Author: Cooper Kosin
Est. Read Time: 10-15 minutes
Introduction –
Have you ever visited a website that was impossible to navigate, or hard to read? Not having good Usability and Accessibility can drive users away from your website. Usability in your website is how easily and efficiently people are to achieve the goal they are looking for on your website. Accessibility has also a huge role in your website, it can be anything like adding alt text to an image, contrasting color, navigation, and defining the main content. Usability and Accessibility matter because lots of people with disabilities use the internet daily and not being able to access a website would be a huge problem and can make them feel left out. It also matters from the Business perspective because not being accessible and usable will make them lose traffic and business.
- In this Post you will learn:
- “What is Website Usability and Accessibility?”
- “Key Principles for Usability and Accessibility”
- “Benefits of Accessible and Usable Website”
What is Website Usability –
Website usability is the matter of how easily, efficiently, and nicely users can navigate a site, find important information, and complete tasks such as purchasing, signing up, etc. Good Usability in a website always must have certain elements such as good navigation and loading times, as well as having amazing readability with clear content. Layout throughout your website is also very important, making sure it is easy to understand where you are throughout a website, and being usable on different devices.
- Examples of this could be:
- Clear CTAs throughout website
- Fast Loading Speeds Throughout Different Pages
- Easily able to Navigate
- Usable on different devices such as Phones, Computers, etc.
- Making sure your website is Intuitive
Here is an example of a website with a clean layout, a nice header, and clear content.
https://www.mockplus.com/blog/post/website-layout-example
What is Website Accessibility –
Accessibility in a website is also very important, the definition of accessibility is “the quality of being easily reached, entered, or used by people who have a disability.” According to UserWay “approximately 54% to 75% of U.S. adults with disabilities use the internet” and “Around 15% of the world’s population, or approximately 1 billion people, live with disabilities.” These statistics show how important accessibility is on your website, and how much website traffic could be affected without proper accessibility.
Accessibility is designing and developing websites, so that people with disabilities such as visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. Thus, Websites being Accessible allow these people to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with your websites content.
Related: Disability statistics unveiled: why they matter
Key Principles for Usability and Accessibility –
There are many Key Principles to focus on throughout the creation of your website to make it Accessible and Usable such as-
- Alt Text: Make sure you always use descriptive alt text for images.
- Headings: Always use meaningful headers, and use (H1-H6) for description.
- Color Contrast: Have Colors that contrast to make it easier to read and navigate through pages and content.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Your website automatically detects a user’s screen size and changes its layout, text, and images to fit perfectly on any device.
- Keyboard Navigation: Allowing users to browse and interact with a website using only a keyboard.
- Clear Website Navigation: An uncluttered and organized menu that lets users effortlessly find information they are looking for.
https://www.queensu.ca/accessibility/tutorials/website-accessibility/colour-and-formatting-text
Benefits of Accessible and Usable Website –
There are many benefits of having an Accessible and Usable Website such as increasing SEO rankings, giving better User Experience (UX), reaching new and broader audiences, and improved opportunities of sales, registrations, etc. It can also improve brand
reputation and build a positive perception of your company. Following the WCAG and ADA rules also leads to a lesser risk of lawsuits related to discrimination. According to Accessible Metrics “In 2018, over 2,250 web accessibility lawsuits were filed in the U.S. This number will likely continue to grow.” (Jan 2020) This can be a big risk to many companies and can result in a loss of a lot of money and can ruin a company’s reputation.
Related: 6 Benefits of Web Accessibility
Conclusion –
In this post I hope you were able to learn more about Website Usability and Accessibility, and how important they are to the nature of a website. These two are essential to a proper website and create traffic to your website, which boosts your company’s SEO rankings. I highly recommend everyone reading to evaluate their own website, and make sure it is accessible and usable. By focusing on Accessibility and Usability in your website, you create an environment that works for everyone.
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