WEB ACCESSIBILITY
Many Internet users with disabilities find web sites difficult or even impossible to use simply because of the way they are designed. At KTG Designs we are working hard to provide access to information that is available to all our customers, and this goes for the website, too.
We are aware of the types of adaptive technology used by people with disabilities and are continuously striving to ensure compatibility across our entire portfolio with as many of these systems as possible. Changes include keeping text clear, formatting layouts and tables, and making sure links adequately describe where they go ('click here' does not mean much in isolation).
Our websites are designed to meet the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Content Accessibility Guidelines set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and we aim, wherever possible, to ensure we conform to 'Double-A' standards. The Checklist of Checkpoints for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 is utilised to ensure our websites adhere to industry standards.
OUR ACCESSIBILITY GUILDLINES:
• Make sure your text is legible. Check the size, color, and font of all text within your site to confirm that it can be easily read. Be especially careful of dark or fancy backgrounds that make text hard to read (if used, make sure there is a high contrast of colour).
• Make sure your site is platform independent. Your site should be viewable on both Mac and Windows machines using either of the most commonly available browsers, Netscape and Explorer.
• Consider the needs of your viewers. Think about the bandwidth your site will require. Keep in mind that not all users will have the luxury of an ethernet connection. Minimize the memory requirements of your site by compressing images and other large files. And make sure all your images have ALT-TEXT behind them. This makes the site accessible both to low-vision users and users with slow modems who have turned the images off.
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WEB DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Websites should be designed to meet the needs of the users. In the web design industry there are many benchmarks and defacto standards that “good” designers practice.
The basic design principles are:
1. Alignment
The position, arrangement and placement of items. Mixed alignments can give an unprofessional look.
2. Proximity
Distances between items. When items are close together on a web page they appear to have a relationship, they belong together. When they are far apart they don’t appear to be related to each other. This is referred to as the Gestalt Principal.
3. Repetition
When designing a website, certain elements should be repeated on each page. Each page should look like it belongs to the same web site. Often the Company Logo, Banner and Navigation will be repeated (in the same position) on every page in the website.
4. Contrast
Nothing attracts the eye and brain of the viewer like strong contract and distinctive patterns. By defining different elements on a page, they will stand out in contrast and create a focal point. Be it with text that is bigger and bolder, different colours, bright contrasts or pale contrasts, graphic size and position.
5. White Space
White space is also part of using effective contrast on a web page. It assists in the layout of the page and helps avoid overcrowding. Each web page should have adequate white space.
Usability and the utility, not just the visual design, determine the success or failure of a web-site. Since the visitor of the page is the only person who clicks the mouse and therefore decides everything, user-centric design has become a standard approach for successful and profit-oriented web design. After all, if users can’t use a feature, it might as well not exist.
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WEB STANDARDS
‘Web standards’ is a general term for the formal standards and other technical specifications that define and describe aspects of the World Wide Web.
When a web site or web page is described as complying with web standards, it usually means that the site or page has valid or nearly valid HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The HTML should also meet accessibility and semantic guidelines.
Standards are beneficial for a web site in terms of cost savings, ease of management and profitability.
Such standards include, but are not limited to:
• Markup Validity
• CSS Validity
• Accessibility
• Internationalisation
• Metadata Information
• HTTP, Network Information
• Spelling
• Compliance with clients company requirements (header, footer, author, date, logo)
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