Web Accessibility Rambles

A new web accessibility Standard BS 8878 : Web accessibility. Building accessible experiences for disabled people. Code of practice

2010-11-10T03:21:00.000-08:00

By the end of November 2010, we should have a new web accessibility standard. The new document has been developed by the British Standards Institution (BSi) and will be known as BS 8878 : "Web accessibility. Building accessible experiences for disabled people. Code of practice". Several copies of the draft documents can be found here : http://www.bsigroup.com/en/Standards-and-Publications/

Social networking & the Internet is beginning to scare me...

2010-08-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

Although this post is not strictly about Web Accessibility or the online User Experience, I thought it may be of interest to my readers. The thing is, social networking and the Internet is beginning to scare me. A few weeks ago I received an email which recommended I become ‘linked-in’ with several people. The people were a mixture of work colleagues from all different sources- people who I have

iPhone 4 Accessibility features

2010-08-14T01:54:00.000-07:00

As I am sure you are all aware by now, the iPhone 4 launched on 24th June 2010 in the UK. It certainly looks like a great device (despite the initial teething issues…), although I am trying my hardest to resist one. For me, Apple’s world domination is becoming rather unnerving... This said, I have been extremely impressed with the accessibility features built into the iPhone 4. Apple’s continued

Revised Web Accessibility regulations in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

2010-07-31T03:07:00.000-07:00

Last week (on July 23rd 2010), the United States Department of Justice issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) regarding (amongst other things) new regulations of how the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) should be applied to the Internet. Please see the full ANPRM here : http://www.ada.gov/anprm2010.htmHere is a passage from the 'Department of Justice' press release:“We are

The Accessibility of Javascript hyperlinks

2010-05-08T04:43:00.000-07:00

Statement : Using Javascript for hyperlinks will cause accessibility issues. Approximately 5% of Internet uses will not use, or will not have JavaScript functionality enabled in their web browsers. This basically means that these people will be excluded from using your webpage to its full potential if it is coded using non-accessible JavaScript hyperlink techniques.Simple solution : Use real

Relative font sizes Vs. Browser zoom functionality

2010-02-13T03:32:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked a question about whether we can rely solely on the browsers inbuilt zoom functionality instead of using relative fonts in our web design. This is an issue which seems to have two strongly conflicting schools of thought… here was my response, please let me know your views on the subject :-----To be honest, I don't think there is a straight answer. However on the whole, I would

Apple Computers are infuriating... according to FHM UK

2010-01-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this post is not strictly related to web accessibility or user experience. I just wanted to share with you what the UK’s FHM magazine thinks about Apple Computers. The following quote was included in the February 2010 edition in an article about infuriating things in 2009. Apple computers appeared alongside Facebook, Cocaine, Celebrity perfumes and Barack Obama… Apple computers“Despite the

My website is down : Alternative contact details

2009-12-22T01:36:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, my website (http://www.simplicityuserexperience.co.uk/) is down today. There is an issue with my web host… grr.If you need to contact me, please email me at info@simplicityuserexperiece.co.uk or DM me on Twitter on @simplicityUX. I am offering some unbeatable rates over this festive period, so don't be shy! Best regards,Charlie M

Charlie M featured in this weeks 'Show Me Your Dock'

2009-12-09T01:42:00.000-08:00

Morning readers,Just a quick post to say that I am featured in this week's 'Show Me Your Dock' on Grace Smith's superb blog. Check it out!Also, please let me take this opportunity to let you know that Simplicity is offering up to 75% off our usual rates in the run up to Christmas. Don't hesitate to get in touch for a quote!Happy browsing!

Is Accessibility becoming more mainstream?

2009-12-03T00:59:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months I have seen a change in the accessibility world. Several large companies I’ve been involved with have adopted accessibility regimes, and I‘ve had an much easier job convincing clients that accessibility is an important requirement of web projects. The latter in particular has knocked me for six… it used to be such a struggle! My technophobe mother even understands how

Online Poll : Examples of websites with good 'accessibility' and good 'usability'

2009-11-30T05:43:00.000-08:00

On a regular basis, I am asked for examples of websites that provide good accessibility, good usability, or a combination of both. I certainly have a few personal favourites, but I would like to throw this question out to the Internet…There are two main polls :1) Which website do you think is an example of good ‘usability’?2) Which website do you think is an example of good ‘accessibility’?For

Title text on text links

2009-11-29T03:16:00.000-08:00

Following a discussion I had with a colleague on Friday, I have decided to post a few paragraphs on the topic of using 'title text' on textual hyperlinks in HTML.In one of the corporate websites I am working on, title text (the title attribute of the HTML anchor tag) is everywhere. You can't move your cursor without title text popping up left, right and center. What makes this worse, is that the

Microsoft Accessibility Roundtable – Sharepoint 2010

2009-11-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

Today I visited the Microsoft offices in London to participate in a meeting concentrating on the accessibility improvements included in the upcoming release of Sharepoint 2010.Sharepoint 2007 was plagued with issues and as a result, producing accessible web content was and still is very difficult. Consequently, HiSoftware have produced an ‘Accessibility Kit for Sharepoint’ that aims to repair

Web Accessibility discussed on 'Click On' show (BBC Radio 4)

2009-10-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting radio article about the importance of Web Accessibility & the new Web Accessibility standard "BS 8878 British Standard For Accessible Websites". The show is hosted by Simon Cox and is joined by Léonie Watson (Nomensa) and Bim Egan (RNIB). The show can heard by clicking here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ndzw4This is the show writeup from the BBC website:"While ramps

Jaws 11 - what's new?

2009-10-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

So, Jaws 11 has now been released bringing additional exciting and innovative functionality for screenreader users. The full new version is now shipping to coincide with the release of Windows 7 : Jaws 11 Download link (http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/jaws/JAWS-whats-new.asp#download)The new features are thoroughly documented at : http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/jaws/

Google Accessibility

2009-10-17T02:05:00.000-07:00

This week Google have launched "Google Accessibility"- a new website which will be a central resource for all their existing accessibility documentation & information. "Google Accessibility" enables us to follow all their updates from one place (RSS feed is available), and perhaps most importantly will allow us provide our feedback on all their services.This is a another great step forward for

Accessibility 2.0

2009-10-06T03:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a great write up of the Accessibility 2.0 event (written by Liz at Pancentric Blogs : http://blogs.pancentric.com/2009/10/05/accessibility-2-0/). I particularly like the concluding paragraph : "The conclusion I’ve drawn from this conference is that the responsibility of ensuring our sites can be used by everybody needs to be taken away from the developers and laid down at the

List-based navigation menu generator

2009-09-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

I have just stumbled across a generator to create custom list-based navigation menus. It allows you to modify the content, layout and presentation, and works really well! Give it a go!List-O-Matic : http://accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/developer-tools/list-o-matic/

Web Accessibility / Web User Experience for Old Users

2009-09-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

Web Accessibility for Old Users is something which is often overlooked. Unfortunately, when we get older we often begin to loose some of our senses and mobility... vision declines, hearing becomes more difficult, movement can be reduced and cognition is often negatively effected. Therefore, Web Accessibility is likely to be important for most of us at some point! I will be writing about this

Snow Leopard- Accessibility Improvements

2009-09-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to decide whether to update my Mac to Snow Leopard. To be honest, there does not seem to be many major improvements which I will benefit from, and I am a little concerned about losing my settings and preferences... can anyone reassure me?While researching the new Snow Leopard features I have seen several accessibility improvements, particularly for those with Physical

Promotional Offer

2009-08-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

For a limited time, 'Simplicity User Experience' are offering upto 75% off selected services including: - Accessibility Consultancy - expert advice, full website reviews, optimisation and testing. - Full website 'User Experience' review and optimisation. - Usability Consultancy - expert advice, full site reviews and usability optimisation.We are also offering FREE accessibility optimisation

HTML headings for Accessibility

2009-08-16T01:34:00.000-07:00

One thing which is often overlooked in accessible webpage design is the correct use of HTML headings. The headings (coded as H1-H6 tags) are important for users who navigate webpages using screen readers, keyboard input, refreshable braille displays, voice commands and other assistive technologies. Headings basically enable users to navigate / scan a webpage more easily and quickly, by indicating

Colour Contrast / Color Contrast for Accessibility

2009-08-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, Colour Contrast.Some users with cognitive or visual impairments can have difficulty distinguishing and making sense of foreground text against certain background colours.I'm sure we have all been on websites where there is a terribly bold background pattern that prevents you from being able to read the text in the foreground. Many MySpace, Bebo and WYSIWYG personal webpages pages have this

ALT and TITLE attributes for Accessibility & Web Design

2009-08-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

I have been asked several questions about the use of ALT and TITLE attributes in webpage design recently, so thought I would write a brief summary here.'ALT text' or 'ALT attributes' (nb. not ALT 'tags' as many people call them) should be included on all non textual elements of your webpage, such as images. The ALT attribute should be provided as an alternative textual description for all

Relative font sizes for accessibility

2009-08-09T02:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a really quick post on the accessibility benefits of using relative font sizes in web design. It is something which is usually easy to implement, yet is still often overlooked by designers. When presenting text on a webpage, there are various ways to specify the font size. Some argue it is best to leave the font size to the default size as specified by the browser, but for most

What is your favourite Web Accessibility toolbar?

2009-08-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

Accessibility toolbars / browser add-ons are great. Without fail, I use these tools everyday for both my web design and user experience & accessibility testing. They are always easily accessible from my browser- just where I need them. They're free too!So... which are the best ones to use? My personal favourites are the Firefox Accessibility Extension (1.5.53.0) which can be downloaded from :

Website Accessibility and the Law - Joe Clark

2009-07-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this link to the HTML version of a chapter about "Accessibility and the Law" from the book Building Accessible Websites by Joe Clark, 2002. This webpage provides easy to understand information about both the 'Americans with Disabilities Act' and the 'U.S. Section 508' requirements.http://joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/AppendixA.htmlJoe Clark really knows his stuff

Accessible Twitter

2009-07-29T05:58:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there is an accessible version of twitter? It had long been known that twitter.com has some accessibility issues... No keyboard access to favorite/reply/delete, few headings, inflexible layout width...However, Denis Lembree has created a site to fix these issues: http://www.accessibletwitter.com/The project is currently in Beta, but first impressions are good!Here are the

Apple (and iPhone) Accessibility

2009-07-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few links to the Apple site that documents their commitment to Accessibility. http://www.apple.com/accessibility/Like many other User Experience specialists, I am a big Apple fan. I'm always impressed by their sleak design, and intuitive software. Since I spend so much time at my computer, it might as well be as enjoyable as possible! One thing that I didn't realise was that Apple have

New accessibility features in Firefox 3.5

2009-07-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

A very quick link post discussing the 'New accessibility features in Firefox 3.5': http://www.marcozehe.de/2009/06/26/new-accessibility-features-in-firefox-3-5/http://www.accessfirefox.org/Firefox_3_Accessibility_Features.phpOut of interest, what browser do you use for accessibility testing / browsing / web design?Visit me at : http://www.simplicityuserexperience.co.uk/

Free Accessibility PDF from Jakob Nielsen : "Beyond ALT Text: Making the Web Easy to Use for Users With Disabilities"

2009-07-22T03:01:00.000-07:00

Jakob Nielsen (the web usability GURU) offered a free accessibility report as a new years gift in 2008. I missed the boat (for some reason...) so have only just got round to reading it. Make sure you read it too!Here is a summary from the Nielsen Norman Group website:-----------------------------------The report contains: Results of usability tests of 19 websites with users with several different

Discounted introductory rates - Simplicity User Experience Optimisation

2009-07-21T05:39:00.000-07:00