Everyone needs a touch of help from their friends now and again. and people building and maintaining websites are not any different.
A problem we frequently see is that while people have the simplest of intentions when it involves accessibility, they often postpone posing for help. It is often a difficult topic to breach, especially if you’re alleged to be the “web expert” in your organization. It also can be expensive, and perceived as not an honest use of resources.
The reality, of course, is extremely different.
Accessibility is a particularly specific area of design, and it’s unreasonable to expect everyone to understand every detail about it. What’s more, it’s always an honest use of resources; not only will redesigning your website to be accessible create a more inclusive online experience, but by designing within tighter constraints, you’ll find yourself with a far better solution for everybody , no matter the need.
But first, let’s size up . Here are 5 signs you’ll need help together with your web accessibility.
- You’re unsure Which Regulations to Follow
Accessibility, additionally to being a person’s rights offering, is additionally a legal one. There are regulatory bodies which govern accessibility rules and web design. you would like to understand which one governs you. For instance, in Ontario, there’s something called the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which incorporates legal accessibility requirements for websites. Any company with a minimum of one Ontarian employee is required to satisfy AODA guidelines.
If you’re unsure which regulatory body you’re governed by, you’ll need some accessibility help.
- You think that Web Accessibility is all About Colour Contrast
Colour contrast is a component of accessibility, and it’s often delayed because the thing that’s most vital. Actually though, web accessibility is vastly more intricate and sophisticated than simply checking the contrast between font and background.
Web accessibility is about making more of the web available to more people that need it. It is a combination of design, front development, and web infrastructure. It covers everything from, yes, contrast, all the thanks to things like how your HTML is coded, how tables are presented, and even how your site loads.
It’s a posh topic, so if you’re sitting there thinking it’s all about colour contrast, you’ll need a touch of help.
- You Haven’t Updated Your Website in Several Years
Most websites get refreshed every few years, but if it’s been a touch longer for you, then you almost certainly need some accessibility assistance.
Between your last update and this one, accessibility has come to the fore of web design, and therefore the world you’re building in now’s very different from the one you were building in before.
So if you’re thinking it’s about time to refresh the location , and it’s been 5+ years, then it’s going to be worth getting an accessibility expert on the redesign team.
- You do not skills to see if Your Site is Compliant
There are dozens of tools, guides, and resources from organizations like A11y to assist you opt in if your site is compliant.
But if you’re unsure where to start out and you can’t quite find out if you’re compliant, you would possibly need some help.
Because the primary step towards building an accessible website is knowing where you’re and where you would like to be. By setting a baseline, you’ll more easily allocate some time .
And if you can’t establish a transparent sense of that, then it’d be worth having someone assist you and clarify what you would like.
- You Haven’t Completed Accessibility-Based User Testing
Similar to establishing a baseline, if you haven’t tested your site against users with a variety of accessibility requirements, you’ll need some help.
By seeing how actual people experience your site once they have different needs are often hugely helpful in defining your design requirements.
For example, you could possibly have built your site in a way that creates it easy to use with screen readers. But until you test it, how are you able to make certain you probably did an honest job, and your design is really an honest experience?
Summary
Accessibility is usually seen as something you’ll sweep into a bigger project as simply another component to think about.
The reality, though, is that accessibility is difficult. There’s a regulatory component, a design component, a development component, and even a change management component to urge internal stakeholders on board. It’s tons to require on, and oftentimes, organizations will struggle before eventually abandoning.
Instead, get a transparent sense of if you would like help before you begin. check out these 5 signs and, if most of them apply to you, then it’s probably worth consulting an expert.
Like all projects, with accessibility, it’s always better to try to do it right the primary time then need to roll in the hay twice.
