Accessibility
Many people are confused about what Web Accessibility is,
and do not understand the importance of ensuring that their
site meets W3C or Bobby guidelines.
Making your web page accessible means meeting the needs and preferences of the widest range of users, including the disabled, and people using old computers on slow connections. You would probably not conduct your business in a building with no wheelchair access, or refuse service to certain types of people. Similarly, you should consider the needs of all the people who might visit your website. This includes vision-impaired, deaf and people with impaired movement.
The basic guidelines that Vmedia follow when designing and developing sites are:
- It must be accessible via a text only browser
- All navigation should have a text-only alternative
- Text size and colour should have contrast and be easy to read
- The design must work in all popular browsers on various platforms
- All images should be alt-tagged, with useful descriptions
- The site should be navigable without a mouse
- It should achieve Bobby Level 1 compliance
- Important content should have a text alternative
These guidelines do not mean that the site won’t look good, be creative and fun to use. Vmedia have created many sites which meet these accessibility guidelines and still deliver superior design, functionality and speed. Using the internet gives you access to customers or clients that are unable to visit or speak with you, so it makes sense to consider their needs when planning your website. Talk to us for more information on what you can do to make your website more accessible.