Accessibility and Usability

The Need for Accessibility

Accessibility in a website to some companies is not important.  We believe it is important to everyone who wants a website.   The reasons for accessibility are many but repeatedly we see websites that do not meet even the minimum requirements as stated by law.  We also see our competitors who talk about accessibility on their websites but fail even the simplest of tests on their sites.  Kiswebs believe in the principles of web accessibility and we implement the guidelines to the best of our ability.

The minimum requirements that are required by law are that the site must meet Priority 1 of the W3C guidelines.  We ensure our sites reach Priority 1 and we aim to meet Priority 2 guidelines as much as we possibly can. This is one of our many goals when we begin each web design project.

Here are some of the reasons to have an accessible website.

• It increases your customer base by making it easier for those with disabilities such as poor eyesight, blind, colour-blindness or coordination issues to access your site.  As many as 10% have eye problems so it is a large proportion of the market.
• To give access to those using smaller hand held devices
• Validation of the site makes sure the site displays properly in every browser also ensures a larger and more satisfied customer base.
• Making is simpler to navigate the site ensures that the visitors to your site stay on your site to make a purchase
• It is the right thing to do as it ensures that the greatest amount of people can access your site.

When we build our sites we provide a low graphics version so that those people who want to view it on a text-based browser or on any hand held device can do so with ease.  We can also provide a widget that increases or decreases the size of the text dependent upon the visitors needs.  This means the system is flexible enough for most situations.

The Need for Usability

Usability is just as important as accessibility when it comes to website design.  It is important that the website is easy to navigate so that you know where you are when you are on any page.  There are similar advantages for website usability as there are for accessibility when it increases the numbers of people who can use the site and access all the relevant information.  Also if a site is usable then there will be fewer people contacting you because visitors are able to find the specific information they were looking to find.

In the end, the focus for website design should always be the user and Kiswebs always keep this in mind when developing our websites.

Kiswebs.net Validation of HTML

Kiswebs strive to make all their website as accessible as we can.  Our site meets the following criteria

1. The HTML code of this site validates to the relevant Document Type (W3C) and is created using current recommended standards.
2. This site uses CSS for all design elements such as colour, borders etc.
3. This HTML code is well-structured and should be visible in any browser that cannot display images and visual styles.
4. A disable CSS link is provided for browsers such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) or for browsers that cannot disable the site design
5. All pages on this site meet all WAI Guidelines at Priority Level 1 and Priority Level 2.
6. Access keys are not used on this site for the following reasons;
   * they are not widely supported in modern browsers
   * there are no current standard access keys which may confuse users
   * they may cause problems with shortcut keys in certain operating systems.
   

Navigation

1. Skip navigation links are provided for screen readers to navigate to the main content of the page.
2. Links are written in such a way that will help you understand what the possible content of the page the link leads to will be.
3. All links will open in the same browser window except those stated below;
   * links that navigate outside of the current website
   * file download links such as Adobe PDF documents and Microsoft Word documents.
   

Content

The size of any text on this site can be made larger or smaller as this site uses relative-sizing. Text size can usually be accessed from the View menu in your browser.

Browser compatibility

This website has been tested with the following browsers:

• Mozilla Firefox (version 1.5.4, 3.0.3 on PC)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer (versions 5.01, 5.5, 6.02, 7 on PC)
• Netscape Navigator (version 8 on PC)
• Opera (version 8.54, 9.63, on PC)

Comments or feedback for the Developers

Kiswebs are continually striving to create websites that meet best practice and comply with all relevant guidelines and laws. If you encounter any issues while using the site, please contact us by the online contact form or by phone on 0141 248 4218.