Can web design become even more important than it already was? Yes indeed. Whereas before web design was mainly about a beautiful spatial design that is also smart enough to send your users in the right direction, next year we will go one step further.
Differentiate yourself with your web design? Remains important. A user-friendly web design? Remains important, too. But it is the accessibility of your website to all your users that is becoming increasingly important. Accessibilityis what we call it. How can you stand out in 2020 with your web design through web accessibility? We have listed the most important things for you!
Looking for a new web design? Or want to have a completely new website design? Then you've come to the right place, at Monkey Vision! Contact us and come talk to us about the new web design you have in mind.
What is an accessible web design?
What exactly do we mean by ¨web accessibility¨? 4 million Dutch people report having a disability; that is a whopping 25%. Through web accessibility you make your website more readable for this (large) group. This group includes, for example:
- Blind and visually impaired
- Deaf and hard of hearing
- People with motor disabilities
- People at increased risk of seizures
- People who are color blind
- Dyslexics
- NT2-er´s (Dutch as a second language).
- Low literacy
With the aging population in the United States, we see this group growing larger. Older people are more likely to suffer from functional limitations such as: poor vision, poor hearing, reduced motor control or a combination of these. In young people, factors such as dyslexia, concentration disorders and cognitive limitations play a role.
Everyone benefits from web accessibility
25% of the Dutch: that's 25% of your potential customers. In the first place it is of course good if you include this part of the Dutch in your target group and work in an inclusive way. It is also a relevant part of your strategy: if your web design does not meet the principles of web accessibility, the 25% will logically look for a competitor with an accessible web design. Moreover, if your website complies with these principles, your users without disabilities will benefit as well: your website will have a better structure and will be easier to navigate. That is a good thing, whether someone has a disability or not. A well-structured website also scores better in Google rankings.
In short: plenty of reasons why you need to get web-accessible design in 2020. What should you pay attention to? We list a number of aspects:
1. Structured page view
Make sure your pages are well structured. This means a logical and pleasantly readable order. For example, do not work with pieces of text under each other, but add clarifying headings. Also provide your images with functional titles. This way, the supporting tools, search engines and your visitors can quickly see how a page is structured, where which information can be found and what is important.
2. Clarifying page titles
Create clear page titles that demonstrate what your visitors can find on the page. This is not only beneficial for the user experience and web accessibility, but also for the SEO of your website. Google sees that your website is easy to navigate and rewards you in the rankings.
3. Skip links in HTML code
Skip-links in the HTML code allow screen reader users to navigate directly to the parts on a page that they find important at that moment. These skip-links are a type of hyperlink that will remain invisible to the average visitor.
4. Write clear texts
Write in clear language and make your website readable for everyone. Avoid long pieces of text and grammatically complex sentences. Pay attention when making references in the text that you are clear about this and also link directly to the right place. Let people figure it out for themselves as little as possible: be clear!
5. Link in a smart way
Make your text links clear and self-contained: they should be readable and understandable even outside the context of the text. An example: don't link pieces of text like ¨read more¨, or ¨click here¨. Specify exactly what the text links to, i.e., ¨read on for more information about our therapies¨. Avoid using the page URL as link text and don't make it too long: 100 characters is the max.
6. Transcript accompanying audio and video
Provide audio and/or video clips on your website with a transcript so that the deaf and hard of hearing can also receive the information. Do you post your video via YouTube? That is super convenient! Here you can easily add subtitles.
7. Understandable images that contribute something
To the visually impaired and blind, images largely pass by. This is a shame when your images do add something to your website and its context. How do you ensure that this group still gets the right information? Add an alternative text (alt text) to the image that represents the content. Does the image contain a link? Then put where it leads in the alternative text. Prefer not to put text in the images themselves: screen readers and search engines cannot read them. The challenge here is to add images that actually contribute something to the text and are not just ¨for pretty'.
8. Engage a web design agency that knows its stuff
Do you want your website to fully comply with the principles of web accessibility? Then you need to hire a web agency that knows all about web design and code. If you don't just want a new design, but a complete new website design, they can take these principles into account from scratch.
Would you like to have a new website design or a beautiful new web design that is also web accessible? Then come talk to us! Feel free to call and ask about the possibilities.
