Learn. Show. Repeat.

25 Nov

My approach to accessibility

Accessibility is multifaceted – it’s about people and their needs; it’s about removing barriers; and it’s also about the role we all play in making the world a more accessible place. Recently, I watched a recording of Greg Alchin’s presentation Ubiquitous Accessibility, at A11y Camp 2024. Greg works for Service New South Wales (NSW), which is a State Government agency that serves as a one-stop shop for locating various government services. Early in his talk, he said a phrase that he wanted all the audience to learn – “Every customer can” That small phrase really resonated with me because as...
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08 Sep

Shift-left accessibility

Posted by Matt Guyan | Accessibility |

The concept of "shift-left" in the context of accessibility refers to the practice of integrating accessibility considerations early and regularly in the product development lifecycle, rather than addressing them at the end of the process. This approach aims to identify and resolve accessibility issues as early as possible, which can lead to more inclusive and user-friendly products, as well as cost savings and improved efficiency. Examples of shift-left accessibility Planning phase Define accessibility goals and requirements. Include accessibility criteria in documentation. Allow time in the development phase for accessibility requirements. Design phase Consider how keyboard navigation will flow through your...
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22 Jul

More than looks: Using proper headings

Posted by Matt Guyan | Accessibility |

Headings on webpages and in documents help to organise the content that follows. Using proper heading tags is necessary for both accessibility and the overall structure of your content. Why use proper headings? Here are some important reasons why proper headings are better than text that is styled to look like a heading: Provides a clear hierarchy for content Using heading levels establish a clear hierarchy of information, making it easier for all users to understand the structure of your content. For example: <h1> is typically used for the main title of the page. <h2> is for major sections. <h3>...
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12 Jul

‘Click here’ is not enough

Posted by Matt Guyan | Accessibility |

Within digital content, hyperlinks (links) are often used to guide users to additional information or resources. Links have two parts: the text used for the link, and the webpage or resource it leads to. The way the link text is written and displayed can cause barriers for some people. Examples such as ‘Click here’ or ‘Read more’ are not helpful especially when there are a lot of them on a page. To improve accessibility, it is important that link text is descriptive. Accessible link text benefits all users when well they are clear and well-written. Descriptive link text for accessibility...
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04 Jul

Colour contrast matters

Posted by Matt Guyan | Accessibility |

Contrast is the difference in the perceived brightness between two colours. In the context of digital content, this is the difference between the text colour (also the colour of buttons, links, form fields) and the background colour. A contrast ratio is how the difference in brightness is measured. The ratios range from 1:1 (both colours are the same) to 21:1 (black text on a white background or vice versa). A higher ratio means there is more difference between the colours. If the ratio is too low, the colours are too similar and may blend together for some people. Here are...
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Learn. Show. Repeat.

My approach to accessibility

Shift-left accessibility

More than looks: Using proper headings

‘Click here’ is not enough

Colour contrast matters

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