Accessible Web Design

The internet is a medium that is open to everyone, or is it? Some websites create unnecessary problems for visitors with disabilities because of the way they were designed. Bad design can make information difficult or even impossible to access.

Past research has indicated that web developers and commercial organisations have largely ignored W3C guidelines for making web sites accessible. This has resulted in some high profile court cases, Sydney Olympics Organising Committee were successfully sued in 2000, Ramada.com and Priceline.com in 2002 and Target in 2006. It's only a matter of time until a case finally makes it to a UK court.

In addition to the public relations benefits and a demonstration of corporate social responsibility, accessible web design reflects a fundamental respect for your customers, every last one of them!

Test Your Site Now

Web Page (Required)

e.g. http://www.isocdisab.org/

Accessibility Report Mode

Do not fail pages for WCAG 1.0 Priority 2 and 3 errors, simply warn me.

Include the Alternative Text Quality Report

Include File source on Accessibility Failures

Run the Potential Screen Movement and Flickering Report

Test for animated Gifs - Could add time to processing

Emulate this Browser:

The Business Case For Accessible Web Design

In the UK it's illegal for any business, including online business, to discriminate against people with disabilities. Including accessibility into a new website may add a few pounds to the budget, however this option is far better than a complicated and expensive retro fit sometime in the future.

Apart from being a legal requirement, accessibility makes sound business sense. .

increased natural search engine traffic
lower maintenance costs
compatibility with browsers, mobile devices, slower connections, dated technology
larger market share
increased turnover

Did you know that in the UK there are 8.6 million registered disabled people, that equates to 14% of the population, with an annual spend of £88 billion?

Accessibility Case Study: Legal And General

Legal and General were worried by their exposure to litigation under the DDA. They identified their major problems as

Content not web-friendly: PDFs

JavaScript dependency in forms and navigation

Too much industry jargon

Developer’s knowledge of accessibility inadequate

After a program of re-design using third party testers, they reduced their risk of legal action and found, as side-effects:

A 30% increase in natural search-engine traffic

“significant improvement” in Google rankings “for all target keywords”

75% reduction in time for page to load

Browser-compatibility (not a single complaint since)

Accessible to mobile devices

Time to manage content “reduced from average of five days to 0.5 days per job”

Savings of £200K annually on site maintenance

95% increase in visitors getting a life insurance quote

90% increase in Life insurance sales online

100% return on investment in less than 12 months.

Source: Bruce Lawson

Further presentation from Legal and General on these results.
Presentation by Isolani, lead developer at Legal and General.

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Accessible Web Design

The Business Case For Accessible Web Design

Accessibility Case Study: Legal And General

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Further Reading and Resources: