In today's digital age, a crucial aspect of any digital application is the conversation it facilitates between customers and the product. However, any disruption or inefficiency in this dialogue can negatively impact the customer experience. Since we predominantly communicate information through written words, it is essential to ensure that these words work for everyone.
Team KPIs
To guarantee your organization's success, it's vital that your team makes specific commitments. This entails identifying and addressing obstacles that hinder content strategists from creating inclusive experiences for all users.
Core Responsibilities and Assistive Technology Basics
While these are fundamental competencies for content designers, they are indispensable for ensuring accessibility. Everyone on the team should comprehend the basic reasons why accessibility is imperative, even if they possess varying levels of technical expertise.
Accessibility Target Policies
At a minimum, every team should understand that accessibility targets exist, are defined by enterprise policies, and are enforced by leadership. Embracing these policies not only ensures a level of compliance but can also lead to remarkable product improvements when driven by a commitment to serving the customer.
Living Your Organization’s Values
Accessibility isn't just the ethical thing to do; it's also the smartest. Every organization holds values, typically centered on treating people with respect and doing what's right. It's essential to evaluate how accessibility aligns with these values and how neglecting it can breach them.
A Tool for Innovation
Designing and developing accessible products benefits everyone, fostering innovation. When teams prioritize accessibility from the outset, they create more valuable products for the enterprise.
Competitive Advantage
A staggering 26% of the US population requires accommodations for disabilities, making people with disabilities the country's largest minority, wielding significant purchasing power.
Avoiding Legal Risk
Accessibility isn't just a good practice; it's the law. Incorporating accessibility into your products also safeguards the enterprise against legal risks and liabilities stemming from customer complaints.
Write with Logical Headings
Content strategists play a pivotal role in crafting effective heading structures. This isn't merely about making text larger and bolder; headings should convey meaning and form a clear outline of the page. Each page should start with a single <h1> for its meaningful title, followed by <h2> for major sections and <h3> for subsections. Rarely should you go beyond <h4>, or <h5> for exceedingly long or complex pages.
Use Plain Language
Not everyone comprehends content the same way, so prioritize clarity over cleverness in your style guides. Plain language ensures that content is easily consumable and understandable for all users. Avoid idioms and jokes, as these can be especially challenging for non-native English speakers. Additionally, refrain from using technical jargon when simpler explanations suffice.
Follow Alt Text Conventions
Alt text is vital for screen readers, but it should be precise. Each image or icon should have alt text, unless it's repetitive. Define alt text when the image contributes editorial meaning to the page, allowing those who can't see the screen to understand its content. However, leave the alt attribute empty for icons that lack meaning or would be repetitive.
The Art of Alt Text
Defining a consistent voice for writing alt text is more art than science. Deciding when to mention characteristics like gender, race, or sexual orientation can be complex.
Practical Examples
- Describe a banner image of a model using your product.
- Explain an image of your product in a specific color or configuration.
- Avoid describing a generic shoe icon next to a headline that says "Shoes."
Use Aria-Label for Unclear Interactions
Aria-label adds context for customers using screen readers, helping them understand ambiguous links, buttons, and inputs.
Assistive Technology Basics
Content strategists should be proficient in using a keyboard and screen reader. This includes navigating a page using only the keyboard, using screen reader shortcuts to identify headings, and naming