Usability & accessibility
User-centric design is at the heart of a successful website. It takes into account the different groups of people that use a site and ensures the interface fits the purpose.
Accessibility is a strand of usability that relates to making sure a site does not exclude visitors, with particular reference to disabled access.
Effectively, this discipline has a simple premise at its core: if you can make a website so that everyone can use it, why not do it?
It recognises that it is counter-productive to alienate a portion of your visitors by making navigation difficult to follow, information hard to find, or content viewable only by a subset of people with the right browser and set of plugins.
Chameleon Net is committed to creating accessible websites, and has built sites complying with W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) from priority 1 (single A) to priority 3 (triple A).
MORE ON USABILITY & ACCESSIBILITY
Creating a usable website
Following known good practice for usability is a good starting point when designing a site. Web users have learned that many sites have common traits and functions with which they are familiar. These can be included in a new site design.
At the same time, a number of studies have been conducted to understand how people interact with the web and how they digest web content. As a result, we know the ways in which people use a website compared to, say, a magazine.
However, it pays to focus on who your users are and what they will want from visiting your site. Taking time to map out individual visitor groups and their key aims is essential. You are then in a position to match user aims against your organisation's aims. The result is a usable and successful site.
Making websites accessible
Many organisation's are taking action to ensure their websites comply with The Disability Discrimination Act. The act itself has been in force since 1998, and has undergone some recent revisions which explicitly refer to access to web-based services.
The W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative has published standard guidelines for ensuring sites do not exclude disabled users.
Interpreting these guidelines, and applying them to your website, takes knowledge and experience. Many of the issues experienced by disabled users are not the result of a breach of a technical checkpoint, but rather a problem with usability. So tying together technical and non-technical good practice is essential.
Chameleon Net has built many sites that not only comply with technical guidelines but also provide an engaging experience for all site visitors.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Usability & accessibility links
A collection of links to sources of usability information on the web. These sites are not always easy on the eye, but provide access to a wealth of knowledge, in a highly accessible manner.
www.usabilityfirst.com
A good starting point for reading about the issue of usability
www.useit.com
Acknowledged usability expert Jacob Nielson's site. Respect is due ...usually.
www.zeldman.com
Jeffery Zeldman's site/blog - chief architect of the web standards movement, promoting practical solutions to accessibility issues.
www.asktog.com
Discussion and articles on the principles of Human Centered Interface (HCI) design.
www.userinstinct.com
Interface usability news and articles.
www.goodexperience.com
Blog discussing user experience, across a range of media.
MORE ON WEB DESIGN:
Key accessibility facts:
- The Disability Discrimination Act has been largely in force since 1995.
- It relates to providing access to services, including via the web.
- Websites were specifically referenced in the update in October 2004.
- Read more at disability.gov.uk
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
On 14th April 2004 the Disability Rights Commission launched a formal investigation into website accessibility in the UK.