Writing good link textLinks are like sign posts. They should tell you what you’ll find when you follow them. Writing good link text isn’t difficult, but there are a few things to be aware of when you do.
Detecting browser compatibility for HTML5 video and audioDifferent browsers offer different levels of support for HTML5 audio and video. Where some browsers support one type of media file other browsers will fail to do so. While browser vendors continue to implement HTML5 features support should get better and better. However, the situation at the time of writing dictates that we cannot (and certainly should not) assume that a browser will play HTML5 media.
An introduction to inclusive designA lot of research goes into understanding how physical disabilities (e.g. blindness) affect users online and how support technologies can help. However many people suffer from psychological disorders or learning difficulties which greatly affect their experiences online, and comparatively little research and development has gone into understanding and designing for these issues.
Checking colour contrastThis is a quick guide on how to check the colour contrast on your website. A simple way to check colour combinations meet the requirements set by version two of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
The resurgence of inclusive designIn recent years we have witnessed a resurgence in the Inclusive design approach. This is partly due to the rise in web accessibility and how it helps to ensure a great user experience is delivered to everyone. However, inclusive design is far from new approach but every designer should be practicing it!
Designing a digital world without barriersThe digital world should be totally accessible to everyone. Whilst digital technology has improved we still need to embrace accessibility unequivocally so every single one of us can share, belong and collaborate. Web accessibility represents digital evolution and every single organisation should be aiming to deliver a barrier-free experience: this is the humanising technology way!
Inline styles and why they are considered harmful for accessibilitySince the mid 1990s web developers have had an ever increasing amount of control over the presentation of the web pages that they develop. This is largely due to the introduction of CSS (cascading style sheets) and its adoption amongst major browser vendors, both past and present. Although the adoption of the CSS specification has not been without issues it has made it possible for web developers to build visually imaginative and engaging web pages and user interfaces.
Hiding contentIn this post I will identify some of the common techniques that are used to hide content and will attempt to identify the implications of using these techniques. I will also attempt to identify appropriate situations in which each technique could practically be put to good use. All of the techniques that we have identified below have been tested with Jaws 12 and NVDA 2011.1 using Firefox 4, Firefox 5 and Internet Explorer 8. In addition the examples were tested with voiceover on Apple OSX 10.6.4 with Safari.
