b9

Site accessibility at a glance

Site Genre: Pattern Group b

magnify image Figure B9.1 Web sites need to be designed for access and use by everyone, regardless of physical ability or computer capability. This example shows a screen shot from the text-based Lynx Web browser, which gives a flavor of what the Web is like for people who are blind.

Background

People with disabilities find it difficult to use many Web sites. By law, SELF-SERVICE GOVERNMENT (A4) and other sites that are provided by, purchased by, or used by the U.S. government must be universally accessible. There are also regulations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union mandating minimum levels of accessibility for government Web sites based in those countries. Used in any pattern of Pattern Group A (Site Genres), this pattern describes how to structure your Web site to improve navigation accessibility for people with disabilities.

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PROBLEM

People with audio, visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities find it difficult to use Web sites that are not explicitly designed with their accessibility in mind.

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SOLUTION

magnify image Figure B9. Making your site accessible to people with disabilities will make your site more accessible to everyone.

Use a section category layout consistently throughout your site, with the same navigation elements, giving customers a strong sense that they have arrived at a new section and a clear idea of how to get back.

Other Patterns to Consider

Build a consistent category page layout using a PAGE TEMPLATE (D1) and CONTENT MODULES (D2), with consistent GRID LAYOUT (I1), NAVIGATION BARS (K2), and LOCATION BREAD CRUMBS (K6) to indicate where the customer is on the site. Use BROWSABLE CONTENT (B2) to provide strong information scent that customers either are getting closer or are on the right page. If you’re using TAB ROWS (K3), you might change the color of the tab for each category section. If you’re using a subsection element in a SEARCH ACTION MODULE (J1), make the default the current section. Use the CLEAR FIRST READ (I3) to indicate the section name so that visitors know that they’ve arrived at a new category.

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