W3C quick accessibility tips 1.0 Heuristics

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  1. 01. Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.

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  1. 02. Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.

  2. 02.02. Navigation Bar

    [NAVBAR] Provide only minimal navigation at the top of the page.

  3. 02.03. Balanced Structure

    [BALANCE] Take into account the trade-off between having too many links on a page and asking the user to follow too many links to reach what they are looking for.

  4. 02.04. Navigation Mechanisms

    [NAVIGATION] Provide consistent navigation mechanisms. [NAVIGATION] Provide consistent navigation mechanisms.

  5. 02.05. Access Keys

    [ACCESS_KEYS] Assign access keys to links in navigational menus and frequently accessed functionality.

  6. 02.06. Link Target Identification

    [LINK_TARGET_ID] Clearly identify the target of each link.
    [LINK_TARGET_FORMAT] Note the target file's format unless you know the device supports it.

  7. 02.07. Image Maps

    [IMAGE_MAPS] Do not use image maps unless you know the device supports them effectively.

  8. 02.08. Refreshing, Redirection and Spawned Windows

    [POP_UPS] Do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user.
    [AUTO_REFRESH] Do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages, unless you have informed the user and provided a means of stopping

  9. 02.09. Externally Linked Resources

    [EXTERNAL_RESOURCES] Keep the number of externally linked resources to a minimum.

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  1. 03. Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.

  2. 03.01. Page Content

    [SUITABLE] Ensure that content is suitable for use in a mobile context.
    [CLARITY] Use clear and simple language.
    [LIMITED] Limit content to what the user has requested.

  3. 03.02. Page Size

    [PAGE_SIZE_USABLE] Divide pages into usable but limited size portions.
    [PAGE_SIZE_LIMIT] Ensure that the overall size of page is appropriate to the memory limitations of the device.

  4. 03.03. Scrolling

    [SCROLLING] Limit scrolling to one direction, unless secondary scrolling cannot be avoided.

  5. 03.04. Navigation Bars etc. (Extraneous material)

    [CENTRAL_MEANING] Ensure that material that is central to the meaning of the page precedes material that is not.

  6. 03.05. Graphics

    [GRAPHICS_FOR_SPACING] Do not use graphics for spacing.
    [LARGE_GRAPHICS] Do not use images that cannot be rendered by the device. Avoid large or high resolution images except where critical information would otherwise be lost.

  7. 03.06. Color

    [USE_OF_COLOR] Ensure that information conveyed with color is also available without color.
    [COLOR_CONTRAST] Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast.

  8. 03.07. Background Images

    [BACKGROUND_IMAGE_READABILITY] When using background images make sure that content remains readable on the device.

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  1. 04. Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."

  2. 04.01. Title

    [PAGE_TITLE] Provide a short but descriptive page title.

  3. 04.02. Frames

    [NO_FRAMES] Do not use frames.

  4. 04.03. Structural Elements

    [STRUCTURE] Use features of the markup language to indicate logical document structure.

  5. 04.04. Tables

    [TABLES_SUPPORT] Do not use tables unless the device is known to support them.
    [TABLES_NESTED] Do not use nested tables.
    [TABLES_LAYOUT] Do not use tables for layout.
    [TABLES_ALTERNATIVES] Where possible, use an alternative to tabular presentation.

  6. 04.05. Non-Text Items

    [NON-TEXT_ALTERNATIVES] Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element.
    [OBJECTS_OR_SCRIPT] Do not rely on embedded objects or script.

  7. 04.06. Image Size

    [IMAGES_SPECIFY_SIZE] Specify the size of images in markup, if they have an intrinsic size.
    [IMAGES_RESIZING] Resize images at the server, if they have an intrinsic size.

  8. 04.07. Valid Markup

    [VALID_MARKUP] Create documents that validate to published formal grammars.

  9. 04.08. Measures

    [MEASURES] Do not use pixel measures and do not use absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values.

  10. 04.09. Style Sheets

    [STYLE_SHEETS_USE] Use style sheets to control layout and presentation, unless the device is known not to support them.
    [STYLE_SHEETS_SUPPORT] Organize documents so that if necessary they may be read without style sheets.
    [STYLE_SHEETS_SIZE] Keep style sh

  11. 04.10. Minimize

    [MINIMIZE] Use terse, efficient markup.

  12. 04.11. Content Types

    [CONTENT_FORMAT_SUPPORT] Send content in a format that is known to be supported by the device.
    [CONTENT_FORMAT_PREFERRED] Where possible, send content in a preferred format.

  13. 04.12. Character Encoding

    [CHARACTER_ENCODING_SUPPORT] Ensure that content is encoded using a character encoding that is known to be supported by the device.
    [CHARACTER_ENCODING_USE] Indicate in the response the character encoding being used.

  14. 04.13. Error Messages

    [ERROR_MESSAGES] Provide informative error messages and a means of navigating away from an error message back to useful information.

  15. 04.14. Cookies

    [COOKIES] Do not rely on cookies being available.

  16. 04.15. Cache Headers

    [CACHING] Provide caching information in HTTP responses.

  17. 04.16. Fonts

    [FONTS] Do not rely on support of font related styling.

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  1. 05. Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.

  2. 05.01. Input

    [MINIMIZE_KEYSTROKES] Keep the number of keystrokes to a minimum.
    [AVOID_FREE_TEXT] Avoid free text entry where possible.
    [PROVIDE_DEFAULTS] Provide pre-selected default values where possible.
    [DEFAULT_INPUT_MODE] Specify a default text entry mode, langua

  3. 05.02. Tab Order

    [TAB_ORDER] Create a logical order through links, form controls and objects.

  4. 05.03. Labels for Form Controls

    [CONTROL_LABELLING] Label all form controls appropriately and explicitly associate labels with form controls.
    [CONTROL_POSITION] Position labels so they lay out properly in relation to the form controls they refer to.

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  1. 06. Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.

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  1. 07. Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.

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  1. 08. Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.

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  1. 09. Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.

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  1. 10. Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG