Part 2: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

In my last post, I introduced the topic of web accessibility in relation to how we create, edit, and display policy for digital consumption. Regardless of how your institution chooses to display its policies online—whether by PDF, HTML (web layout), Word document, etc.—the content within needs to be presented in a way that conforms to accessibility standards to ensure that all users have equal access to its information. In this article, I’ll dive a little deeper into the basics of web accessibility by discussing some of the most common mistakes users make when creating web content or documents intended for web display.

The following is a summary of the three most common accessibility mistakes I see in institutional policy documents and web content: styles, links, and tables. For each item, I'll include examples of common mistakes and the rationale behind the corrections, to help you better understand the standard as it pertains to policy administration. However, this list is by no means a comprehensive guide to full accessibility compliance. For the full list of accessibility standards, you should refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.

Mistake 1: Incorrect Use of Styles

Using heading and paragraph styles incorrectly (or not at all) is perhaps the most common mistake I see when viewing digital content and documents. In a future post, I plan to delve deeper into how to best utilize styles in your document templates to quickly and effortlessly generate fully accessible documents, but for now, I’ll just cover the basics: If you're not using styles in your documents, you should be; and if you are using styles, make sure you're using them correctly.

Proper utilization of text styles (heading, paragraph, emphasis, etc.) is critical for accessible content. Screen readers have to be given instructions to know which content is most important and how it should be organized. When you use styles, you provide screen readers with this information and help visually impaired users navigate through your content more quickly. Using custom formatting in documents without styles (manually changing color, size, font, etc.) causes screen readers to read out cumbersome formatting text to their users, interrupting the flow of information. Using styles incorrectly (usually due to a preference in design over the correct style) causes confusion when screen readers improperly organize the document accordingly.

To avoid this mistake, use descriptive heading and paragraph styles (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, Paragraph, etc.) to designate content organization and hierarchy. Select an appropriate style based on its descriptive name and the content it is defining rather than on its appearance, and don’t skip levels (e.g., using Heading 1 then Heading 3). Styles can always be edited to suit aesthetic preferences or institutional standards.

Mistake 2: The Ambiguous Link

Another accessibility error I see often is non-descriptive link text, or the absence of link text entirely. Hyperlinks should contain a short description of where they are leading, not just “Click here” or the URL of the webpage.

To avoid this mistake, use descriptive link text to provide added context. See the links in my opening paragraphs above for examples of descriptive and relevant hyperlink text. Link text that describes what you are linking to helps readers scan and anticipate where they will go when clicking a link. Link text like “Click here” provides little context to where the link is actually going.

Mistake 3: The Misappropriated Table

This mistake, I am ashamed to admit, is one that my own institution had been unknowingly and egregiously committing in our policy templates and documents for years: using tables as a way to format and control design elements, rather than as a way to logically organize and present tabular information. Complex or misused tables can be difficult for readers to follow and comprehend, especially for screen reader users who have to remember the headers.

To avoid this mistake, format and use simple tables with column and row headers. Split up nested tables into simple tables, and don’t use tables to control design elements or layout. Check to ensure content can be tabbed through in proper reading order and provide alt text for all tables and images.

Other Considerations

Accessibility standards in web content are fairly new phenomena and are constantly evolving to meet the needs of new technologies and diverse groups and individuals. Many higher education institutions and universities that have been around since far before the advent of the digital world, mine included, have been scrambling to bring decades of content up to current times.

This list contains just a few of the most common accessibility issues to watch out for as you create and edit documents for digital consumption. Have you noticed any of the above mistakes or others in your own institution's policies and documents? What are some of the most common accessibility issues your institution has faced?

For more information about web accessibility, see my previous post on the Policy Matters blog: An Introduction to Web Accessibility. For the most comprehensive and current guide on web accessibility, refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.