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Jun 27, 2025 11:34 AM
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accessibility
user experience
squarespace
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Design websites for all users by ensuring visual clarity, proper heading structure, and accessible interactive elements. Use alt text for images, test accessibility with real users, and follow WCAG guidelines to enhance usability for everyone.
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Crafting Accessible Websites for Everyone
TL;DR: Key Points
- Design with all users in mind, including those using screen readers or keyboard navigation
- Emphasise visual clarity through contrast, spacing, and structured navigation
- Use proper heading tags and always provide alt text for images
- Ensure interactive elements like buttons and links are easily navigable on all devices
- Regularly test your website's accessibility to enhance user experience
- Follow established guidelines to accommodate users with visual impairments
Understanding Website Accessibility
Your website needs to work for everyone, regardless of their physical abilities. This means designing your site so it can be navigated and understood by all users, including people who use assistive technologies like screen readers or need to navigate using only their keyboard.
Too many websites ignore this. The result? They accidentally exclude millions of potential users.
Key Design Practices
Visual Design
Your website's visual elements should support all users:
Contrast: Provide sufficient contrast between text and background to enhance readability. Poor contrast makes text impossible to read for many users.
Spacing: Use appropriate spacing to help users distinguish between different elements and interact with them easily.
Structural Integrity
Create a logical flow that aids comprehension and navigation:
Heading Tags: Use HTML heading tags to structure your content clearly from main titles to subsections. Screen readers rely on these to help users jump between sections.
Interactive Elements: Design buttons that are large enough to tap easily. Make links stand out so they're easy to locate and use on all devices.
Content Accessibility
Make your content work for everyone:
Alt Text: Write descriptive text for images. This helps users who can't see them understand what's shown and why it matters.
Form Labels: Clearly label all form fields. This simplifies the input process for every user, especially those using screen readers.
Pixelhaze Tip: Test your website's accessibility with real users, including those with disabilities. Their feedback will show you problems you'd never spot otherwise.
FAQs
What tools enhance website accessibility?
Screen readers, keyboard navigation support, colour contrast checkers, and automated accessibility testing tools all help make websites more accessible.
How should I test website accessibility?
Use automated tools like WAVE or axe, but also test manually by navigating with just your keyboard and using a screen reader. Better yet, get feedback from users with disabilities.
What are key guidelines for designing for users with visual impairments?
Follow WCAG guidelines: ensure good colour contrast, provide alt text for images, use clear heading structures, and make sure your site works without colour alone to convey information.
Jargon Buster
Screen Readers: Software that reads website content aloud for users who are visually impaired or blind.
Keyboard Navigation: Moving through a website using only keyboard keys (like Tab and Enter) instead of a mouse.
Alt Text: A short description of an image that screen readers can announce to users who can't see the image.
Contrast: The difference in colour or brightness between text and its background that makes content readable.
Heading Tags: HTML codes (h1, h2, h3, etc.) that organise web content into a clear hierarchy of headings and subheadings.
Final Thoughts
Focus on these essential accessibility practices and your website will serve a much broader audience effectively. Designing with accessibility in mind doesn't just help users with specific needs. It improves the experience for everyone.
Keep testing and refining your designs. Small changes can make a huge difference to how usable your website really is.