23 May 2007

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 are a major improvement on their predecessor, on expert has claimed.

Peter Abrahams, the Practice Leader of Bloor Research, made the comments on his IT-Director blog, stating that the new standards are far more accessible than the previous version.

One major force in this is the fact that all of the criteria outlined in the new guidelines can be put through either computer or user testing, while also being more understandable and readable, he said.

"Anyone about to develop an accessible web site should definitely review these guidelines and incorporate them in the development plans," remarked Mr Abrahams.

"The developers of the new version should be congratulated."

However, the expert did note that the original standards should still be recognised as an "amazing achievement" given the time they were created and the help they have provided for accessible design.

The World Wide Web Consortium unveiled WCAG 2.0 on May 17th 2007 in the form of a working draft, although the body made it clear that they are not yet set in stone.

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