Inclusivity is big on the agenda when it comes to websites. Here’s what you need to know.
The Challenges with Inclusivity
Although 20% of British people are disabled, only 1% of websites meet accessibility standards, from Shopify web design to WordPress blogs. So this means one in five website users struggles to use the internet fully, causing isolation and anxiety and limiting the ability to live an independent life.
Luckily, there are things that web designers can do to improve accessibility quickly.
How to Build Inclusive Design Principles into Your Website
Firstly, choose a template or Shopify web design flagged as inclusive. Ask the question if you can’t see a clearly inclusive Shopify web design.
Next, read through the accessibility guidelines issued by the WCAG. A good web design agency should know these guidelines. Use tools like the Recite Me Accessibility checker to audit your site and recommend improvements to make it compliant.
Consider doing user testing too with a group of people with disabilities to see if your site actually works for their needs in a live situation. Sometimes automated tools fail to pick up smaller issues.
In terms of design, make your website as universally accessible as possible. Consider a simple website structure, a readable font and a clear header structure that a screen reader can read. Consider search and navigation, and add descriptive names to all hyperlinks.
Create inclusive forms and write your text clearly and simply for dyslexic readers. These steps will all help improve accessibility and make your site valuable to all users.
