5 Quick & Dirty Clues your site needs an accessibility makeover.
90 second reality check: Is your site abusing the visually impaired?
- Opaque Pictures. Hover your mouse over
pictures on the page (don't click). Did a little text show up next to your
mouse describing the picture? If not, -1.
- The descriptions are called "alt text". Browsers for the visually
impaired can read them aloud.
- The descriptions are called "alt text". Browsers for the visually
impaired can read them aloud.
- Fixed Type. Look at the size of the text on
the page. Then use your browser to view the type bigger (In Internet Explorer:
View | Text Size | Largest). Did the type get bigger or stay the same? If the
same, -1.
- Let the viewer choose what size works best for them.
- Let the viewer choose what size works best for them.
- Additional Link Text. Put your mouse in your
browser's address block. Press the Tab key until a link is highlighted. Look
in the bottom left corner of your browser's status bar or see if text pops up
if your mouse hovers over links. Is the link described? If not, -1.
- Make it easier for the visually impaired to understand why they should
click on a link by describing it.
- Make it easier for the visually impaired to understand why they should
click on a link by describing it.
- Invisible Eye Candy. Is there cute animation
or moving pictures? -1.
- The blind can't see the pretty pictures or flash animations, and those
with some attention deficits find movement impossibly distracting.
- The blind can't see the pretty pictures or flash animations, and those
with some attention deficits find movement impossibly distracting.
- Buried Navigation. Is the main navigation
menu the first thing you Tab to on the page? If not, -1.
- Web pages are two dimensional but sound is linear. English language
browser software reads from upper left to upper right, block by block. Put
the main choices where users will first encounter them.
- Web pages are two dimensional but sound is linear. English language
browser software reads from upper left to upper right, block by block. Put
the main choices where users will first encounter them.
How did your career site home page score?
- 0. Perfect score! Send thank you notes to your CIO and webmaster.
- -1. Pretty good.
- -2. You have minor problems. Schedule an accessibility audit and makeover.
- -3. Ouch.
- -4. Run, don't walk. The tip of the iceberg. Your site undoubtedly is setting you up for litigation hell.
- -5. Escalate now. Call legal. Call your webmaster and her boss. Call me.
Further reading:
