Accessibility Standards

In the world of information technology, one of the crucial questions that must be asked is how in the design of websites can there be better user-friendly consideration for accessibility of content. In executing such a goal, designers must be in pursuit of providing users access to both functionality and information effectively. While there will undoubtedly be some reservations about what users have access to, there are accessibility standards that should be followed for all small and big websites that include a contrast ratio between text and background; allowing users to complete a certain activity without a given time limit; adding a link that will direct users to the content area; including a sign language option; and ensuring that users do not get trapped in the content area. These are key elements, while not new issues but existing ones are among many accessibility standards that designers should consider and implement when creating new websites and/or content areas.

The objective of the contrast ratio is "to make sure that users can read text that is presented over a background" ("General Techniques for WCAG 2.0," 2013). One of the many items that users often complain about is whether they can see the content that is presented on a site. Therefore, it becomes extremely crucial in the design of any content area or website. This can often present a challenge if the web designer does not know what to do or has not had proper accessibility training. In order to "meet this challenge, [web designers] must work diligently to build up an infrastructure that supports accessibility standards [and techniques]" (Cohen, 2012).

The second technique that should be considered is allowing users to complete an activity on a website without a time limit. One of the crucial components of a website's content is that users be allowed as much time as they need to explore the facets of that website. The last thing a user wants when accessing a website is to be redirected to another area or timed out when they are viewing information. "The objective of this technique is to provide users with all the time they need to complete an activity. This technique involves providing a specific activity that does not require time interaction. Users are allowed as much time as they need to interact" ("General Techniques for WCAG 2.0," 2013). When this accessibility standard is adhered to, users are much more comfortable navigating a website and enjoying the content on it.

Thirdly, the accessibility standard that must be implemented is by providing a link at the top of every page that will take visitors to the website to the main content area. The goal of this is "to provide a mechanism to bypass blocks of material that are repeated on multiple Web pages by skipping directly to the main content of the Web page" ("General Techniques for WCAG 2.0," 2013). Most, if not all, website visitors want to experience the content of the website that they are on and frequently become frustrated if they cannot access it easily. Therefore, it is a must for all websites to incorporate this technique in their design to ensure that once the website is executed that users do not vacate the website for lack of easy access to the main content area.

The fourth accessibility standard is incorporating a sign language option. This will attract not only more visitors but individuals who "primarily [prefer] sign language. A universally compatible way of [incorporating this technique] is to simply embed a video of a sign language interpreter [in the main content area]" ("General Techniques for WCAG 2.0," 2013). The web designer will need to ensure that the video stream is not too small to be interpreted by the user who is utilizing that aspect of the website.

Finally, in terms of accessibility standards, the web designer must ensure that users do not get trapped in the content area of the website. "The objective of this [standard] is to ensure that keyboard users do not become trapped in a subset of the content that can only be exited using a mouse. A common example is a content rendered by plugins" ("General Techniques for WCAG 2.0," 2013). Internet users frequently cite that this is a significant issue on certain websites. Therefore, it must be addressed by all web designers of both existing and new websites that have countless amounts of plugins and content, in general, to make sure that users/visitors can adequately navigate.

While these five accessibility standards are just a mere modicum of the list, they are critical to a website's design. The onus of information technology professionals is to ensure that users can properly move throughout a website with minimal hassle. This not only keeps within the guidelines of accessibility but makes for a better website experience overall.

References

Cohen, G. (2012, May 1). Accessibility considerations for web content. Meet Content LLC. Retrieved from http://meetcontent.com/blog/accessibility-considerations-for-web-content/

General Techniques for WCAG 2.0. (2013). Techniques for WCAG 2.0. Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/general.html#G21