Hot answers tagged accessibility
35
1. What if the user doesn't have a keyboard?
It's a perfectly valid case. Not only some forms doesn't require interaction with a keyboard (for example a form with a couple of combo boxes, radio buttons and checkboxes), but even if the form has textboxes and textareas, it doesn't mean that at the exact moment of form submission, the user is ready to use her ...
22
You should use an empty alt attribute for images that are purely decorative. I'd argue that in the example you gave it is worth supplying an alt attribute that describes the image e.g. alt="Portrait of Jane Doe". @KitGrose mentions that including this text will also make the image searchable to image search engines such as Google Image.
I reserve empty alt ...
14
You want to look to sites such as W3.org for advice on this.
Many people with cognitive disabilities have trouble tracking lines of text when a block of text is single spaced. Providing spacing between 1.5 to 2 allows them to start a new line more easily once they have finished the previous one.
The W3C accessibility guidelines 1.4.8 state (emphasis ...
11
Research generally suggests light on dark is harder to read in most cases but considering we're talking accessibility, you should know that results for those with normal vision don't necessarily hold true for those with various vision impairments.
I've heard higher contrast (the mode in Windows is called High Contrast mode I think) can be easier to read ...
11
The most common implementation of such a feature which I see everyday is the tagging system. As you continue typing, the ajax search is on and you can see results popping up.
Img 1: You can select from the results or type in the entire thing.
Img 2: Or, you can add your own tag in a similar manner and it will accept the tag and add it in the system for ...
10
An article Optimal Line Height says:
Typography references consistently put ideal line height at 1.2 ems (a measure of type equivalent to the the letter height or point size of a typeface).
The main idea of defining a proper line height is to let text paragraph look solid and be pleasant to read (if you will choose a bigger line height the ...
9
If the user can't get this information from context, repeat it.
Perhaps put less emphasis on it (eg. don't make the text "Updated" bold), but do repeat it so the user has a local context right next to the data to decode what it means.
There's no 'standard' for this as it is, yet we're over with map legends in 2012.
For a repeated label, it's enough to ...
9
I think this is influenced by personal preference and the width of the block of text. The wider the block of text, the bigger the line-height should be in order to keep your eyes on the same line while reading it.
Personally, I like the line-height to be 1.5em or 1.6em.
This Interactive Guide to Blog Typography has a section about line-height which also ...
8
I recommend going with a list approach since as per your current code you are just providing the content in a linear order which can be read by a screen reader without issues. However if you did use Lists for indenting then, accessibility would become an issue as highlighted from the W3C guidelines
The HTML list elements DL, UL, and OL should only be ...
8
CheckMyColours.com uses the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) contrast tests.
The validity of the tests is something to bring up with WCAG rather than checkmycolours.com.
I am unaware of the WCAG providing the research supporting their contrast ratio standards. However, my experience with those standards is that they are fairly lax. I've ...
7
The modifiers for the tab key are already taken for important window management tasks:
Ctrl+Tab cycles through tabs in the browser as it is the common shortcut for cycling through open documents in the same application. Shift+Ctrl+Tab goes backwards. Alt+Tab switches between running applications.
It would be unexpected, and highly annoying, for a single ...
6
It’s impossible to cover “all situations” but collaboratively we might get a good list. For starters I’d like to add child-resistant packages when it comes to medication or possibly harmful cleaning liquid. They require “training” in a way that you need to read the instruction first in order to be able to open the package. However, there are records of ...
6
Providing such font size options within individual websites isn't as important nowadays than it used to be (for instance when IE6 was a more common browser as it didn't really have a suitable font resizing option) but that doesn't mean it no longer has its place; it is particularly useful if the target audience for the website is more focused to users with ...
6
How about "tagging" cells or rows with color-coded labels? Keeping the color helps people understand your data at a glance, and the text labels are descriptive enough for the colorblind.
Gmail uses this technique to categorize dense rows of data rather well:
6
Here is an extract from a very handy article on this:
Unfortunately, just knowing the optimal line height for a given font
size is not enough.
All 3 typographical dimensions—font size, line height, and line
width—affect one another. Therefore, you cannot talk about line height
or font size without also considering the line width.
Based on ...
6
I think all of these are quite functional, but there are pros and cons for each one:
1st: may need a lot of vertical space.
2nd: does not consume any additional space at all, but will disappear once user enters this field. It's quite popular though, and not a bad practice.
3rd: again, should the example text be longer, it may force you to make the left ...
6
Best strategy is to place the cursor in the first expected input field as soon as the page loads. Remove the need for selecting the field completely.
As for the next fields, use a proper tab-navigation to allow a mouse free typing experience.
eg: Look at facebook and gmail login pages, as soon as the page loads the cursor is already in the username field.
...
5
As your developers are concerned
I would not be surprised if your developers are taking a shortcut. A full page load is a lot more taxing on the system than a few extra calls. If a giant page load is possible why not bundle all the individual AJAX calls in one? Their argument doesn't hold and ruins the experience.
From an experience perspective
It is ...
5
Dark on light vs light on dark themes can have multiple affects, such as:
Bringing attention to an application vs bringing attention to the application's contents
People focus on brighter areas - darker background brings attention to the content, while lighter background bring attention to the window itself vs the desktop.
Imagine if the box around ...
5
From my practice and researches I have seen that giving an onsite resizing option is more handy than leaving it on the browser.
For elderly people it is always best to have options upfront and well placed so that they can use it. In Browser mode, they need to use multiple key combinations to zoom in and out which they are less likely to use. Moreover, the ...
5
With desktops, The question you need to answer here is the effective use of real estate or screen space. Though most computers have pretty high resolutions now,providing a full sized calender does take up a lot of space and might not be effective in terms of best use of the available screen space. However if your calender is a critical part of your design ...
5
The rationale on high contrast is just that - high contrast. People with weak eyesight can more easily distinguish between elements and read the text if there is a well-designed black and white theme. Usually this also comes with the option to enlarge text and elements.
Sites with low contrast can be difficult to read for people with low vision. Some ...
5
Accessibility is part of usability. It's more commonly discussed because the US has official accessibility requirements that must be met to comply with ADA regulations.
Anecdote: I make UX hiring decisions. Having worked at Google, LinkedIn, Groupon, and two startups, we have never hired someone whose title was "accessibility" anything. We have hired lots ...
4
Yes, absolutely they are used. Not only are they useful for 'standard' users, they are a beneficial accessibility enhancement.
Taken from WebAim:
Keyboard shortcuts can be useful to all computer users because they often allow for faster interaction than allowed by mouse clicks. Power users of all abilities frequently use keyboard shortcuts. Among ...
4
True color blindness, where someone cannot distinguish colors at all, is extremely rare. A far more common condition, which affects up to 10% of the male population, is red-green weakness. People suffering from it cannot easily distinguish red and green, and some hues may seem completely identical to them.
While there is no guarantee (there are different ...
4
There's a few key reasons I'll go over. For reference I'm referring to "training" here as any sort of help text no matter how involved, not just formal training requiring tests, human teachers etc.
Safety
This is a big one; if safety is a factor, people need to learn how to use it. You don't get in a car and figure stuff out for your first time. It's not ...
4
Since my comments above seem to present a reasonable answer, I've made it so!
I'd recommend combining the legal/copyright/privacy/T&C/disclaimer/E&OE/cookie info/complaints/whatever information onto one page (with anchor points) - even though you may use more than one link to get there. It then presents a common point of reference for all related ...
4
Some sites allow people choose between different versions of the site they want, one tailored for faster connections (AKA "broadband") and one for slower connections (AKA "dial-up"). I would default to the heavier "broadband" version because that's the majority but allow easy switching to the lighter version before any large data servings.
Then make the ...
4
what are usability features I should keep in mind for an easily used custom scrollbar
The big thing is are they usable regardless of the input device? Can I scroll with the keyboard, the mouse, the mouse wheel, by touch? Does it hinder any assistive technology (such as screen reading software)?
In the end, though, as you seem to already realize, this ...
4
Go with the 2nd option. It is a standard practice followed by many websites. It allows for showing examples in-context which is better than giving directions for the user to follow. eg: Enter email below,example: amdin@user.gov
Make the text visibly lighter (grey) than the default color.
Optional: Give some added visual que like changing the ...
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