Designing More Usable Web Sites

Trace Center

http://trace.wisc.edu/world/web/

This resource is dedicated to cooperative efforts linked towards building a more usable Web for all, and covers topics including:

• Accessible Web Site Guidelines

• Web Access Tools

• Selected Resources on Disability and Web Use

• Browsers with Built-in Voice or Other Access Features

• Forums for Discussing Accessibility Issues

• Multimedia and Virtual Reality Access

• Background on the World Wide Web

• Organisations, Projects and Technologies Addressing Web Access Issues

Principles and strategies for practitioners designing universally usable sites

Universal Usability in Practice, University of Maryland

http://www.otal.umd.edu/UUPractice/

This site looks at how to design for access by a range of groups, not just with a disability, but children, older people, those from other cultures, and people with older technology.

Web Accessibility: Designing and Understanding Accessible WWW Pages

The Alliance for Technology Access

http://www.ataccess.org/rresources/webaccess.html

This site presents information on overcoming typical barriers experienced by people with specific disabilities, as well as links to other useful resources.

Myths about web accessibility

http://www.doit.wisc.edu/accessibility/myths.asp

This is very useful when working with decision makers regarding the need to plan for accessible websites.  This site gives an example of one of the myths about web access:

The target audience of our Web site is not blind users, so we don’t need to worry about developing our Web site for that population.

The site goes on to say:

Web site accessibility design benefits more than populations who are blind. The aging population, also the fastest growing group of new Internet users, is finding it increasingly difficult to read small fonts. People using older browsers and computers; people who have a slow connection and/or disable their graphics/images; and people who use the internet in environments where it is difficult to read a computer screen and use voice output, are just a few examples of others who will benefit.

All Things Web

http://www.pantos.org/atw/access.html

Very easy to read, this site gives and interesting explanation of web access issues, although not in comprehensive details.  There are a lot of good tips on general usability design considerations.

Accessibility Institute

University of Texas at Austin

http://www.utexas.edu/research/accessibility/

A range of useful resources.

Web Accessibility Page

HREOC

http://www.hreoc.gov.au/disability_rights/webaccess/index.htm

An excellent range of select links to resources.

Guidelines for Visualising Links

Jakob Nielsen, 2004

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040510.html

This site provides a lot of advice on designing websites for optimum usability, especially on how links are presented.

Creating Accessible Forms in Word

Freedom Scientific

http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/training_Forms_in_Word.asp

This is a guide to developing forms that are accessible to people using screen readers.

Untangling the Web: Getting your forms in shape

Crista Earl and Elizabeth Neal

AccessWorld Journal, American Foundation for the Blind, 2004

http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw050204

According to the article:

In this article, we will tackle one of the trickier issues that can turn an otherwise accessible web site into a frustrating experience for web users who are blind or visually impaired: forms.

Web Development: making web sites accessible

Neil Pollock, 2001

http://users.bigpond.net.au/neilpollock/web_dev/accessibility.html

This site belongs to an Australian website developer, and includes clear guidance about designing accessible pages.

The Imagination Gap: Making web-based instructional resources accessible to students and colleagues with disabilities

John Slatin, Currents in Technology Literacy, Spring, 2002

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/currents/spring02/slatin.html

This article discusses the issue of accessibility as well as some aspects of design.

Cognitive Disabilities

http://www.webaim.org/techniques/cognitive/

This is a very useful article looking at how to balance design for people with a vision impairment, with the needs of people with cognitive disabilities, who require greater use of graphics.