♿ POUR - The Principles of Accessibility

Let’s continue with the Accessibility theme today.

Web accessibility is an inclusive practice of making the websites, products, and tools we create usable for individuals with varying abilities while accomodating different contexts and methods of use.

Since technology changes quickly, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - WCAG (Pronounced: Wahcag 😬) have also evolved to focus more on principles instead of the techniques. Four main principles make it easier to remember as we design digital experiences. The guidelines take people using screen readers, assistive technology, and those with varying learning abilities under consideration to provide better experiences for a wider audience.

The four principles of accessibility are:

Perceivable

Users need to be able to process the information presented to them in a manner that they can perceive. This means providing alternative ways for people to understand the information which is presented to them instead of focusing on the ideal user.

Some examples of this are:

• Providing Closed captions and transcripts for videos

• Adding alternative text for images and media

• Providing sufficient contrast between text and the background

Operable

Users need to be able to operate the websites and products we create. Providing people with varying physical and cognitive abilities ways to operate a system helps them have a great digital experience as well.

Some examples of this are:

• Making sure the structure and markup of the information is valid

• Providing enough time to perform tasks

• Making sure animations don’t trigger seizures

• Making sure all actions are also available for keyboard-only users

Understandable

Users need to be able to understand the information presented to them. When content is presented in a way that is not logical or intuitive, it adds unnecessary friction and hardship for users. Focusing on the right language for the audience and simplifying complex words also helps users quickly understand the content.

Some examples of this are:

• Making errors clear and providing ways to recover visible and apparent.

• Using consistent navigation across an experience

• Guiding through each step of a process such as a checkout or onboarding.

• Providing contextual help where it is needed

Robust

Users pick the tools they need to experience the content we create, which should be robust enough for both current and future assistive technologies and tools. The sites and products we create should not dictate the technology to the user but instead, rely on standards and conventions.

Some examples of this are:

• Using the correct page and section titles which makes content easier to find and use.

• Performing accessibility checks on documents and media.

• Testing content on a variety of devices and assistive technologies

• Using correct markup in the code for assistive technologies

By keeping the four accessibility principles of Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust in mind as we design, we can make sure we are taking into account more people, including those with disabilities, in the websites and products we create because everyone deserves a great digital experience.

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