Web Design for Accessibility

Web development and computer technology are constantly evolving. As computers become more elaborate and powerful, more options for designers open up. However, newer does not always mean better, and phrases like "more powerful" or "more dynamic" should be approached cautiously.

In the early and mid-90s, HTML 4.0 became one of the most successful web programming languages in the world. Unfortunately, it was not developed with standardization in mind, nor did it seem concerned with issues of different character sets (such as accented letters for certain languages or even different alphabets all together). It also did not consider user limitations, such as low vision. It took the work of later web developers, namely that of the W3C Schools, to establish appropriate standards for the web, which even today are not by necessity followed.

Without boring you with a long history of web development through the 90s, it is important to see new technology with wary eyes. How useful is it to have a "powerful, dynamic scripting language" present on your site? Do you need to have the extra functionality added by this new technology? If so, why don't you have it now? Is it because it just wasn't an option before, or because your site just doesn't need it?

The reason for the wary-eyes is simple: many new technologies and scripting languages begin just like HTML 4.0. The web did not learn from that mistake, especially not for new coding languages. It might seem to be "just keeping up with the times" to add Flash, Javascript, PHP, ASP, Java Servlets, or other technological elements to your site, but especially as new technologies, accessibility is a huge issue. How many users actually have Flash installed on their computers? It could be argued that enough of them do; and, of course, it could also be argued that Flash is a Free program to install. Does that mean that users will benefit a lot from this download and install? If a user refused to download Flash, is there another way to access the content of the website?

A buzzword is a term that once had a narrow, technical, and/or specific meaning, but people outside of the original context or specialty of that term began to use it, generally applying it vaguely or using it as a wider term that its original meaning. In the 90s, it became commonplace for copiers to be called "Xerox Machines," even if the Xerox company had not made the copier in question. On the web, buzzwords complicate matters, because they take a term that has specificity and create confusion surrounding its meaning.

The buzzwords are popular because they piggyback on a current hot topic. The best example I can think of is "Web 2.0," which originally began as a term applied to the surfacing reality in the late 90s, which was that the interconnectivity of the internet and other non-computer appliances would be growing. Web designers needed to code for many different types of hardware. As a buzzword, it applies to scripting and programming that creates interactive websites and social media sites, along with a growing umbrella of meanings.

Buzzwords, like jargon, generally contribute to confusion rather than clarity. If "everyone" on the web is doing something, chances are that only a small percentage of websites are actually doing it with active marketing strategy. If a fair amount of people are doing it, consider the implications it has for your site. Does your site need reference to said buzzwords? Or does your site need new scripting technology? If not, "everyone" else is doing it; chances are slim that your addition of either will draw new visitors, since other people are already using them. And, if your site does not need the technology in question, you are taking time and energy for no reason at all.

Spectacle can indeed be "cool," but it is rarely necessary for web content. Videos that demonstrate important information or provide an important resource are a good example of necessary web content. For some sites, music or audio files provide similarly needed information, too. In most cases, however, advanced media such as streaming audio and video, Flash, and various scripting languages are used superfluously. Do you really need a scrolling marquee across the top of your website? Do you really need the Javascript effect of fireworks exploding across the page? The answer is most probably, no. If you can do without, simplify. Adding media, including graphics, should always be to illustrate, not decorate, your website.

One last note about new technology: Just because new scripting languages and new technology seem to make the same mistakes as they have since HTML 4.0, that doesn't mean that you're any less responsible as a web designer for issues involving accessibility. If a new technology is something you decide to integrate into your site, make sure it has appropriate accessibility features, whether it is "easy" to add them with ALT tags or "difficult" to add them, such as having a separate page that is entirely accessible. If you add video files, make sure the sound is captioned, and make sure the necessary parts of the video action are detailed in text.