100 points to know about...
Digital accessibility

How is User-in-mind achieved in design?

User-in-mind as a principle of accessible web design for users with SLDs respects the following:

Remove or be generous with time limits

• If not required, do not set expiration times on your web pages.
• If time limits are needed, notify users when time is almost up and allow them to request more time.

Provide clear feedback and be forgiving of errors

• Detail what went wrong in error messages and how it can be fixed.
• Allow misspellings and typos in the search bar.
• Ask users to confirm their choice before proceeding with an action.
• If web pages don’t require a sensitive log-in, stick to simple authorisation procedures, as errors are more likely if there is a multi-step authorisation process (such as one that requires calculations or memorisation).

Include multimodal content

A multimodal approach presents content in multiple ways so that users can choose the form that best fits their needs. In practice, remember to:

• Add captions to videos and transcripts to audio/video material.
• Allow longer text to be read aloud with pre-recorded audio.
• Include explanations of illustrations and diagrams (charts, graphs, etc.).

Allow for personalisation & adaptability of the design

• Ensure that web pages support screen readers and other assistive technologies. Refer to Lesson 12 of this module for more information on assistive technologies.
• Allow users to change certain aspects of the design, such as the font size, page contrast, and background colour.

How can design be Distraction-free?

Distraction-free as a principle of accessible web design for users with SLDs respects the following:

The right colours are key

• Avoid colours that are too close together or ones with a very high colour contrast (black on white) as this can be visually straining.
• For the most sufficient colour contrast, use an off-white or pastel colour for your background and a darker colour for your text colour (such as dark grey). To assess the colour contrast of your design, refer to Lesson 13: Notion 91 for resources.
• Use a solid colour for backgrounds, as patterned or complicated backgrounds make text less legible.

Avoid autoplay and flashing images

• Turn off or put on pause any videos or audio that autoplay, scrolling text, and flashing images, so that users can play this content only if they so wish.
• Add a warning for flashing content or remove it altogether, as it may trigger users with sensory overload issues.

Remove distractions to content

• Do not bombard users with pop-ups and advertisements which takes their focus away from what they were doing.

Designing according to a visual hierarchy

Designing according to a visual hierarchy, meaning that the main content is placed higher up on the page and supplementary info is placed further down the page, is a design adaptation that follows the principle of good Organisation.