Web Accessibility - Part 4: Finding your way around
I was talking to someone recently who couldn’t understand why we are so interested in web accessibility. I’ll forgive him for not having read my first blog in this series Web Accessibility, Part 1: Why? He didn't think we should be concentrating on a minority of users. I couldn't agree less and it's very clear to us here at Takka Productions that addressing the needs of specific users will result in the creation of a better website for all. This is easily demonstrated by considering the accessibility issues relating to how people find their way around a website.
Where am I?
How can we help users with diverse abilities navigate through a website?
Main navigation
A quick glance at the main navigation on a webpage can indicate which part of the site a user is in. The current section can easily be made to stand out in some way.
Breadcrumb navigation
Another indicator can be provided by a breadcrumb navigation. This small additional navigation will appear towards the top of the page and will look something like.. Home>Our Services>Web Consultancy. The trail is likely to show you where you are in the hierarchy of a website rather than the exact path you took to get to the page you are on, though this is not always the case. The last item in the list will be the page you are on so this isn't usually a link. However it can be made into a link that skips to the main content of the current page without reloading the page. Reloading the page can be frustrating for screen reader users or those who mostly work without a mouse.
Where am I going?
Link text
A screen reader user may browse a web page via its links. Links with text such as 'Read more..' or 'Click here' aren't much use. Links need to make sense out of context. The link text needs to give an indication of where the user will end up if they click on it.
Opening links
Allowing the user to stay in control of their journey through a website is an important accessibility consideration. Users don't want to be sent somewhere else without warning or be unclear where they will end up if they click on link. Allowing the user to be in control includes, apart from in a few specific circumstances, not choosing to open a new browser tab or browser window on their behalf. The user looses their history, the back button won't take them back to where they were previously. It may not be too much of a problem if you aren't using assistive technologies but very frustrating if you are.
Back buttons
Where there are back buttons/links on a site, a user needs to know where 'back' is. Is it the last page they were on, or back to the previous page in the hierarchy of the site?
Search facility
A search box will help users navigate to the content they want to find. Having the search field as the first text box that a screen reader finds on a site makes it easy for screen users to quickly navigate to what they want to find on a site.
Consistent signposts
Ensuring consistency of design when it comes to navigation will help users easily move around a website. If there is a button on a number of website pages that does the same thing - you don’t want it to look different on every page.
Sitemap
A map is always good for navigation purposes an a website's sitemap, often found in the footer, lists the site's pages in the form of links.
All these methods start to address the website navigation issues faced by older users, those with vision and /or motor and cognitive impairments. In my mind there isn't any doubt that they also help the majority of web users.
Sources and Resources
Inclusive Design Patterns, Heydon Pickering
A Web for Everyone, Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery
The Deque Blog: How Current Design Trends Affect Web Accessibility
Angela Kilmurray
02 Aug, 2017