Top 4 Tips for Designing an Accessible Website

Most web design briefs focus on building an attractive website that engages visitors and converts them into customers. But there’s one thing most business owners don’t pay as much attention to as they should. And that’s accessibility. 

When you don’t want to miss out on every single prospect, you must make sure your website is accessible. An accessible website can be used by everyone including people with motor, visual, speech, auditory or cognitive disabilities.

Add Sufficient Colour Contrast 

Colour contrast is a commonly overlooked aspect of digital accessibility. People with low vision will have a hard time reading the text if the contrast between text and background colour is low. For best results, be sure to use a dark colour in the backdrop of a light background. With sufficient contrast, everyone will be able to differentiate between the different elements on your page. 

Keyboard Navigation 

Keyboard accessibility is an important part of digital accessibility. Blind people who rely on screen readers, people with motor disabilities, users who lack muscle control and even advanced users rely heavily on their keyword to navigate a website. 

So be sure to design your navigation keeping in mind that there are users who will use the Tab key on their keyboard to navigate your website. To that end, ensure that the interactive elements on your website are ordered in an intuitive manner. They should follow the visual flow of your page from left to right. 

Use Visual Cues

When conveying an important message, prompting visitors into action or indicating a response, don’t just use colour as the visual cue. Those with colour blindness or low visual acuity won’t be able to understand your content. 

Use other visual cues such as patterns, text labels, underline text style or font weight to ensure your message stands out. 

Make Contact Forms Accessible 

When it comes to your contact form, be sure to label the fields correctly. Steer clear of placeholder text at all costs. Placeholder text has a low contract and is typically grey in colour, which means some users will have a hard time reading it. What’s more, placeholder labels typically disappear as you begin typing. What does this mean for people using screen readers? They will miss your instructions and won’t be able to fill in your contact form.

Accessible Websites by LS25 Web Design 

Good web design is all about finding the right balance between aesthetics and accessibility. At LS25 Web design, we can address these factors during the initial stages of the web design process to build a future-roof, user-friendly website for your business. Contact us today to discuss your web design project.