LibGuides v.2: Universal Design: Web and Documents

General Practice

Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM), a group the forefront of universal design practices, offers easy-to-understand walkthroughs of ways to make your web content more accessible.

WebAIM Logo

WebAIM also created WAVE, a website accessibility evaluator, which anyone can use to see specifically where accessibility issues appear on a website.

WAVE Logo

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) offers a great collection of design tips and tricks through their Web Accessibility Initiative, and also has an HTML markup validator tool, which identifies coding errors on a particular website.

Core Concepts

Supporting information comes from WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind).

Font, Text Size, and Color Contrast
These are some of the most basic, but also the most overlooked, characteristics of web content that can be easily changed and adapted. This information applies everywhere!
Alternate Text and Images
Images can be tricky to use effectively online. Adding a short descriptive label--or "alternate text"--to an image can help better identify meaning and content under several circumstances.
Link Labeling and Direction
Don't fall victim to "click here": be clear and precise when identifying linked content, and let users know when they will be led to other pages or documents.
Heading Order
Having appropriate structure and navigation order in web pages can be valuable for usability in general. Learn how level headings can affect your content.
Keyboard Navigation
Have you ever tried "tabbing" through a web page? See what happens when the use of a computer mouse is not possible or unavailable.

Document Accessibility

Making Files Accessible
A collection of checklists about increasing accessibility for a variety of document types, from the Department of Health and Human Services.
PDF Accessibility (Adobe Acrobat)
How to use built-in Acrobat features for PDF accessibility, from WebAIM.

Articles on Website Evaluation

"How to Evaluate a Website" - The Visual Communication Guy Blog

"Measuring Accessibility in the User Experience (UX) and the Searcher Experience" - Marketing Land

"Web Content, Universally Designed" - Accessibility at Colorado State University