Question
Find Areas of Improvement
For this activity, choose an existing website online to analyze for accessibility.
First, we need to identify the areas of a website that might be difficult to navigate for those who have disabilities or impairments that would limit them from using the site through traditional methods.
For example, consider attempting to visit and navigate a website in the following manner:
Using only a keyboard with no mouse (impairment of fine motor skills)
Without viewing the screen (visual impairment)
In a new document, identify AT LEAST THREE areas of potential improvement. These can be related to navigation, consuming content, or otherwise accessing/using the website or app.
For this activity, choose an existing website online to analyze for accessibility.
First, we need to identify the areas of a website that might be difficult to navigate for those who have disabilities or impairments that would limit them from using the site through traditional methods.
For example, consider attempting to visit and navigate a website in the following manner:
Using only a keyboard with no mouse (impairment of fine motor skills)
Without viewing the screen (visual impairment)
In a new document, identify AT LEAST THREE areas of potential improvement. These can be related to navigation, consuming content, or otherwise accessing/using the website or app.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
### Website Accessibility Analysis
**Website Chosen**: [example-website.com](#) (Please replace with an actual website for a real analysis)
#### Area 1: Keyboard Navigation
**Current Issue**: Many interactive elements, such as buttons and links, are not accessible via keyboard alone. Users with fine motor skills impairments may find it challenging to navigate through the site without a mouse.
**Potential Improvements**:
- Ensure that all interactive elements are reachable using the keyboard Tab key, and that a visible focus indicator is provided (e.g., changing the color or style of the element when focused).
- Implement logical heading structures using HTML heading tags (H1, H2, etc.) to facilitate easier navigation through keyboard shortcuts, such as using screen reader commands for jumping between headings.
#### Area 2: Alt Text for Images
**Current Issue**: Images on the site lack descriptive alt text. Users with visual impairments relying on screen readers cannot understand the content conveyed by images.
**Potential Improvements**:
- Provide meaningful alt text for all images, describing their purpose and function in the context of the content. For purely decorative images, use an empty alt attribute (`alt=""`) to ensure that screen readers skip them.
- Use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles to describe non-text content such as graphs or charts, ensuring the information is conveyed appropriately.
#### Area 3: Color Contrast and Text Resizing
**Current Issue**: The website uses a color palette that does not meet W3C AA standards for color contrast, making it difficult for users with low vision or color blindness to read text comfortably. The text may also be fixed in size, restricting those who need larger text for legibility.
**Potential Improvements**:
- Modify the website’s color scheme to ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors (minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for standard text, 3:1 for large text).
- Implement responsive CSS to allow for adjustable text sizes (preferably using relative units such as `em` or `rem`) and ensure that the website scales well for different screen sizes through flexible layouts.
### Conclusion
Ensuring that a website is accessible not only improves the experience for individuals with disabilities but can also enhance usability for all users. Implementing these suggested improvements can significantly make the site more inclusive and user-friendly.
**Website Chosen**: [example-website.com](#) (Please replace with an actual website for a real analysis)
#### Area 1: Keyboard Navigation
**Current Issue**: Many interactive elements, such as buttons and links, are not accessible via keyboard alone. Users with fine motor skills impairments may find it challenging to navigate through the site without a mouse.
**Potential Improvements**:
- Ensure that all interactive elements are reachable using the keyboard Tab key, and that a visible focus indicator is provided (e.g., changing the color or style of the element when focused).
- Implement logical heading structures using HTML heading tags (H1, H2, etc.) to facilitate easier navigation through keyboard shortcuts, such as using screen reader commands for jumping between headings.
#### Area 2: Alt Text for Images
**Current Issue**: Images on the site lack descriptive alt text. Users with visual impairments relying on screen readers cannot understand the content conveyed by images.
**Potential Improvements**:
- Provide meaningful alt text for all images, describing their purpose and function in the context of the content. For purely decorative images, use an empty alt attribute (`alt=""`) to ensure that screen readers skip them.
- Use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles to describe non-text content such as graphs or charts, ensuring the information is conveyed appropriately.
#### Area 3: Color Contrast and Text Resizing
**Current Issue**: The website uses a color palette that does not meet W3C AA standards for color contrast, making it difficult for users with low vision or color blindness to read text comfortably. The text may also be fixed in size, restricting those who need larger text for legibility.
**Potential Improvements**:
- Modify the website’s color scheme to ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors (minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for standard text, 3:1 for large text).
- Implement responsive CSS to allow for adjustable text sizes (preferably using relative units such as `em` or `rem`) and ensure that the website scales well for different screen sizes through flexible layouts.
### Conclusion
Ensuring that a website is accessible not only improves the experience for individuals with disabilities but can also enhance usability for all users. Implementing these suggested improvements can significantly make the site more inclusive and user-friendly.