How to make your website design more accessible to people with disabilities

In today’s far-reaching world, the customer base has become diverse. Today, 1 in 4 people in the US have accessibility issues and require additional help to get through daily activities. While it may be very easy to forget about this population or assume they’ll have someone to help them use your website, it is harmful to the overall functioning of your brand. More people require help to navigate or use a website today and hence it is a non-negotiable. A bad accessibility experience is simply bad branding for your company and hence will make you lose out on a significant customer base. From email marketing to digital marketing campaigns to website designing, here are ways you can make your designs more inclusive for people with disabilities.

 

1. Replicate buyer personas: When website designs are being planned, your team must test user designs based on buyer personas. Web design Worcester MA teams suggest starting with understanding what the category of buyers is going to look like and then detail into the different types of buyers possible. Of this user base, it is important to identify those who need accessibility. Once this identification is done, their exact needs should be listed down and the website should include elements that match these needs.
   
   
   
   
2. Avoid color coding: If your website relies on visual cues for important actions, it’s worth rethinking this design element. People with low visual acuteness or color blindness will have a hard time understanding your content. Instead of coloring text, you can resort to making text bold or underlined or using larger fonts for these messages. You can also get help from an SEO agency Worcester to identify and highlight the right keywords to help people with accessibility issues. The WCAG suggests a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 between text and image but a 3:1 ratio for a bold font will work as well.
3. Keyboard access: Most people with restricted mobility or even people without any disabilities prefer using the keyboard to navigate through pages and forms on your website. Hence, right from initial design to additions, everything must be easily usable with keyboard shortcuts. In fact, forms especially should have the option of using the keyboard to select options and navigate through questions to provide the best experience.

 

Be it accessible designs or designing to drive maximum audiences, websites need to be well optimized to give you results. If you’re looking for a Worcester web design company that can help you with the perfect website, get in touch with AGR Technologies today!