Have you ever visited a website that is confusing, hard to navigate and difficult to use? Sites like the one described above are poorly designed and implemented from an accessibility perspective.

Accessibility refers to how easy a website is to use and understand for the widest possible range of users. This means that accessibility benefits all users. However, it is particularly important for those with a disability or a limitation of some kind. As the population ages at a record rate, it also poses challenges for online services and their design. The new accessibility law for digital services will enter into force in a phased approach from September 2019.

The accessibility of a website depends on the clarity of its content, visual appearance, technical implementation and usability. Accessibility is often associated with the concept of “Design for all”, which aims to design and implement solutions that take into account the needs of the widest possible range of users, depending on their use situations and environments.

What are the things to consider when it comes to accessibility?

The accessibility of the content can be improved by using clear general language, avoiding technical terms, and by structuring and titling the text into an easily understandable one. Images with important information should have alternative texts and videos should be subtitled.

From the interface and visual design point of view, the contrasts of colours and tones should be clear enough to make it easy for a visually impaired or colour-blind person to distinguish texts and links from the background. A clear font and a large enough size are also important for good readability.

Technical accessibility means, for example, that the website can be used with technical aids such as reading devices. In terms of the technical implementation of the website, one of the most important things is to ensure smooth navigation using the keyboard tab.

The online service developer may have limited knowledge of the needs of specific groups. To assess and test accessibility, it is therefore worth using real users of the site. Using the expertise of specific groups will undoubtedly bring added value to the development of websites.

Case Sytyke

Here at MeKiwi, we have studied accessibility criteria and practical implementation based on the needs of several customers. In June, we completed our latest website project, where accessibility was one of the key criteria for the client. Sytyke ry, under the umbrella of the Organisation for Respiratory Health in Finland, launched a new accessible website, which we designed and implemented.

Sytyke’s customers consists mainly of young adults who have difficulties in managing their lives and face challenges in entering the workforce for various reasons.

The project started with a thorough groundwork, which took into account the needs of the user groups and the basic criteria for accessibility, from the technical implementation, content design and visualisation point of view.

They wanted the site to look fresh, youthful and easily accessible. The images chosen are clear and fit the world of a young adult. The colours used on the website were carefully selected from the Sytyke brand book. Strong colours were chosen for the buttons and texts to make them stand out from the background. The backgrounds of the text areas were kept light in tone and monochrome to maintain good readability and clarity.

The content was divided into easy-to-understand paragraphs, making it easy to find the information you need. The texts were kept as clear and easy to understand as possible, and the amount of text was also reduced, focusing only on the essentials. The end result of the development process was a young, fresh and easy-to-use website.

Sytyke also wanted to test the new pages with visually impaired users to get real feedback on accessibility. User feedback was very positive and visually impaired people rated the level of accessibility and overall user experience as very good.

Check Sytyke’s new website here.

EU Accessibility Directive (2016/2102) in a nutshell:

  • The Accessibility Directive applies to online and mobile services in public administrations. This includes municipalities, schools and government agencies.
  • Water, energy, transport and postal services are also covered. It also applies to institutions that receive government support for online services.
  • Websites published after 23.9.2018 must comply with accessibility requirements by 23.9.2019.
  • Mobile apps must be compliant with accessibility requirements by 23.6.2021.