The phrase “digital accessibility” refers to the capacity of all persons, regardless of their skills or restrictions, to use digital resources and services. It is critical to appreciate that only some people use digital products and services in the same way. Some individuals wear them solely on special occasions. A person with a learning disability, for example, may require more understandable information than a blind person who can use a screen reader.
How can you ensure that your digital products are available to everyone? QualityLogic’s specialists can help. We understand how confounding or difficult accessibility may look, but our professionals can effectively communicate with you, so you understand what you’re doing now and what has to be changed.
You can use the following information to figure out how accessible your things are right now before contacting us.
Straightforward Specifications
Please make sure the information you give is clear and crisp, no matter how apparent it looks. Avoiding jargon and adopting precise language can assist. Making your work available in a range of media formats, such as audio and video, for individuals who choose or are compelled to consume it in a different format is also an important component.
Keep the Rules in Mind
The most commonly acknowledged set of accessibility standards and rules is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. One of the numerous guidelines and standards is the WCAG 2.0 standard. In addition, several countries are creating comparable standards and criteria. It is critical to keep up with any changes in order to ensure that your products and services are lawful.
Use Moving Imagery
Including pictures and movies in your content may make it more fascinating and easy to read. They must, however, be used properly in order to mitigate the accessibility issues that their existence creates. Make text equivalents for photos and videos so that folks who can’t see them may understand what they’re saying. Make sure your photos and videos have enough contrast so that those with poor vision can view them.
Create Products With Usability in Mind
The simplest way to ensure that your digital products and services are usable by everyone is to build them from the start with digital accessibility in mind. The initial step in the design process is user research, and accessibility must be handled at all stages, all the way up to coding. Work with accessibility experts to produce designs that are as user-friendly as possible.
Conduct an accessibility audit to confirm compliance with current standards and criteria. Usability testing is needed even if your products and services were designed with digital accessibility in mind. This ensures that your customers may use them safely. This includes the use of a variety of testing methods and equipment, such as automated accessibility testing and manual testing by people with disabilities.
The Benefits of Digital Access
According to the World Health Organization, disability is “a broad term that incorporates impairments, activity constraints, and participation restraints.” Physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or behavioral health issues can all lead to disabilities. Disability is predicted to impact one billion people worldwide, making it one of the most common medical conditions.
Despite this, disabled people may have difficulties accessing services such as jobs and education. Making digital products and services available to everyone is one way to help decrease these barriers. This includes developing websites and applications for a wide range of disabled people, such as those who are blind or have limited vision, deaf or have hearing loss, and those who have cognitive or intellectual disabilities. We can help remove some of the barriers that people with disabilities face by making digital content and services more accessible, allowing them to live full, inclusive lives.
Disabled People’s Use of Digital Content
When it comes to accessing digital resources, people with disabilities have unique challenges. Text-to-audio translation may be necessary for the blind or visually impaired. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may require subtitles or transcripts to access audio and video content. It may be necessary to simplify the presentation of material for those with cognitive disabilities. Furthermore, people with physical disabilities may require content that may be accessed using various input devices, such as switches or eye-gaze trackers. Using these many criteria, website designers and developers may create digital content that is accessible to a wider audience.
Keep the Blind in Mind When Designing
It is critical to know that not all encounters with the world are the same when it comes to digital information. People who are blind or have impaired eyesight, for example, must rely heavily on a variety of cues to understand information. As a result, special precautions must be taken while developing digital entertainment for children. Each image, for example, should include many written explanations. Captions and audio descriptions must be included in all videos. These safeguards will help to ensure that your digital assets are available to everybody.
Designing With Deaf People in Mind
When creating digital material, it is critical to consider the demands of all potential viewers. This is especially true for people who have difficulty interpreting regular material forms. Closed captioning allows those who are deaf or hard of hearing to see digital information.
When creating digital content with closed captions, there are several factors to consider. To begin with, the captions must be simple to read and understand. This involves using large font sizes and avoiding sophisticated, difficult-to-read fonts. Audio and subtitles should be synchronized as well. This may be accomplished by either manually transcribing the audio track while using software that generates automatic captions or manually producing the captions. To guarantee that there are no mistakes, captions must be thoroughly examined.
If you follow these criteria, you can create digital content that anybody, regardless of disability, may use. Closed captioning is one method for making your content more accessible; other options include audio description and sign language interpretation. When their needs are taken into account, it is possible to provide digital content that is accessible to all people.
Content Creation for Cognitively Impaired Users
When creating digital content for people with cognitive problems, there are several factors to consider. The most important thing to remember is that everyone is unique and necessitates a unique approach. However, fundamental accessibility standards must be met. For example, disability services advocate for the use of straightforward language and images. This can help the reader with explanation and comprehension. There must be several avenues for debate and criticism. Allowing students to interact with the content on their own terms ensures that they understand and retain it. These principles will assist designers in developing digital instructional content that is accessible to all users.
Summary
If you need help making your items more accessible, contact QualityLogic. You will notice a big boost in traffic to your website as well as a shift in how your customers interact with you after using our service. Learn more about QualityLogic and its digital accessibility tools when you click here.
