An inaccessible website is difficult for some kinds of users, like disabled or visually impaired people. They can't access and understand the content or information provided on a website. While developing a website, it's important to ensure the accessibility of the website. It is important to ensure the usability of disabled users. There are several steps to be followed by professional website development company while developing a website and making sure that the content provided there is readable for users. While fixing the accessibility and following the rules not only makes the website user-friendly but also ensures the accessibility standards. There are different accessibility standards to be followed, for example, WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
How to understand Web Accessibility ?
Before identifying the solution, it's essential to understand what is the exact meaning of web accessibility details. The process of following web accessibility refers to the practice and methods the website content should be readable to people, including those who are struggling with disabilities. To make websites more accessible, follow the set of rules and regulations provided by (WCAG). After understanding the accessibility methods, this will help to remove certain problems and prevent people with disabilities from accessing and understanding the content and information in this.
Common Accessibility Errors and ways to fix
There are chances of certain errors occurring that might result in a website being inaccessible. It is crucial to find and fix accessibility errors to improve usability for all, including the disabled. Below are some common accessibility errors that appear in the website.
- Missing alternative text for image elements:Giving alt text for image elements describes what the image is about, which helps users, especially disabled, who rely on screenreaders or any assistive technology to understand the image. So when an image doesn’t have an alt attribute, it makes it inaccessible to those users. The best way to improve missing alt text is to give a relevant descriptive text for the image.
- Low contrast text:Low contrast text occurs when the text doesn’t stand out from the background. Both colors of text and background might look similar, which can make people with low vision or color blindness. For instance, a light colored text inside a light colored background is difficult to read. Low contrast in the website can be improved by following a ratio using the color contrast checker and many other tools, choosing the right color combinations with the proper ratio.
- Empty links:Links direct the user from the website to other pages or websites. An empty link error occurs when the hyperlink attribute given is missing content inside which confuses users about the link's purpose. You can fix this issue by providing a proper link or removing the hyperlink if there is no text to be given.
- Missing form input labels:A form is given on the website for collecting details from the user. The form contains various fields, and giving label describes what the field is while filling it. The labels missing in the form confuse the users about where to input various details. This accessibility error can be improved by giving a label inside the label tag.
How to Identify Accessibility Issues?
Identifying accessibility problems in a website is an essential part that is required for improving the user experience for all users, including disabled people. There are different kinds of tools and techniques used to detect these types of issues that including automated testing, manual testing, and collecting updates and feedback from users. Let’s discuss the ways to use it to identify accessibility effectively.
- Automated Accessibility Testing Tools:One of the best methods to test website accessibility is using automated testing tools. This method can be an efficient and straightforward method to identify different accessibilities. While using this tool, you can identify the common errors in the site that include alt text image missing, low and poor color contrast, or different kinds of broken links. This tool is enabled to check a large area of your website for a shorter time period and show you detailed reports to fix.
- Manual Testing Tools:Manual testing tool is the process of identifying issues by checking yourself instead of using different automated tools. You can check websites by yourself and identify issues and solve them.
- Browser Developer Tools:Most web developers are using Browser Developer Tool, which helps to inspect and identify issues directly from the browser itself. While using this tool you can see how your website is structured, identifying problems and showing accessibility issues.
- Guidelines and Resources:The set of important rules and guidelines of WCAG. These guidelines describe the methods and ways to be used while designing and developing a website. That includes vision and hearing. These guidelines provide practical guidelines that include making test content easy to read for users, including captions for videos, etc.
In conclusion, identifying accessibility issues is important for making the website user-friendly for all kinds of users. Using these guidelines and tools helps you to detect different kinds of errors and helps to fix the inaccessibility of websites and making the website more accessible for all kinds of users. Correcting accessibility is not considered a task, but it is considered as an ongoing process for better user experience. While clearing accessibility, you were not only complying with legal requirements, but you were also making your website better for users. In the end of the world, ensuring accessibility is all about making the website more enjoyable and the content in it useful for everyone.
