Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites (WCAG 1.0) [OUTDATED]
W3C quick accessibility tips 1.0 Heuristics
1
-
01. Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
2
-
02. Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
-
02.02. Navigation Bar
[NAVBAR] Provide only minimal navigation at the top of the page.
-
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.
-
02.04. Navigation Mechanisms
[NAVIGATION] Provide consistent navigation mechanisms. [NAVIGATION] Provide consistent navigation mechanisms.
-
02.05. Access Keys
[ACCESS_KEYS] Assign access keys to links in navigational menus and frequently accessed functionality.
-
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. -
02.07. Image Maps
[IMAGE_MAPS] Do not use image maps unless you know the device supports them effectively.
-
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 -
02.09. Externally Linked Resources
[EXTERNAL_RESOURCES] Keep the number of externally linked resources to a minimum.
3
-
03. Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
-
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. -
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. -
03.03. Scrolling
[SCROLLING] Limit scrolling to one direction, unless secondary scrolling cannot be avoided.
-
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.
-
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. -
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. -
03.07. Background Images
[BACKGROUND_IMAGE_READABILITY] When using background images make sure that content remains readable on the device.
4
-
04. Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."
-
04.01. Title
[PAGE_TITLE] Provide a short but descriptive page title.
-
04.02. Frames
[NO_FRAMES] Do not use frames.
-
04.03. Structural Elements
[STRUCTURE] Use features of the markup language to indicate logical document structure.
-
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. -
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. -
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. -
04.07. Valid Markup
[VALID_MARKUP] Create documents that validate to published formal grammars.
-
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.
-
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 -
04.10. Minimize
[MINIMIZE] Use terse, efficient markup.
-
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. -
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. -
04.13. Error Messages
[ERROR_MESSAGES] Provide informative error messages and a means of navigating away from an error message back to useful information.
-
04.14. Cookies
[COOKIES] Do not rely on cookies being available.
-
04.15. Cache Headers
[CACHING] Provide caching information in HTTP responses.
-
04.16. Fonts
[FONTS] Do not rely on support of font related styling.
5
-
05. Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
-
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 -
05.02. Tab Order
[TAB_ORDER] Create a logical order through links, form controls and objects.
-
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.
6
-
06. Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
7
-
07. Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
8
-
08. Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
9
-
09. Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
10
-
10. Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG