Whether you’re working, shopping, buying/selling stocks, or filing for taxes, chances are you’re going to be interacting with a website or a web app at some point to get the job done.
Since everyone uses websites, portals, and apps, professionals working at the backend need to make sure their content is accessible, navigable, and inclusive for everyone, including users with visual impairments or other disabilities.
This is why designers and developers are under the pump to ensure their websites, online apps, and software offer accessibility and inclusivity to every user, including those with disabilities.
This is where ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) holds significance, helping professionals enhance web accessibility standards. In this post, you’ll learn the basics of ARIA accessibility and how to implement it to improve overall user experience.
ARIA Accessibility for Enhanced User Experience
ARIA is a comprehensive suite of attributes defined by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). These attributes help developers create accessible web content and applications for all users, including those needing assistive technologies like screen readers.
So, does this mean ARIA changes the behavior or appearance of the elements? No, it doesn’t.
ARIA accessibility attributes offer additional information to screen readers and other assistive technologies, ensuring:
- Better understanding of the content
- Faster and smoother navigation
- Enhanced user experience
Why ARIA Accessibility Matters
Suppose you have a dynamic website built with JavaScript. While this object-oriented language is popular in creating interactive effects, it often hinders screen readers from extracting all the information available on your web pages.
The reason is that traditional HTML elements on your site might not convey sufficient information to the screen readers, resulting in poor user experience. This is where you need ARIA to bridge the gap.
ARIA covers almost all the interactive elements used on websites and web apps, offering attributes that clarify their roles, states, and properties.
Adherence to Web Accessibility Standards
Countries around the world have legal requirements pertaining to web accessibility. For example, the Department of Justice (DOJ), US, has made website accessibility obligatory for all local and public businesses across the United States.
By incorporating ARIA into your website or application, you can ensure adherence to web accessibility standards such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
Inclusivity
ARIA aids designers and developers in creating user-friendly applications and tools. It ensures that users relying on assistive technologies can interact with web applications as seamlessly as possible.
SEO and Ranking
Better accessibility may lead to better ranking, although it’s not a specific factor. Tools like ARIA don’t just aid screen readers or other assistive technologies in deciphering the information on your website.
ARIA accessibility means that most of the interactive elements across your website are properly labeled and described. This will help search engine algorithms in finding your content much faster. As a result, your website will have a better chance of being featured in searches.
Enhanced User Experience
By following ARIA accessibility guidelines, they can create websites and content that everyone can benefit from.
Key ARIA Attributes and Their Usage
Screen readers are essential tools for users with visual impairments, and ARIA attributes significantly enhance their functionality. When implemented correctly, ARIA ensures that screen readers can:
- Interpret roles and states effectively.
- Provide clear and concise information about the structure and functionality of web components.
For example, in a navigation menu, ARIA can inform screen readers which items are expandable or currently selected, enabling a smoother user experience.
ARIA attributes are divided into the following fundamental categories, including:
1. Roles
Roles define the purpose of an element on a webpage. This way, assistive technologies can understand the function of that element.
For example:
- role=”button”: Specifies that an element behaves as a button.
- role=”dialog”: Identifies a dialog box.
ARIA roles are further categorized into the following:
- Abstract Roles: These roles are used for ontology, meaning they do not receive input. Therefore, they must not be used in the content. Examples include command, composite, select, roletype, etc.
- Widget Roles: These roles act as standalone user interface widgets. Roles such as button, checkbox, link, radio, combobox, listbox, menuitem, searchbox, etc., come under this category.
- Document Structure Roles: These roles are not usually interactive but are used to organize content in a webpage. Examples include application, directory, article, document, definition, etc.
- Landmark Roles: These roles are different on-page regions that serve as navigation landmarks. They help make the navigation process smoother for the users. For instance, banner, form, contentinfo, region, and complementary are landmark roles.
- Live Region Roles: Live regions inform assistive technologies about updates in content without requiring a page refresh. Examples include alert, log, status, timer, etc.
- Window Roles: Roles like alertdialog and dialogact as windows within the app or browser.
2. States and Properties
States and properties provide dynamic updates about the status of an element. Each of them provides specific information about the element (in the form of updates).
States and properties help Assistive technologies understand the nature of roles easily.
Examples include:
- aria-expanded: Indicates whether a collapsible element is expanded or collapsed.
- aria–hidden: Specifies if an element is visible or hidden from assistive technologies.
7 Best Practices for Implementing ARIA Accessibility
While implementing ARIA accessibility on your website, your focus should be on meeting and maintaining the web accessibility standards.
During this phase, you might come across elements that may not need changes or vice versa. Also, keep in mind that your platform or website is going to be accessed by a diverse range of people using different devices.
The key here is to keep your eyes open because if you overdo it or make changes that don’t matter, you might end up wasting your time or decreasing your overall web accessibility score.
To help you get there safely, you might want to check out our tried and tested practices for incorporating ARIA accessibility listed below:
1. Use Native HTML Elements First
Pay close attention to the native HTML elements because these are inherently accessible. This means they don’t need additional ARIA roles or properties, as they can support assistive technologies by default.
If you change these elements, you might end up worsening the code’s performance.
For instance, use <button> instead of a div styled as a button.
3. Double-check ARIA Syntax
Keep in mind that ARIA roles are written in lowercase — and there’s a reason for that.
In general, browsers, screen readers, and other assistive devices can understand ARIA roles only in lowercase. They may not interpret uppercase letters.
4. Ensure Proper Labeling
Every interactive element should have a descriptive label that conveys its purpose. You’ll come across two types of elements:
- Ones that require proper labeling,
- Others that already convey their purpose through text or HTML attributes
So, be very careful while labeling elements. For labeling, use attributes like aria-label or aria-labelledby.
5. Use ARIA for Dynamic Content
For web applications with dynamic content, ARIA attributes like aria-live ensure that changes are announced appropriately. This is particularly useful for notifications, form validations, and chat applications.
6. Provide Keyboard Accessibility
Ensure all interactive elements are navigable and operable via the keyboard. ARIA attributes like aria-activedescendant can assist in managing focus within components such as dropdowns or menus.
7. Use Alerts
Use alerts to present information in a way that doesn’t disturb the layout. For example, reserve space in a form for a statement about the user input and only fill in the error explanation if the user has input invalid data.
Pro Tips to Get Optimal Results
- Do not overuse. ARIA is undoubtedly a powerful tool. But it can lead to confusion and accessibility issues if you overuse it. Apply attributes only where necessary.
- Incorporate accessibility testing throughout the development process. Use tools such as Accessibility Spark, Axe, Lighthouse, and NVDA to identify potential issues.
- Ensure compatibility with popular screen readers. Screen readers such as VoiceOver, JAWS, and NVDA are widely used. Make sure that each of them interprets your application and content accurately.
- Provide clear documentation. Keep your development team informed about the attributes used (or to be used) and their exact locations. A clear document will help them maintain consistency and incorporate future updates accurately.
- Ensure compliance with Web accessibility standards. Ensure that you used roles, states, and properties appropriately to meet various levels of accessibility.
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All you need to do is fill in your details and have your site analyzed by professionals for free!
ARIA Implementation Mistakes
- Misusing Roles: Assigning incorrect roles can mislead assistive technologies and confuse users.
- Forgetting to Update States: If an element’s state changes (e.g., a menu is expanded), ensure the corresponding ARIA attribute reflects this change.
- Neglecting Testing: Relying solely on visual inspection without testing with screen readers and other assistive tools can result in missed accessibility issues.
Conclusion
Achieving ARIA accessibility is all about implementing attributes smartly. You can follow the above-mentioned best practices, ensuring that your website or application is aligned with the WCAG standards.
If you’re facing problems meeting these standards, you can collaborate with experts at Accessibility Spark.
The platform offers automated accessibility testing, identifying areas of weakness and suggesting improvements according to the WCAG standards.
This will allow you to address accessibility issues more efficiently, lifting your website score effortlessly.