements that improve a site’s accessibility—like alternative text for images and clear site navigation—also boost rankings.  That said, the reverse is also true.  Accessibility errors and poorly implemented SEO are also things that can make your website harder for users, […]

Links are arguably the most important part of the web. Without links, we couldn’t navigate a website and access content properly. This makes it especially important to consider the accessibility of links and buttons when building a website. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) include multiple requirements regarding link accessibility, both explicitly and indirectly. There […]

Design patterns play a key role in user experience (UX) design. Website layouts that use consistent, standard elements from page to page help users find the information they need more quickly, which helps increase engagement and overall satisfaction.

However, when it comes to accessible UX design you can’t always rely on popular design patterns, as many of them pose accessibility challenges. When determining which components and patterns to use on your website, don’t reuse something just because it’s common across the websites you visit—consider if it truly meets the needs of all users.

To help you get started in evaluating accessibility in UX design, let’s take a look at some common design patterns to be cautious of when designing an accessible website.

Automated tools play an important role in web accessibility testing. When used properly, they can help expedite the accessibility testing process and streamline accessible web development overall.

However, automated testing tools fall short of fully evaluating all of the criteria set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Many of these accessibility requirements need more thoughtful consideration and context, which makes them impossible to identify by automation alone. In these cases, manual assessment and interpretation are necessary.