Talks
Speakers
Events
Topics
Sign in
Home
Talks
Speakers
Events
Topics
Leaderboard
Use
Analytics
Sign in
Suggest modification to this talk
Title
Description
Developer, are you (unconsciously) developing sites for users just like yourself? It often means a sighted mouse user with good fine motor skills and who is proficient with computers. But not every user is like that. Many projects have automated accessibility checkers, and that is a good start. However, they don’t catch most of the failures on accessibility. There are some fairly simple checks to ensure a better experience for your users, and from this talk, you’ll learn how to do them and, most importantly, why they are essential to do.
Date
Summarized using AI?
If this talk's summary was generated by AI, please check this box. A "Summarized using AI" badge will be displayed in the summary tab to indicate that the summary was generated using AI.
Show "Summarized using AI" badge on summary page
Summary
Markdown supported
### Don't Develop Just for Yourself: A Developer's Checklist to Accessibility In this insightful talk by Eeva-Jonna Panula at Euruko 2021, the focus is on the critical theme of web accessibility, particularly how developers often create websites primarily for users who are similar to themselves—typically sighted, computer-savvy individuals with good fine motor skills. This approach can unintentionally marginalize a vast diversity of users who interact with the web in various ways. Eeva emphasizes the gap in automated accessibility checkers, which, while useful, only catch a small percentage (15% to 50%) of accessibility issues. She encourages developers to complement automated tools with manual checks to improve website accessibility significantly. The talk includes key actionable recommendations for developers at all levels of their accessibility journey: - **Keyboard Navigation Testing**: Developers should navigate their sites using only a keyboard to identify potential usability issues. This practice reveals whether focus moves correctly between interactive elements and helps spot any gaps in functionality for keyboard-only users. - **Visible Focus Indicators**: The importance of maintaining visible focus indicators is highlighted. Developers often remove these with styles like 'outline: none;', which can leave keyboard users disoriented. Instead, enhancing focus indicators while preserving the browser's default settings is crucial. - **Use of Semantic HTML**: Eeva stresses the necessity of utilizing native HTML elements, e.g., using `<button>` instead of a `<div>` styled as a button, ensuring that all users can interact with web functionalities seamlessly. - **Avoiding Color-Only Information**: Relying solely on color to convey information can exclude users with color blindness or other visual impairments. Developers should incorporate text labels or shapes alongside colors to ensure clarity and access to information. - **Zoom Functionality on Mobile**: Ensuring that websites remain scalable and zoomable is essential for users with low vision. Eeva warns against disabling zooming in mobile designs, as it limits accessibility for many users. - **Multimedia Accessibility**: Captions for videos and transcripts for audio content are vital for those with hearing impairments. Eeva recommends checking for these features consistently in all multimedia elements. Throughout her presentation, Eeva uses practical examples, demonstrating potential issues and fixes during live navigation. She concludes with a strong call to action for developers to advocate for accessibility and incorporate these essential checks into their work. By becoming ambassadors for accessibility, developers can foster a more inclusive digital environment and raise awareness about its importance within their teams. ### Main Takeaways: - Accessibility checks should include manual interventions alongside automated audits. - All developers have a responsibility to ensure their websites are usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. - Simple practices, when implemented, can greatly enhance the accessibility of websites, making the web a better place for all users.
Suggest modifications
Cancel
