UI Accessibility for Designers
Accessibility, in the context of websites and applications, refers to the creation of interfaces that can be used and perceived by people with various disabilities. This includes individuals with physical, visual, auditory, cognitive, or other types of limitations.
The importance of accessibility lies in enabling these individuals to have full access to the information and functionality offered by your product. Without accessibility, people with disabilities may encounter barriers that make using the platform difficult or even impossible.
Let’s start by discussing a few principles of accessible design.
Perceivability
The principle of perceivability ensures that information and user interface elements are perceivable for all users, including those with sensory limitations. This may include using clear and contrasting text, proper arrangement of interface elements, alternative ways of presenting information (such as text descriptions for images), and support for audio or video captions.
Examples of interface solutions include:
- Using sufficient contrast between text and background to ensure good legibility for users with visual impairments.
- Providing alternative text descriptions for images, enabling users with visual impairments to understand the content conveyed through images.
Operability
The principle ensures that users can easily interact with and control the system. This includes using clear and consistent navigation mechanisms, sufficiently large and accessible buttons and controls, and providing the ability to control the system using various input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, or voice commands.
Examples of interface solutions include:
- Providing users with the ability to control the system using the keyboard in addition to mouse input, to ensure accessibility for users with mobility impairments.
- Implementing keyboard shortcuts or access keys, allowing users to navigate and interact with the system without relying solely on mouse input.
Understandability
The principle of understandability aims to ensure that users can comprehend how the system works and how to interact with its features. This may include providing clear instructions and prompts, simplifying complex tasks and processes, and offering contextual help and documentation for users. The principle of understandability also implies avoiding the use of confusing technical jargon and abstract icons if they can cause confusion.
Examples of interface solutions include:
- Providing clear and informative tooltips and instructions that assist users in understanding how to perform tasks and interact with the system.
- Using clear and concise language in error messages and notifications, enabling users to easily comprehend the presented information.
Reliability
The principle of reliability ensures that the system is stable and capable of functioning in various usage scenarios and environments. It is important for the product to be compatible with different devices and software, function correctly on different platforms and browsers, and display properly on screens of various sizes.
Examples of interface solutions include:
- Creating a responsive interface that can display correctly on different devices and screen sizes, ensuring usability for users with varying screen sizes and resolutions.
- Implementing proper form validation and error handling to provide clear feedback and instructions to users, ensuring data integrity and preventing input errors.
User Groups
We have several groups with limitations that require different approaches in design:
- People with limited mobility
- People with visual impairments
- People with hearing impairments
- People with cognitive impairments
- How accessibility can help people with different limitations:
Alternative text for images: Providing alternative text for images allows people with visual impairments to understand the content of images they cannot see. This is especially important for users who rely on screen readers. - Color contrast:
Ensuring sufficient color contrast in text and interface elements helps people with visual impairments read and distinguish information more easily. Good contrast helps avoid blurriness or fuzziness, which is particularly important for people with farsightedness, color blindness, or other vision issues. - Keyboard operability:
Accessibility includes enabling full control of the interface using a keyboard. This allows people with limited mobility, who cannot use a mouse, to navigate websites or applications. - Clear language and simplicity:
Using clear and simple language helps people with cognitive impairments better understand information and the functionality of the interface. Avoiding complex terms, ambiguities, or confusing instructions is important. - Audio and video captions:
Adding captions to audio and video content enables people with hearing impairments to access the content. Captions are also useful when audio is unavailable in certain situations, such as when using soundless devices or in noisy environments. - Flexible input options:
Providing flexible input options, such as text input fields or voice input, helps people with physical limitations or those who struggle with fine motor control to interact with the interface.
WCAG and ARIA Guidelines
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) are two separate sets of recommendations and standards that help ensure web content accessibility for users with diverse needs.
WCAG Guidelines
WCAG is an international standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and consists of four levels of accessibility: A, AA, and AAA. Each level represents increasingly strict requirements for accessibility.
The WCAG guidelines cover a wide range of accessibility aspects, including perceivability, operability, understandability, and reliability, as we discussed earlier.
The WCAG guidelines provide specific methods and recommendations for implementing accessibility.
ARIA Guidelines
ARIA is a set of technologies and attributes developed by the W3C that enhance the accessibility capabilities of web applications and enrich the information conveyed to browsers and assistive technologies.
The ARIA guidelines provide recommendations and instructions for using ARIA attributes and roles to enhance the accessibility and usability of interactive elements.
ARIA guidelines focus on providing additional information about the states, properties, and behaviors of interface elements, enabling browsers and assistive technologies to perceive and interact with interactive elements effectively.
Difference between the Standards
The WCAG guidelines represent general principles and recommendations for ensuring web content accessibility, covering various aspects of the user experience. On the other hand, the ARIA guidelines serve as an additional tool to more precisely define the role and state of interactive elements, making them more accessible to assistive technologies.
It is important to consider both the WCAG guidelines and the ARIA guidelines during the design and development process to ensure a more inclusive and accessible user experience.
WCAG and ARIA in Practice
Implementing the recommendations of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) can significantly impact the software development process, particularly in the areas of design, development, and testing. Here’s how their implementation affects various stages of the software development process:
It is important to note that implementing WCAG and ARIA is an ongoing process that needs to be integrated into the development life cycle. Accessibility should be considered in the early stages of development to ensure a more inclusive user experience. Developers, designers, and testers should collaborate to ensure that accessibility requirements are considered and validated throughout the software development process.
Design
WCAG:
During the design phase, accessibility principles need to be taken into account from the beginning. Designers should ensure that visual elements, layout, color contrast, and typography comply with WCAG requirements for perceivability. They should also consider operability and understandability aspects when designing user interfaces.
ARIA:
Designers can use ARIA roles, states, and properties to enhance the accessibility of interactive elements and provide additional information to assistive technologies. They should consider ARIA attributes when defining the behavior and interaction models of user interface components.
Development
WCAG:
Developers need to follow WCAG recommendations by writing accessible code. This includes using semantic HTML, providing alternative text for images, ensuring keyboard accessibility, and following best practices for navigation and focus management.
ARIA:
Developers should implement ARIA attributes and roles to complement the native HTML semantics and provide more comprehensive accessibility information to assistive technologies. They need to handle ARIA states and properties correctly to reflect the dynamic behavior of interactive elements.
Testing
WCAG:
Testing plays a crucial role in verifying the accessibility of software. Testers need to perform manual and automated accessibility testing to ensure compliance with WCAG. This includes testing keyboard accessibility, screen reader compatibility, color contrast, and proper form element labeling.
ARIA:
Testers should verify that ARIA attributes and roles are implemented correctly and function as intended. They need to test the interaction and behavior of components with ARIA support and ensure they are properly announced by assistive technologies.
Business Role
Accessibility plays an important role in business as it allows for expanding the audience and reaching a larger number of users. Here are several ways in which accessibility can be beneficial for business:
- Market Expansion: Creating an accessible interface enables attracting and serving users with disabilities, elderly individuals, low literacy levels, or language barriers. This expands the potential audience and opens up new market opportunities.
- Enhancing Reputation: Businesses that actively prioritize the accessibility of their products and services demonstrate their social responsibility. This can have a positive impact on the company’s reputation and become a factor in attracting new customers and partners.
- Improving User Experience: Accessibility contributes to creating a more convenient and enjoyable user experience for all users. When users can easily interact with a product or service, they are more likely to stay longer, reuse the product, and recommend it to others.
- Compliance with Regulatory Requirements: In many countries, there are laws and regulations requiring businesses to ensure the accessibility of their websites and applications for all users. Compliance with these requirements helps avoid legal issues and penalties.
- Innovation and Competitiveness: Businesses that incorporate accessibility into their products and services can stand out in the market and be more competitive. Meeting the needs of a diverse audience and providing a more inclusive user experience can be a source of innovation and a competitive advantage over rivals.
Next, I would like to provide examples of laws and regulations enacted in different countries to ensure the accessibility of applications:
- United States: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires websites and mobile applications to be accessible to people with disabilities.
- European Union: The EU Web Accessibility Directive establishes requirements for the accessibility of digital products for EU member states.
- Canada: The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) introduces mandatory accessibility standards for public and private organizations in the province of Ontario.
- Australia: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set recommendations and guidelines for ensuring the accessibility of websites and mobile applications in Australia.
- Japan: The Act on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities in Information and Communications mandates that information and communication technologies be accessible to people with disabilities.
- Germany: The Law on Equal Rights for People with Disabilities (BGG) in Germany includes provisions on the accessibility of information technologies, including websites and mobile applications.
The German Technical Regulation on Accessibility (Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung, BITV 2.0) provides technical regulations for government organizations, establishing accessibility requirements for websites and applications. - Russia: The Federal Law “On Social Protection of Disabled Persons in the Russian Federation” contains provisions on the accessibility of information technologies and obligates government and commercial organizations to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities.
The Federal Law “On Information, Information Technologies, and the Protection of Information” includes requirements for the accessibility of information resources, including websites and mobile applications.
Overall, accessibility benefits businesses not only in social and ethical aspects but also provides tangible advantages over competitors, including market expansion, reputation improvement, and increased user satisfaction. Therefore, creating digital products with these considerations in mind seems rational and a positive approach in terms of the resources invested and the benefits gained from both the business and the customer perspectives.
Read more
Gamification(read article)
Simple Principles That Can be Helpfull part 1(read article)
Simple Principles That Can be Helpfull part 2(read article)
Landing Page Design(read article)
About Buttons(read article)
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