Web-specific Universal Design Tips
Most web users are looking to accomplish a task. Whether it is finding out a sports score or finding instructions to fix their water heater, they want to find information easily get the job done. Keep the following points in mind when designing and writing for web users.
- Make key points in your material stick out so readers quickly skimming the page can access information they need.
- Avoid making pages so long that users have to scroll excessively to read everything. Excessive scrolling is not intuitive for some users, so keep the pages relatively short.
- Design built-in alternatives for text, audio, and video, giving users options for how they want to receive information.
- Keep important information across the top and down the left side of the web page. Eye-tracking studies show these are the most common places readers look for information.
- Avoid distracting images, ads, and animations if possible. Especially for older users, these items interfere with navigation around the site.
- Keep navigation simple, intuitive, and usable.
