Follow the international standard, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
It’s time to follow the international standard for accessibility on the web
The new EU-directives regarding accessibility place higher demands on your website. Websites are expected to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA along with some additional requirements. We at Angry Creative have long advocated for an open web for everyone and thus, we have a lot of experience when it comes to accessibility. Read on to learn more about digital accessibility and what you can do to maximize your website’s value.
What does this mean for me?
Making your website digitally accessible means that code, design, and content should be designed with people with various disabilities in mind. If your site does not follow WCAG 2.1 AA you risk excluding a lot of visitors as 1 in 5 people on the web have some type of disability. Those who are primarily covered by the new legal requirement are authorities, county councils, municipalities, and other actors that are classified as bodies governed by public law. However, most indications are that these requirements will soon apply to all websites in the private sector as well. Therefore, we recommend, regardless of if you belong to a body governed by public law or not, to meet these requirements. You don’t really have anything to lose, as worst case scenario is that your conversion increases as more people can use your site.
Blindness, color blindness, visual impairment
Deafness, hearing loss
Paralysis, motor impairment
Age-related restriction
Dyslexia, intellectual impairment
Epilepsy, MS, stroke
What is WCAG?
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are internationally established standards for accessible content on the web that have been developed with the help of knowledge from a variety of users and experts. WCAG 2.1 has a total of about 80 criteria where each criterion is based on one of the following basic principles:
- Understandable – Information and components of a user interface must be presented to users in a way that they can understand.
- Manageable – Components in a user interface and in navigation must be manageable.
- Comprehensible – Information and management of interfaces must be comprehensible.
- Robust – Content must be robust enough to be reliably interpreted by a wide range of different user programs, including tools.
9 criteria your site may not meet
It can be challenging to grasp what all the official guidelines mean and what needs to be addressed. Here are some examples of what your site might be able to do better before the introduction of the new web directive on September 23rd, 2020.
- Contrast – Separate visual elements such as text and background with clear distinction to follow the WCAG requirements.
- Color and form – Color should not be the only visual means used to convey information.
- Responsive content – Essential information and functionality should be available for screens down to 320 px width (approximate resolution for an iPhone 5).
- Alternative text – Visual content such as images and videos should have alternate text that serves the same purpose. Video with audio should also have subtitles. This makes it easier for those with aids, 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 the user find and use the content and make sure to convey information that illustrates where on the website they are.
- Enough time – The user should have enough time to read and use the content.
- Comprehensible – Use languages that your visitors understand and make textual content readable.
- The power of habit – Use accepted design patterns that enable functions in a predictable way.
This is how we prepare your website for the new web directive
Contact us, and we will make a detailed review of your website’s availability and accessibility. We will then produce a list of proposals for improvement to help you meet the new web directives.
