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Re: Best Tips?

for

From: Jared Smith
Date: Sep 16, 2010 11:57AM

There have been many excellent recommendations given. I always find
such "Top X" lists about accessibility interesting. They, as do most
of the recommendations given here, tend to focus on the issues that
have the most distinct impact on a specific audience. Alternative text
for images, for example, has a distinct impact on screen reader users
- but not a terribly big impact on about anyone else. Keyboard
accessibility is vitally important... for users that must use a
keyboard.

Not to minimize the importance of such things, I wonder if our lists
would change if we were instead to focus on the issues that have the
biggest impact on the *largest* number of users.

Having given this about 2 minutes of thought, mine would probably include:
- Provide relevant and useful content and functionality.
- Use standard web design and usability practices and patterns. Make
the page appealing and attractive to the user.
- Simplify.
- Use language appropriate to the audience.
- Use robust technologies that are compatible with the broadest array
of user agents.

... and things like that. In many ways, it doesn't matter how
technically accessible the content and functionality of a page is if
the user doesn't get anything useful or enjoyable from it.

Jared Smith
WebAIM