Lesson 10The design process: how to make room for web accessibility?

Notion 70

Usability is key!

Target skills

Learn how to improve the usability of an accessible website

Usability applied to a website designates to which degree it can be used effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily. This is not just an accessibility issue but a broader approach to the user experience.

Usability and Accessibility?

Usability is a part of UX Design and enhances an online experience, while Accessibility is about the level of access to an online experience. Accessibility could be considered a priority, while Usability is a nice touch to our content. In practice, Accessibility consists of Usability practices that can be improved. Let's see how.

Simplicity improves Usability

Providing the user with simple elements to interact with can improve the UX's efficiency on a web page. On the other hand, complex situations require users to carefully consider the outcomes, the context, the location of elements on a busy page, etc.

In order to determine the interactive elements on a page, ask yourself: What are the main actions required from the user on this page? From there, you can put forward elements which allow users to complete these actions.

For example, menus, tables of content, and forms are elements that should be separated from the main content. This is because they are interactive elements that need space. Therefore, make them easily identifiable!

Simplicity also means better readability. Following accessibility guidelines regarding text, such as suitable colour, size, font, and language level, creates content that is both more polished and understandable. For tips on improving the overall readability of your web pages, stay tuned for Grain 72 of this notion.

Mobile-first approach

Mobile-first design is the idea of designing an interface for mobile before thinking of its desktop version. As the number of visits from mobile is growing, designing for mobile becomes a natural first step. A mobile screen is, by definition, smaller, so a design that can fit such a small screen requires it to be simpler. Moreover, usability is even more critical on such devices due to the limited space and touch navigation.

Mobile accessibility is also covered by the WCAG guidelines. Mobile accessibility allows all phone users to navigate through your content on their smartphones wherever they are, which is as you know an everyday activity nowadays, and also an essential need for some people with disabilities when they do not have their computer nearby. Taking into account the new technical parameters linked to the design of mobile interfaces means meeting the same usability challenges as content that can be consulted on a computer, and additionally offering the fluidity of use of a mobile phone.

More accessible design does not mean grim!

Users often perceive aesthetically pleasing design as design that's more usable. This is called the Aesthetic-Usability Effect. This perception will improve the satisfaction of the user, which is part of the Usability principle. Therefore, do not underestimate the aesthetic aspect of your design! There are many requirements to fulfil if we want to check all the boxes for creating a good mock-up (or first drafts): accessible, usable, SEO-friendly, technically doable; a pleasant design should be one of them!