Increase Your Reach

Expand the website coverage and benefit more users! This article explores practical ways to improve website usability and thus benefit a wider audience—improve website accessibility.

Accessibility is not just about people with disabilities. We usually associate accessibility with visually impaired use of screen readers, hearing-impaired viewing of subtitled videos, and color blind people identifying pages. But accessibility has much more to it.

Accessibility: Go beyond the boundaries between disability and non-disability

Traditional ways of thinking are too simplified to cope with today’s complex world. Just imagine how many people visit websites only when they wear noise-cancelling headphones in front of a well-lit desk, staring at a high-definition screen? This type of user group is very small, usually the website developers themselves. In the context of globalization of the target user group, this way of thinking is obviously unrealistic.

We should consider the many ways users can access the website using various devices, different physical conditions and surrounding environments. No matter where the user is or what device he uses, we should ensure that the website can reach as many potential users as possible. This helps break the mindset and truly think about how to expand the user base.

Simplify user experience

Let users easily browse the website using their mobile phones in the sun. How to do this? For example, make sure the website has sufficient color contrast (there are numerous online color contrast checking tools available). By reducing the use of JavaScript, it provides a smoother experience for users in areas with lower bandwidth. Provide subtitles for users who watch videos in public places. Place the contact information in a conspicuous and easy-to-find position to facilitate users to quickly contact relevant personnel under pressure. Increase the size of the interactive area, making it easier for users to click links and buttons when operating their phones with one hand or holding pets.

UX or visual designers can use this to inspire new user portrait design ideas. In addition, it is easier to get team support if the user portrait contains pets.

Developers may think that many of the above aspects are not within their control. But we can start from the following three aspects to improve the accessibility of the website:

Use landmark areas to organize page content

This usually refers to areas such as header, main, aside, and footer, and more landmark areas are listed in the ARIA specification. Screen reader users usually navigate pages through landmark areas. W3C's WAI-ARIA website provides examples of using this feature by different screen readers, which are worth referring to. When using page templates, it is especially important to ensure that the main template is set correctly.

Add automated checks

At present, the accessibility issues that can be found by automated inspections are still limited, and even if the website passes all automated inspections, there may be accessibility issues. But it is still very valuable to incorporate automated inspections into the build process. With the advent of new automated inspection tools, you can continuously improve your code base. Use the template code inspection tool for static checking, and some IDE extensions can provide real-time feedback. Automated testing can be used for dynamic code inspection.

Include accessibility into checklist

Integrate accessibility checks into your workflow. Here are some suggestions:

1. If there is no accessibility description in the design or functional specification, please ask.
2. When running a website locally or in a container, check the keyboard focus order; use the TAB key to make sure all interactive elements are accessible.
3. Pay attention to accessibility issues when reviewing code. If someone uses a link instead of a button, or uses a div that does not support the keyboard, please provide feedback. This may require you to review native browser support for interactive elements.

Stay empathetic and curious

Whatever your role is, be empathetic to existing users and curious about potential users. Break conventional thinking, explore new ways to improve accessibility and expand user groups. We are the creators of the Internet and the shaping machine of the future of the Internet. Break out of the limitations of development tools and explore more inclusive user experiences to benefit more people.

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