{"id":50123,"date":"2019-04-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/5-common-questions-about-website-accessibility\/"},"modified":"2019-04-10T11:36:28","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T11:36:28","slug":"5-common-questions-about-website-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/5-common-questions-about-website-accessibility\/2\/33873","title":{"rendered":"5 Common Questions About Website Accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

The average consumer relies on a myriad of websites<\/a> throughout their daily life, from reviewing bank account balances to replying to email<\/a>. Now imagine if those same websites were inaccessible to a massive chunk of users. How would that affect their experience with a company – and with the world?<\/p>\n

One in five Americans<\/a> has a disability that changes the way they interact with technology, including a hearing impairment or blindness\/low vision. While these 54 million people often are overlooked when a business is creating or updating its products, they still use the internet<\/a> to make their busy lives possible. It’s important to approach all customers with an empathetic touch; if they see that a business isn’t focused on inclusive design or creating features that fit their specific needs, they will go elsewhere.<\/p>\n

So what do businesses need to know to develop digital products that fit the needs of all users, no matter their ability? Empathy. Here are five common questions teams might ask when looking to make their offerings more inclusive. (For more on how technology can help those with disabilities, see 5 Technological Innovations that Seek to Enable the Disabled<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

1. Which differences in ability should be considered?<\/span><\/h2>\n

When developing a product or creating a road map for future updates, consider the full spectrum of users who will benefit from accessibility<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Disabilities can be broken down into three categories. Some are permanent<\/strong>, like deafness or the loss of a limb. Some are temporary<\/strong>, like loss of vision after cataract surgery or loss of mobility after breaking an arm. Some are situational<\/strong> – a user might wear glasses only some of the time, or wear protective gloves in the field that make using a touchscreen<\/a> difficult.<\/p>\n

Every user can benefit when your app<\/a> or website is easier to perceive, operate and understand based on their specific situation. An accessible website works for elderly as well as young users, low-vision users as well as mobile phone<\/a> users, assistive technologies as well as search engines<\/a>. It is essential that your product is able to adapt based on context. One app that successfully accomplishes this challenge is DIY (Do It Yourself)<\/a>, an app designed to help people modify their homes to be functional for the elderly and those with special needs. DIY’s developers considered a whole host of modifications, from color inversion and font readability to contrast and icon organization, when creating their product.<\/p>\n

2. How is “accessibility” defined in this instance?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG<\/a>) outline 78 criteria that indicate an app or website’s adherence to accessibility best practices. Most companies target the WCAG’s A and AA-level guidelines for accessibility conformance. But staring down a long list of restrictions can feel daunting, especially for teams that are just getting started. Instead, break your empathetic thinking down in a different way, like the POUR principles<\/a> of accessibility.<\/p>\n