Do you know that around 61 million US adults live with a disability, according to the US disability stats? A vast majority of them use the internet, but they can’t access websites that are non-compliant with the W3C web content accessibility guidelines.
W3C guidelines have become a global standard for supporting the disabled community. Authorities ensure that technology must be available for all users despite their disabilities.
If you want to learn more, this article discusses four W3C principles you must implement to your website. So let’s get started.
Also read: What is the Purpose of Accessibility for Shopify Stores
4 Guiding W3C Principles of Website Accessibility
The four principles of W3C web content accessibility are known as POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Here’s a detailed overview of these principles:
1. Perceivable
Perceivable is the first web accessibility principle that refers to users identifying elements with their senses. In most cases, the visual sense determines perceivability, ensuring that a website is accessible to the users.
Visually impaired users can also test perceivability by the sense of touch or hearing. This principle includes the following things:
- Text Alternative. Provide alternative text to non-text content for disabled users. That might include symbols, speeches, braille, and large prints.
- Adaptable. The website must convert the content into different formats for different users without losing any information. That might include text translation or a simple web interface.
- Time-Based Media. The time-based media follows a specific timeline, and users might miss that slider or video. Therefore, the website must provide an alternative to that content, for example, pre-recorded audio of time-based media for every user.
- Distinguishable. Users should easily distinguish between the content from foreground to background in the visual interface and clear text-to-speech in the audible interface.
Example
If an online form has a field requiring numerical input, but the field’s label is not readable, how would a user perceive what to enter in that field? Therefore, you must display the field label to inform the user what to input.
3 Common Tips to Make Your Website Perceivable
Using an accessibility app, you can apply the following changes to your website to make it perceivable:
- Allow users to adjust the text size without breaking the page structure.
- Add captions in video content, including time-based media.
- Keep the contrast ratio 4.5:1 according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.
2. Operable
An operable website is accessible because it allows users to interact easily with the web content. Users should use website controls, buttons, sliders, and other elements for successful interaction.
Moreover, the disabled community must access your website with accessibility features like an on-screen keyboard and voice recognition. Here are a few things this principle include:
- Keyboard Accessibility. Your website must be fully operable from the keyboard. It will allow disabled users to control the web pages without any hindrance.
- Content Time. Some web content is temporarily available on websites. You must integrate the Shopify accessibility plug-in to give users enough time to read and comprehend the web content.
- Seizure. The web content must not have photosensitive content that might cause seizures. That includes flickering flashlights, fast animated GIFs, and SVGs.
- Navigation. Users must easily access the navigation panel to any web page they want.
Example
How can a user accessing your website via a keyboard find subpages if the navigation button doesn’t show any submenu? An accessible website must show a submenu by hovering the mouse over the navigation button.
Therefore, Accessibility Spark integrates operable accessibility and shows the submenu when a user focuses on the navigation button with a keyboard.
3 Common Tips to Make Your Website Operable
Have a look at the following Shopify accessibility tips for an operable website experience:
- Write clear page and subpage titles to ease the navigation for the users.
- Keep the web pages in sequence so users can easily navigate and reach wherever they want.
- Use features like “Breadcrumb Navigation” to help users go back or forward in a single web page series.
3. Understandable
Users who visit your website must comprehend how to use it. They must also learn every element that the accessibility app adds to your website. When you make your website fully understandable for the users, you achieve the understandable W3C content accessibility principle.
Besides, the understandability of the web content is not limited to only the text. That also includes the usage patterns and website design.
Making your website understandable using the Shopify accessibility guidelines boosts organic traffic. How? Users who have difficulty reading the web content or comprehending the website design don’t stay on your website.
A study showed that the first 10 -20 seconds a user spends on your website are critical. If the user understands the usage pattern, website design, and value proposition in those initial seconds, they might stay. Otherwise, that’s a customer loss.
Here is what this principle includes:
- Readable. The web content you upload on your website must be easily readable. That includes easy language (better if you localize your website), 12 pt and 16 px standard font size, and suitable color contrast.
- Predictable. Your website must be predictable for the users. Predictability helps users easily surf your website and spend more time gathering information than navigating. Moreover, a predictable website gives users a sense of reliability and safety.
- Input Assistance. Users make mistakes while using your website. The accessibility app adds input assistance which alerts users of their mistakes and helps them correct them.
Example
A website doesn’t inform users when they enter the wrong input in the email field due to incorrect format. That might trap the users in an endless loop. As a result, they will avoid coming back to your website again.
Therefore, users must get real-time input assistance whenever they make a mistake.
3 Common Tips to Make Your Website Understandable
Accessibility Spark suggests the following three tips to make your website accessible for all users:
- Keep the web design and content structure constant throughout your website. That makes users familiarize themselves with your website quickly and spend more time on it.
- Mention important notes and required information at different points on your website. Moreover, your website should display a warning pop-up before the users make a final decision. For example, while making a transaction.
- Allow users to translate web content into their understandable language if you haven’t localized your website.
4. Robust
The robustness of web content is essential for Shopify accessibility. But what does robustness mean in technology?
A robust system or website doesn’t stop working when its integrated components or applications fail. Additionally, robustness makes content interpretation easy for various users, including disabled communities.
They must choose technology based on their preference that is compatible with your website. For example, downloading online documents and multimedia using a third-party tool.
If your website has compatibility issues, you are not following the W3C content accessibility standards. Thus, the Robust principle includes:
- Compatibility. A robust website is compatible with other technologies, components, and features. Since more advanced tools are being developed to enhance Shopify accessibility, your website must be compatible with most of these tools.
Examples
Assume that browser A can’t run feature X of your website. Although browser A is efficient in other functions, users running your website on browser A will never find out about feature X.
So always use tools to check website accessibility on different browsers. These tools will identify potential issues, including compatibility.
Another example is web content inaccessibility due to operating systems’ differences. Users of a rarely used operating system (other than Windows and Mac) might not access your website content due to different OS.
You can get help from an accessibility app to run OS compatibility tests. That platform runs different tests using a virtual environment, allowing the testers to work in different operating systems.
3 Common Tips to Make Your Website Robust
You can make your website robust according to the W3C web content accessibility guidelines by:
- Making your website compatible with the latest assistive technologies
- Maximizing your website’s compatibility with user agents
- Keeping the code optimized following the accessibility standards
4 Steps to Make Your Web Content Accessible
Making web content accessible is a long process. It requires time to completely implement the Shopify accessibility principles. However, you can easily make the web content accessible if you follow the right steps.
Here are 4 steps:
1. Audit Website Accessibility
Auditing your website is the only way to identify what areas need improvements according to the WCAG 2.1 standards. But manually auditing an entire website is a time-consuming process.
That’s why it’s better to use a web accessibility audit toolkit to automate the core activities and simplify the auditing process. That will save you time and money as you can focus on other business tasks.
2. Plan
The purpose of making a plan is to schedule all activities evenly. Therefore, prioritize which accessibility principle goes first and how much time each principle wants.
3. Train Your Technical Team
Invite W3C accessibility experts to train your technical team, especially web designers and developers.
4. Be Transparent
Embracing transparency ensures the priority of a task. So prioritize making a website accessible.
Final Words
Implementing the four W3C web content accessibility principles has become a global standard. Agencies that evaluate website accessibility might penalize you for not complying with the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Therefore, audit your website now and make it accessible to everyone.
You may also like: Best Options to Customize your Accessibility Spark App