Accessibility with the Web Directive

Follow the international standard, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

It’s time to follow the international standard for web accessibility

The new EU directive (Web Accessibility Directive) sets higher standards for your website. Websites should achieve the level WCAG 2.1 level AA along with some additional requirements. At Angry Creative, we’ve long been advocates of an open web for all and have a lot of experience in accessibility. Read on to learn more about digital accessibility and what you can do to maximise the value of your website.

What does this mean for me?

Making your website digitally accessible means that areas such as code, design and content should be designed with people with various disabilities in mind. If your website does not comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, you risk excluding a large number of visitors, as 1 in 5 people on the web have some type of disability. Those primarily affected by the new legal requirement are authorities, county councils, municipalities and other organisations classified as public bodies. However, if we look at our neighbouring countries, most indications are that these requirements will soon apply to all websites, including those in the private sector, and we believe that Sweden is not far behind. Therefore, whether you belong to a public sector organisation or not, we recommend meeting these requirements. The worst that can happen is that your conversion rate increases because more people can use your website.

What are WCAG?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are internationally recognised standards for accessible content on the web, developed with input from a wide range of users and experts. WCAG 2.1 has a total of around 80 criteria, with each criterion based on one of the following basic principles

• Perceivable – Information and components of a user interface must be presented to users in a way that they can understand.
• Manageable – Components of a user interface and navigation must be manageable.
• Comprehensible – Information and interface management must be understandable.
• Robust – Content must be robust enough to be reliably interpreted by a wide range of different user applications, including assistive technologies.

9 criteria your website may not fulfil

It can be difficult to grasp what all the official guidelines mean and what needs to be addressed in practice. Here are some examples of what your website might be able to do better before the introduction of the Web Accessibility Directive on 23 September 2020.

• Contrast – Separate visual elements such as text and background with clear contrast as required by WCAG.
• Colour AND shape – Colour should not be the only visual means used to convey information.
• Responsive content – Essential information and functionality should be accessible to screens down to 320 px width (approximate resolution for an iPhone 5).
• Alternative text – Visual content such as images and videos should have alternating text that fulfils the same purpose. Video with audio should also have subtitles. This helps those with assistive technology, such as screen readers, to pay attention to the content.
• Keyboard navigation – Navigation and functionality should be accessible via keyboard to help visitors without mice.
• Leave breadcrumbs – Help users find and use content and provide information that tells them where they are on the site.
• Enough time – The user should have enough time to read and use the content.
• Comprehensible – Use language that your visitors understand and make text content readable.
• Power of habit – Use established design patterns that make features work in a predictable way.

How we get your website ready for the Web Accessibility Directive

Contact us and we will conduct a detailed accessibility audit of your website. We will then draw up a list of suggested improvements to meet the requirements of the new Web Accessibility Directive, which comes into force on 23 September 2020.