Category: Accessibility

Alt Text: Not Always Needed

Summary:  Write alt text that communicates an image’s purpose without repeating page content. Focus on meaning rather than visual description. Alt text (or alternative text) is metadata intended to help screen-reader users understand what an image is depicting. Most guidance for writing alt text describes how to make individual web-based images accessible and understandable for… Continue reading Alt Text: Not Always Needed

Digital accessibility needs for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations

Electric vehicles (EVs) are an increasingly common part of our lives, and based on current predictions, the number of EVs on the road is going to continue going up. This means demand for charging stations will keep rising as well. As with any new, human-centric technology, accessibility is an essential concern. Charging stations present a… Continue reading Digital accessibility needs for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations

Axe Reports 2.0: Make better data-driven accessibility decisions at scale

Successful digital accessibility programs run on great data. Without it, you can’t report on your progress or drive the right conversations around accessibility improvements with your stakeholders. That’s where axe Reports comes in. Available in the axe Platform, axe Reports is Deque’s enterprise-ready tool designed to help your organization track progress, pinpoint risks, and quickly… Continue reading Axe Reports 2.0: Make better data-driven accessibility decisions at scale

Technology Myths and Urban Legends

Summary:  When users don’t clearly understand how systems function, they develop unique (and often incorrect) theories to explain their experiences. In user research, we often hear people describe how they think technology works. Sometimes, those theories are accurate, but most often, they are not. Through the many user interviews, field studies, and user testing sessions… Continue reading Technology Myths and Urban Legends

Icon Usability: When and How to Evaluate Digital Icons

Summary:  Effective icons depend on recognizability and interpretation. Evaluate them with methods appropriate for your specific research questions Icon Usability Effective icons can increase usability by helping users understand and interpret available functionality. However, when poorly implemented, they harm usability and introduce confusion. In Digital Icons That Work, I emphasize the importance of two variables… Continue reading Icon Usability: When and How to Evaluate Digital Icons

Sneaking: The Deceptive UX Pattern You Never Saw Coming

Summary:  Sneaking is a deceptive practice that includes three main patterns: forced continuity, hidden costs, and sneak into basket. Deceptive patterns are often employed to boost business growth, but they come at the expense of transparency and customer trust. This article discusses three types of deceptive patterns that all fall under the umbrella of sneaking.… Continue reading Sneaking: The Deceptive UX Pattern You Never Saw Coming

The Road to Good Intentions Is Paved with Hell

This post is the second in a three-part series about how screen readers obtain what users need from applications and operating systems. Part 1 introduced accessibility APIs (application programming interfaces) and the accessibility tree. I’ll conclude the series with a discussion of the IAccessible2 API, which is key to how modern Windows-based screen readers communicate… Continue reading The Road to Good Intentions Is Paved with Hell

7 Tips for Successful Discoveries

Summary:  Discovery is challenging; it can be hard to know what to research, how to do discovery as a team, and how to get buy-in. Follow these 7 tips for smoother discovery efforts. Discovery is one of the most challenging parts of the design process because it’s filled with unknowns. The problem you want to… Continue reading 7 Tips for Successful Discoveries

Your Browser May Be Having a Secret Relationship with a Screen Reader

This is the final installment of my three-part saga on the technical details of how screen readers communicate with other software. Part 1 introduced accessibility APIs (application programming interfaces) and the accessibility tree, and Part 2 provided a history lesson of how screen readers learned to cope with graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Although I thought… Continue reading Your Browser May Be Having a Secret Relationship with a Screen Reader

Accessible Images For When They Matter Most

<div class=”logo”> <a href=”/” title=”Back to the homepage”> <picture> <source media=”(min-width: 1350px)” srcset=”…/images/logo-full.svg”> <img src=”…/images/logo/logo.svg” alt=”Smashing Magazine”> </picture> </a> </div> Hearing both the phrase “back to the homepage” and “Smashing Magazine” in one feature is OK since each phrase is unique and connected to a different purpose. For more complex alternative text phrases, conduct the… Continue reading Accessible Images For When They Matter Most

European Accessibility Act (EAA) – Kiosks, touch screens and physical devices

Issues I face personally I’ll begin with some personal experiences. I use a wheelchair, and face issues with reaching devices all the time. Here are some photos I’ve taken when grocery shopping! By the way, if you’re just looking for what the actual law says, skip ahead to What are the actual requirements? This is… Continue reading European Accessibility Act (EAA) – Kiosks, touch screens and physical devices

How to make interactive charts accessible

Interactive charts can transform data into compelling stories, offering valuable insights at a glance. But what happens when these visual tools are inaccessible to those with visual impairments? In this post, we’ll show you how to ensure your interactive charts are accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities. Before digging deeper, let’s establish what… Continue reading How to make interactive charts accessible

UX Conference December Announced (Dec 7 – Dec 13)

  How will the Virtual Event work? Meetings will take place using the video conferencing tool Zoom, collaboration tools (such as group document editing and whiteboarding tools), and the social discussion tool Slack. You’ll also be able to use Slack before, during, and after the event to participate in social events and network with other… Continue reading UX Conference December Announced (Dec 7 – Dec 13)

School to Prison Pipeline is Still Very Real – and Impacts Hundreds of Thousands of Disabled Students

According to the NCD (National Council on Disability) Report Issued on School-to-Prison Pipeline, 85% of incarcerated youth have learning and/or emotional disabilities. As a result, these kids leave school in far higher numbers than their non-disabled peers and are at far greater risk of incarceration. The heartbreak of so much unrealized human potential is tragic… Continue reading School to Prison Pipeline is Still Very Real – and Impacts Hundreds of Thousands of Disabled Students

Accessible SVGs – Perfect Patterns For Screen Reader Users

While Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) were first introduced in the late 90s, they have seen a massive resurgence in popularity in the last decade due to their extreme flexibility, high fidelity, and relative lightness in a world where bandwidth and performance matter more than ever. Advancements in JavaScript and the introduction of CSS media queries… Continue reading Accessible SVGs – Perfect Patterns For Screen Reader Users

Introducing the new axe DevTools Extension’s User Flow Analysis feature

Today, we’re announcing the beta release of User Flow Analysis, a new feature of the axe DevTools Extension that lets you test entire customer journeys and create a single report with accessibility issues automatically deduplicated. Try it now: New users can sign up for a 14-day free trial, expired trial users can reactivate, and customers… Continue reading Introducing the new axe DevTools Extension’s User Flow Analysis feature

7 Tips for Memorable and Easy-to-Understand Imagery

Summary:  A few relevant, high-quality visuals placed next to associated text can boost users’ comprehension of your content and its memorability. When implemented strategically, visuals can enhance users’ ability to understand and remember products. Here are seven best practices for memorable visuals. #1 Choose or Create Relevant Visuals Visuals exist alongside other content, and users… Continue reading 7 Tips for Memorable and Easy-to-Understand Imagery

Designing Accessible Color Palettes in Figma: A Guide for Web Accessibility

In today’s digital age, creating inclusive designs that cater to all users is paramount. Accessibility in web design ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and interact with digital content seamlessly. One crucial aspect of accessible design is color contrast, which plays a significant role in making content legible for all users, including… Continue reading Designing Accessible Color Palettes in Figma: A Guide for Web Accessibility

Deque adds IntelliJ and WebStorm plugins to axe DevTools Linter

We’ve just tripled our Integrated Development Environment (IDE) support! In addition to a VS Code extension, Deque now offers axe DevTools Linter as a plugin for paid IntelliJ IDEA and WebStorm editions. A quick refresher on axe DevTools Linter Axe DevTools Linter is a powerful tool for your software development team. We provide a mini-linting-toolbox… Continue reading Deque adds IntelliJ and WebStorm plugins to axe DevTools Linter

Distinguishing between ARIA and native HTML attributes

As a developer, you want to create more inclusive and accessible digital experiences for your users. Great! It’s possible, however, that you might be feeling a bit confused or overwhelmed by the element attributes that can affect the usability for users of assistive technology. ARIA (or WAI-ARIA, Web Accessibility Initiative-Accessible Rich Internet Applications) defines some… Continue reading Distinguishing between ARIA and native HTML attributes

Deque’s fourth annual axe-con does it again with nearly 30k digital accessibility champions in attendance

Axe-con is a digital accessibility conference that took place virtually February 20-22, 2024. Over 75 experts from companies such as Adobe, ADP, Amazon, GitHub, Hilton, HSBC, PNC, Proctor and Gamble, Ubisoft, and more shared their expertise on what it takes to build and expand upon digital accessibility efforts in this rapidly expanding space. During the… Continue reading Deque’s fourth annual axe-con does it again with nearly 30k digital accessibility champions in attendance