Access by Design

In just over a decade, the Web has evolved from an experimental tool for a limited community of technically inclined people into a day-to-day necessity for millions upon millions of users. Today’s¿Web designers must consider not only the content needs of the sites they create, but also the wide range of additional needs their users may have: for example, those with physical or cognitive disabilities, those with slow modems or small screens, and those with limited education or familiarity with the Web. Bestselling author Sarah Horton argues that simply meeting the official standards and guidelines for Web accessibility is not enough. Her goal is universal usability, and in Access by Design: A Guide to Universal Usability for Web Designers, Sarah describes a design methodology¿ that addresses accessibility requirements but then goes beyond. As a result, designers learn how to optimize page designs to work more effectively for more users, disabled or not. Working through each of the main functional features of Web sites, she provides clear principles for using HTML and CSS to deal with elements such as text, forms, images, and tables, illustrating each with an example drawn from the real world. Through these guidelines, Sarah makes a convincing case that good design principles benefit all users of the Web. In this book you will find: Clear principles for using HTML and CSS to design functional and accessible Web sites Best practices for each of the main elements of Web pages—text, forms, images, tables, frames, links, interactivity, and page layout Seasoned advice for using style sheets that provide flexibility to both designer and user without compromising usability Illustrations of actual Web sites, from which designers can model their own pages Instructions for providing keyboard accessibility, flexible layouts, and user-controlled environments Practical tips on markup, and resources