10 tips for an accessible website
An accessible website is an expression of communication and technological competence and signals that customers are being taken seriously.
Accessibility is the priority issue.
The accessibility of the website is not only the responsibility of the development department but should be fundamental to every internet strategy.
Accessibility is an integral part of the project
Accessibility should be incorporated from the outset. This way accessibility can be implemented with few additional costs. If accessibility is only shoehorned at the end of a project, the costs for the improvements will be much greater.
Design for All
The “design for all” principle sets the focus on the user. The aim is to develop a website that can be practically used by the largest number of people possible irrespective of disabilities. Text-only versions or similar alternatives for blind users should always be avoided.
Division of structured content and layout
HTML is not a programming language or language for writing websites! A strict division between the structured content (HTML) and layout (CSS ) is the foundation of every accessible website.
Guidelines
The international guidelines of the W3C , the WCAG 1.0, conform to Swiss legislation and are relevant to all areas of the public administration as well as private companies.
Complexity
The level of complexity should always be appropriate to the content and should never be excessive.
Device independence
Device independence enables the various assistive technologies, such as screen readers, PDAs or mobile phones, to access website content.
Testing
Whether a website is suitable for people with disabilities can be best determined by the very people affected. This is because most of the obstacles can only be recognised by people with disabilities using the assistive technologies.
Training
Accessibility is predominantly determined by content management systems and layout guidelines. However, a degree of accessibility will always be determined by the authors and editors. They must be trained appropriately so as to be able to realise the requirements of an accessible website.
Sustainability
Accessibility does not remain constant after initial implementation. It is important that new content or improvements are rendered accessible.